The Pittsburgh Pirates’ catching situation is getting very one-sided. Henry Davis is seemingly running away with the job. He has become an excellent defender, and the Pirates are encouraged by his progress in the box, even if the results haven’t shown up yet. The Pirates are winning much more frequently with Davis behind the dish. However, they’re losing more often than they are winning, with Joey Bart catching. While he has shown better with the bat than Davis over the last few years, his defense and work with pitchers are making it hard to keep him around.
2024 Breakout, 2026 Breakdown
Bart originally looked like a genius pick-up by the Pirates. The San Francisco Giants designated their second overall pick in 2018 for assignment heading into the 2024 season. The Bucs then acquired him for minor league reliever Austin Strickland, and Bart ran away with the catching job. He batted .265/.337/.462 with a .347 wOBA, and 121 wRC+. It only took him 282 plate appearances to go yard 13 times. His .198 isolated slugging percentage was the seventh best among any backstop with at least 250 plate appearances. Bart’s 7.8% walk rate and 25.9% K rate were not impressive, but he produced very well at the dish in 2024.
However, that breakout didn’t carry over into 2025. Bart slashed just .249/.355/.340 with a .317 wOBA, and 101 wRC+. While Bart walked significantly more often (12% BB rate), his already below-average K% rose further to 28%. Meanwhile, he only hit four home runs over 332 plate appearances, and clocked in with a meager .091 ISO, which was the third lowest of any primary backstop in 2025 with at least 300 trips to the dish.
Things have only kept going downhill for Bart at the plate. He has 42 plate appearances so far this year, with only six hits and two walks. He only has two extra base hits, including one double and one home run. Bart has already struck out 17 times. His whiff rate in the small sample size is 32.9%. For reference, he had a 28% whiff percentage last season. It may be less than 42 plate appearances, but it’s about as poor a start to a season as you could ask for.
Poor Defense at the Most Important Defensive Position
Bart has graded out as a below-average defender throughout his entire tenure with the Pirates. He has -10 defensive runs saved and -4.3 framing runs over 1302 innings caught. Bart’s -9 blocks above average ranks 80th out of the 91 catchers who have caught at least 1000 pitches since 2024. Bart’s poptime has improved from about two seconds between 2024 and 2025 to only 1.92 seconds this year, but it’s the only facet of his defense that has had anything greater than marginal improvement.
The biggest strength Bart brought to the table in 2026 is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He owned a .941 OPS vs lefties between 2024 and 2025. 28 of his plate appearances this year have been against Southpaws. In that time, he has two hits, both of which are singles, and a whiff percentage of 36.8%. Bart has yet to draw a walk vs a lefty, and has struck out a dozen times (which is unsurprising given his poor whiff%).
This isn’t to say that Bart is blocking a top prospect or someone tearing apart Triple-A pitching. Endy Rodríguez and Rafael Flores Jr. haven’t exactly gotten off to a good start in 2026. However, Rodriguez is a better defensive catcher, while Flores offers first base versatility. Meanwhile, Bart has struggled to do the one thing he has done consistently well since arriving in Pittsburgh: hit left-handed pitching. As stated at the start of the season, the Pirates must be proactive with their roster. His defense is not up to par; the Pirates win more with Henry Davis, so now is the time to consider moving on from Bart.
Main Photo Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
