{"id":58074,"date":"2023-04-19T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=58074&preview=true&preview_id=58074"},"modified":"2023-04-18T16:22:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T20:22:03","slug":"joey-bart-position-catcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/04\/19\/joey-bart-position-catcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Joey Bart\u2019s Rallying Double Thrusts Him Back to Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Francisco Giants<\/a> suffered another frustrating late-game loss to the Miami Marlins<\/a> yesterday. But within each loss, there is always a bright spot. That’s the beauty of baseball.<\/span><\/p>\n

That bright spot came in the second inning. Early in a scoreless contest, Joey Bart stepped to the plate against tough lefty Jesus Luzardo with two outs. Bart recently thrust back into action, was off to a strong 6\/16 start at the plate before that at-bat. Curiously, all six hits had been singles. High average and low power are different from what we’re accustomed to from Joey in his young career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joey Bart’s At-Bat<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The way this at-bat started is what we’re used to seeing. After fouling off a first-pitch fastball, Bart swung and missed on a changeup way low and away in what looked like an auto-swing on the breaking pitch. For a player with a career 37.7% strikeout rate against a pitcher who can put hitters away with the off-speed and heater, most could probably guess where this was going.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s when Bart buckled down.<\/span><\/p>\n

He spat at a second lower changeup, then held the bat back on a tough 1-2 backfoot slider to pull the count even. It’s nothing but navigating dangerous territory for Bart, but he gradually puts himself in a better position by holding the bat back. He’s a career .102 hitter in 0-2 counts and knows another off-speed is coming. 1-2 counts aren’t much better at .128, and he checked his swing when the off-speed was breaking inside. A 2-2 count brings far more options, even if he’s only hitting .143 in those counts.<\/span><\/p>\n

More important than his hitting average is the position it puts Luzardo in. Taking two straight breaking balls calls for a challenge, but Bart was ready and fouled off the 98 MPH high heat. Now unable to put him away for three pitches, he tries a cheeky front-door slider and misses running the count full. Now he has to challenge, and Joey comes prepared.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Game-Changer, and Career Starter<\/h3>\n
\n

Joey Bart off of Jesus Luzardo<\/p>\n

EV?: 108.6
\nLaunch angle?: 16.0 degrees
\nPitch type?: Four-Seam Fastball
\nPitch speed?: 98.3 mph
\nDistance?: 351.0 ft.
\nOutcome?: Double<\/p>\n

San Francisco Giants(0) @ Miami Marlins(0)
\nTop 2 2 Out pic.twitter.com\/V9xmtL7YsA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Well-Hit Bot (@MLBWellHitBot) April 17, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n