San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler spoke with the media via video call on Tuesday and cleared up any doubts there may have been about the team’s catching situation in the upcoming season.
Long-time starter and 2012 National League MVP Buster Posey, who opted out of the 2020 season, is going to be the Giants’ primary catcher heading into the new campaign, according to Kapler.
“(We) think about Buster as a sure-fire lock for our Opening Day roster and the lion’s share of the reps back there,” said Kapler when asked about a potential move to top prospect Joey Bart.
Bart, a Georgia native just like Posey, made his Big League debut in 2020 and struggled with adjusting to top-flight pitching. He hit just .233 with a .280 on-base percentage, with 0 home runs and 7 RBI in 33 games behind the plate.
It is still unclear what Bart’s role will be in 2020. He could presumably play as Posey’s back-up, or he could be headed back to AAA to continue to refine his bat before coming back up to the Majors to stay.
Posey will look to improve upon a .257 season with only 7 home runs in 2019, and according to Kapler, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to do so.
