Hey team! Covechatter has a short video of Georgia Tech C Joey Bart hitting a HR up on his Twitter feed. Go check that out, then go check out video of Mac Williamson hitting from this season. It looks to me like Joey has been working with that same hitting coach who fixed Justin Turner and Big Mac. Look at where he's holding his hands down low, the relaxed open stance with a narrow stance. Look at how he starts his swing. All look very familiar if you've checked out Mac's swing from this season.
I'm not completely in love with any of the Giants draft options at #2 overall, but if it's true that they are down to Bart and Brady Singer, I'll give a thumbs up to Bart after seeing that video. I am also moving Joey above Travis Swaggerty who still has great K and BB rates but whose BA has taken a dive of late and several first person scouting reports have been less than enthusiastic. Alec Bohm is crushing it for Wichita St but he's a corner player and I'm not sure how much I trust Wichita St numbers to translate. If it is not Bart or Bohm, I would prefer to see the Giants go with Jerad Kelenic, who has a similar profile to Swaggerty, but is already a bit bigger and stronger out of HS, or a HS pitcher like Carter Stewart, Matt Liberatore or Cole Winn, 3 names they've been linked to in the draft cycle.
Recent reports on Kumar Rocker who still has that dreamy physicality have not been positive. I'm guessing Rocker falls far enough that he will end up at Vanderbilt. I think we've reviewed Stewart and Liberatore. Winn is a bit smaller at 6'2", 175 lbs, but. has a 3-pitch mix and an advanced feel for pitching that could make him a fast mover. I could see the Giants cutting a below-slot deal with him to upgrade their haul in later rounds. If you take signing bonus out of the equation, Winn is probably not a kid you would spend a #2 overall pick on. My comp for him would be Logan Webb who the Giants picked in the 4'th round a few years ago and is a fine prospect. Just not what you want with your #2 overall.
But yeah, I've been down on Bart because of positional risk and a high K rate. I looked at his stat line and he's brought the K rate down from about 25% last year to 20% this year while greatly increasing his walk rate and BA to go with his impressive power. Combine all that with glowing reports of his catcher defense and I am OK with moving Bart up to #2 on my draft board after consensus 1-1, Casey Mize.
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DrB's Updated 2018 Draft Board:
1. Casey Mize RHP, College(Auburn).
2. Joey Bart C, College(Georgia Tech).
3. Alec Bohm 3B, College(Wichita St).
4. Jared Kelenic OF, HS.
5. Matt Liberatore LHP, HS.
6. Carter Stewart RHP, HS.
7. Brady Singer RHP, College(Florida).
8. Cole Winn RHP, HS.
I'd be OK with any of these names, except maybe Singer and Winn, but it's looking more and more like Joey Bart is the dude. That video of his swing convinced me!
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What's the question on Singer -- he's better in 2018 than he was in 2017?
ReplyDeleteHe's not (quite) Casey Mize, but he's tall and filling out with three plus pitches. Is he suspected to be injury prone although it hasn't happened (yet)?
Singer has an extremely high effort delivery with sudden acceleration/deceleration. Close to sidearm. I agree with Keith Law who says he's a future reliever. Also, 87 K's in 81 IP is not exactly dominating for a college pitcher.
DeleteThanks.
DeleteThat seems to be the biggest rap -- an injury waiting to happen.
Can that be "fixed" before it's too late?
You're not supposed to draft at #2 for need, but sometimes need and availability coincide. Buster may not be real close to being replaced, but good catchers who can hit are hard to find. Bart would take about the right length of time to be ready when needed. And if Garcia pans out, or Winn, the more the bettah.
I'll ask this just to be clear: if the Giants had the first pick, they would take Mize? Thanks. -e
ReplyDeleteI don't know who the Giants would take if they had the 1-1. Mize is the consensus 1-1 of just about every analyst I've read, but internal scouting reports and bonus demands could also be factors we are not privy to.
DeleteOk, I looked back at that video of Bart & you are spot on DrB. The only difference from Mac's approach is Bart doesn't use the big leg kick. Otherwise, it's almost an exact copy. Nice spot!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I had a similar moment the other night watching a clip of Alec Bohm, who hit 3 HR last week. His May 8 big fly went to dead center, and I swear I thought I was watching Kris Bryant. Body type, swing, result. Here's the link if you want to check it out: https://twitter.com/GoShockersBSB/status/994008740197163008
At this point, I'd be pretty excited if the Giants picked Bart or Bohm.
What's your guess, Doc, % of making the MLB roster within 5 years:
ReplyDeleteBart?
Bohm?
Kelenic?
Liberatore?
Stewart?
Singer?
Winn?
Other?