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Georgia Tech Baseball: Joey Bart named a top 10 prospect for 2018 MLB Draft

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 08: A general view of baseball gloves ahead of the Philadephia Phillies versus Atlanta Braves during their opening day game at Turner Field on April 8, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 08: A general view of baseball gloves ahead of the Philadephia Phillies versus Atlanta Braves during their opening day game at Turner Field on April 8, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Yesterday, it was written on that Georgia Tech basketball star Josh Okogie was a projected first round pick, today, it’s a familiar name off the diamond.

With the 2017 MLB Draft officially behind us and most prospects signed, scouts are already looking towards the 2018 MLB Draft class. Baseball America posted their “2018 MLB Draft Watch List” on Friday morning and one name on the list may look familiar to Georgia Tech fans.

The number eight player on Baseball America’s watch list of the top ten college talents is Yellow Jackets slugger Joey. The prestigious scouting site and magazine said the following about Bart;

"“Catchers with power who can catch generally fly off the board. He lead Georgia Tech with 13 home runs.”"

Bart will be entering his junior season at Georgia Tech following a breakout season in 2017 when at one time he was at the top of the nation’s leader board for home runs. One major reason that Bart could go high in next year’s draft as long as he has an overall good season is the ability to project him at catcher at the Major League level.

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Bart has outstanding catching abilities which would allow him to move through a system as a catcher and being a mainstay behind the plate for a team for years to come. The other major reason is, of course, his hitting abilities. When it comes to catchers, those who are either able to hit for average or power, if not both are the most desirable. Obviously, as Georgia Tech fans saw in 2017, Bart is able to both as he hit .296/.370/.575 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. His numbers may have been higher but he suffered a hand injury heading into May and missed the final few weeks of the season.

The 2017 season saw Bart hit around the same average, as he hit .299 his freshman season and have slightly more RBI with 43 compared to 31. But the biggest difference was his power which broke out early in the season as he hit 12 more home runs than his freshman year total of one. The impressive part of all this is that Bart did all that in just one additional game.

Bart was drafted coming out of high school as he was selected in the 27th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. The top prospect is RHP Brady Singer out of Florida who has both a strong fastball and slider. One other ACC player was in the top ten college prospects as Clemson’s Seth Beer came in one spot under Bart.