3 months agoPittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on MLB Network that catcher
Joey Bart has taken the pole position at catcher heading into the 2025 season. Bart couldn't get going with the San Francisco Giants and was picked up on waivers by the Pirates early on in 2024. The low-cost move worked out for the Pirates, as Bart eventually became the team's starting catcher and finished with a .265/.337/.462 slash line with a career-high 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs scored in 282 plate appearances over 80 games played. The 28-year-old is in pole position for the starting job in 2025, but he'll need to continue playing well to hold off both
Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and former first-rounder
Henry Davis. The power and hard-hit skills are the draw with Bart, and it was a nice sign that he lowered his strikeout rate in 2024. However, he'll need regular playing time to be fantasy relevant.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Bucco Beat
6 months agoPittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed slugger will get a breather after starting in each of the last two games. In his absence,
Yasmani Grandal will do the catching and bat seventh versus right-hander
Freddy Peralta. Grandal is underachieving with the bat this season and isn't a viable fantasy option for Wednesday's slate. The expectation is Bart will be back in the lineup following Wednesday's game.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
6 months agoPittsburgh Pirates first baseman
Rowdy Tellez, catcher
Joey Bart and infielder
Jared Triolo are all on the bench for the start of Saturday's contest against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Connor Joe is manning first base and batting seventh,
Yasmani Grandal is doing the catching and hitting sixth, and
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at third and hitting leadoff against Reds rookie right-hander
Rhett Lowder. It will be the fifth time in the last 10 games that Tellez has found himself on the bench, as he has only two hits in his last 25 at-bats over nine games. Kiner-Falefa draws the most DFS intrigue on Saturday against a rookie hurler. Since coming over from the Blue Jays in a deadline trade this summer, IKF has hit .249 (45-for-181) for Pittsburgh with a homer, nine doubles, two triples, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
7 months agoPittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. The team will give Bart a rest day after he started in each of the last two games. This appears to be a routine rest day, so Bart should be back in the lineup after this game. In his absence,
Yasmani Grandal will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander
Valente Bellozo. The veteran catcher has been heating up at the plate lately with a hit in each of his last five games. He could be a low-cost DFS option ahead of Monday's slate.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
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