Okay, we know they’re not really over it. But, it is kind of funny to think about.
The Braves acquired Joey Bart late last night. The move is, on its face, a no-brainer. Bart was the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft (Alex Anthopoulos loves him some draft pedigree), but he’s also put up 3.3 fWAR in 1,179 career PAs — a 1.7 fWAR-per-600 PAs that is head and shoulders above the usual replacement level catcher goobers that fill in when a catcher that was initially part of the plan gets hurt.
That said, those goobers are generally guys who can’t really hit at all, but who can field, or give the impression of fielding, enough to make up for it. Sandy Leon has a 53 wRC+ in his career, but has provided over two wins of above-average defense relative to catching peers. Austin Wynns hit a bit better (66 wRC+) and hasn’t been a good framer, but is an above-average thrower. Chadwick Tromp has some framing performance and upside, which is why he’s bounced around but generally gotten opportunities when injuries have struck.
Bart, though… Bart is an offensive catcher. His career .300ish wOBA and xwOBA (95 wRC+) aren’t impressive, but are way above the set of “freely available catchers” like Wynns and such. Bart also hit much better in 2024-2025 than before (combined .330ish wOBA/xwOBA, 110 wRC+, in about 600 PAs). But, he’s been below average at all the aspects of catcher defense, with framing being a particular issue.
So, does grabbing Bart portend a change in strategy in terms of defensive value at catcher? Or, is it just a case that Bart’s all-in projected value is too high relative to Leon, Tromp, Wynns, and their ilk that it was too hard to avoid making a swap, even if the flavor of that projected value is very different? I’m guessing it’s the latter, but what do you think?
