Braves Give Their Early Rave Reviews of Joey Bart

Joey Bart got his first action as a member of the Atlanta Braves on Saturday afternoon. He was given a big task out of the gate: catch Chris Sale and help his team win a series.

The first time he ever caught Sale was when they were throwing warm-ups in the bullpen before the game. The nine-time All-Star was nothing but impressed with what he saw in his new catcher, especially his confidence.

"It didn't look his wheels were like turning in a bad way, in a nervous way," Sale said. "And honestly, it just felt like a good rhythm. I felt like I had good temp, good rhythm today. It just seemed like every pitch called was the right one."

With Bart behind the dish, Sale gave the Braves 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. He induced 12 whiffs from Brewers hitters along with 24 called strikes. Braves pitching overall struck out 10 batters while allowing three runs.

In the batter's box, he went 0-for-3, but he gave the team some solid at-bats. His flyout came off the bat at 98 mph, and it traveled 376 feet, the third farthest hit ball in the game.

"I thought he took some really nice passes at the ball," manager Walt Weiss said. "Just missed a couple of balls, and he's got big power. He's certainly a threat, especially against left-handed pitching."

Like Sale, Weiss noticed a certain energy that Bart brought to the table.

"I like the presence, man. I like the way he looks back there and the way he operates."

The Braves went on to win 4-3 in his team debut on a walk-off home run by Ozzie Albies. His efforts on defense helped the team stay in it long enough to get over the top.

Bart came over in late-night trade ahead of the start of the Brewers series. He was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in enchange for relief pitcher Hunter Stratton.

It gave him the chance to wear the uniform of the team he grew up watching as a kid. Above that, being from Buford, Ga., he's getting the chance to represent his hometown and his friends and family.

The first game didn't translate to any hits, but the confidence is there that he'll give a boost to the cather position on offense in the long run. The type of at-bats he gave on Saturday back up the notice that that could be the case.

His defensive metrics indicate that nothing was lost defensively. While Sandy Leon brought a higher frame rate, Bart brings a strong pop time and matches him in blocks above average, as well as caught stealing above average.

The first few pages of the hometown story have been written. Time to see how the rest of it unfolds.

Add us as a preferred source on Google