Joey Bart Relishing Joining Hometown Braves, What he Brings to Table

There’s finding out you're heading to a new team with a new opportunity, and then there’s finding out you’re going home. For catcher Joey Bart, it’s the best of both worlds.

A native of Buford, Ga., and an alumnus of Georgia Tech, playing professional baseball in his hometown was a remaining dream to live out. For the first time, the Atlanta Braves logo is on his cap and across his chest as a major leaguer.

The family is excited. Bart said it was one of the easiest phone calls to make. A lot of people have been reaching out over the last 24 hours as they learn he’ll be back in town.

“Yeah, it was special. I called my wife, you know,” Bart said. “We’ve been all over this country together, you know what I mean? So to be able to come home and be 20 minutes from the ballpark is cool.”

In a way, this is even extra special to get to be with the Braves at the ballpark. He didn’t go to games in person much growing up. There were a lot of games on TV. However, he added he got to see a game at Truist Park when it first opened in 2017 while he was at Georgia Tech.

He was here recently, too, when the Pirates were in town. It wasn’t long before he had to turn back around, and it gave him a glimpse of what he was jumping into.

“I mean, team’s legit,” he said. “When we came here, I saw that offense, pitching, everything. Full, complete bullpen. So, it seems like they’re doing all the things right to win, and there’s a lot of winners in this clubhouse.”

With a desire to boost the offense at the catcher position beyond Drake Baldwin, the Braves made a late-night move to bring Bart in. With Sean Murphy out for the foreseeable future, they needed an experienced option that could produce when Baldwin is penciled in as a designated hitter.

He hasn’t made his debut yet. In his first game with the team, Drake Baldwin was behind the dish.

However, the excitement to see what he can do is there.

“Yeah, I like Joey Bart,” manager Walt Weiss said. “I remember last year we couldn’t get him out.”

Weiss said that he likes how Bart could potentially contribute against left-handed pitching. On top of that, the hometown kid arriving always makes for a good story, he added.

Going forward, it’s going to be the Baldwin and Bart tandem. Perhaps this acquisition is the first of some other major moves to come as the Braves set themselves up for a World Series run.

This was already a team with its share of locals, whether it be Michael Harris II or Matt Olson. Another who could share the joy of winning on his childhood team only adds to the fun.

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