Ron Holman-Visalia
Larry Baer narrowed down the reasons Giants fans have not seen Joey Bart yet.
It’s not a money thing, the team’s CEO said. And he doesn’t believe it’s a confidence issue, disputing that the Giants would be fearful if Bart fails right away in the majors, his head would be a problem.
Baer continued to repeat the company line that has been established by Farhan Zaidi: They want to see more development from the star catching prospect.
“We’re continuing to see the development in Sacramento — people think that he’s sitting around, guys are sitting around at the alternate site. He’s seeing Triple-A, in some cases major league pitching at the Sacramento site,” Baer said on “Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks” on Thursday. “I don’t want to make any promises — I wouldn’t necessarily write it off as an impossibility for the season. We’re a third [of the season] in.”
The Giants have gone with a Tyler Heineman and Chadwick Tromp platoon, neither hitting enough thus far and both with catcher’s interference issues (while stealing low strikes in the process).
Bart, a 23-year-old former No. 2-overall pick, still has not debuted for a rebuilding club that is 8-12. Baer said it’s “not a financial thing per se, in terms of service time,” and also said Bart’s confidence is high “in a very good way.”
“I don’t know if it’s confidence as much as it’s time from a readiness standpoint physically,” Baer said on KNBR. “That’s what they’re judging.”