Giants prospect Bart honored by team

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The praise keeps mounting for top Giants prospect Joey Bart.

Bart was elected the winner of the 2019 Barney Nugent Award in a landslide vote from teammates, coaches and training staff on Sunday. The honor is given annually to the player who impresses most in his first big league camp with the Giants.

“It’s cool,” Bart, the Giants' No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, said. “I thought we had some guys that were here that did a really nice job as well, some guys that are down in the Minor League side. For these guys to vote for me, it means a lot.”

Bart, the second overall pick in last June’s Draft, has gone 7-for-17 (.412) with seven RBIs in 13 Cactus League games this spring. He knocked in the go-ahead run in Sunday’s 7-2 win over the Royals by reaching on a fielder’s choice in the eighth inning.

Bart is slated to open the season at Class A Advanced San Jose, but the Giants have kept the 22-year-old catcher in big league camp to maximize his opportunities to learn from Buster Posey and other veterans and experience an advanced level of competition in Cactus League play.

“I think it’s the most important thing,” Bart said. “Catching guys that are better, facing better arms. I think it’s just going to get me ready for the next level and so forth. That’s been great. Sometimes a guy’s got some nasty stuff, and it gets you amped up to get in there and compete.”

The Barney Nugent Award is named in honor of the late Giants athletic trainer who worked for the club from 1993-2003. It was previously known as the Harry K. Jordan Award.

Mays, Perry visit

Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Gaylord Perry visited camp on Sunday and spoke to Giants players in the clubhouse on Sunday morning. Bart said he appreciated the chance to hear the Giants legends impart their wisdom to a younger crop of players.

“It was great just hearing their dialogue on stories and hanging out at the ballpark and stuff like that,” Bart said. “It was really cool. I couldn’t really hear it from over here, but I snuck in there and heard some good stuff.”

Milestone for Posey

Buster Posey caught six innings on Sunday, marking his first back-to-back games behind the plate this spring.

“He looked good,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Caught well and swung the bat. That’s a big day for him. He’ll get a couple days off now and we’ll ramp him up again.”

Left-handed relievers Will Smith and Tony Watson also pitched one inning apiece in a Minor League game on Sunday to complete their first back-to-back appearances in camp.

Up next

Left-hander Derek Holland will make his fifth appearance of the spring on Monday when the Giants face the White Sox at Camelback Ranch at 1:05 p.m. PT. Left-hander Manny Banuelos is scheduled to pitch for Chicago.