#2 Player in Nation Joins Volcanoes
July 2, 2018 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes News Release
Joey Bart of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
(Salem-Keizer Volcanoes)
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are very pleased to announce the arrival of the San Francisco Giants' first round draft pick of 2018, Catcher Joey Bart. Bart, the highest Giants pick in 33 years, and the second player selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft overall, received a signing bonus of $7.025 million, That's the largest bonus for a position player in draft history. Bart was the first position player (non pitcher) selected in the nation. This season as a junior at Georgia Tech, Bart led the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average (.359), finished second in slugging percentage (.632) and hits (79) and ranked among the league's top 10 in home runs (16), runs scored (55) and on-base percentage (.471). Defensively, he had a career-best .992 fielding percentage.
Bart was named the ACC Player of the Year, the first Georgia Tech player to win the award since Mark Teixeira in 2000. He was also named first team All-America and first team All-ACC, as well as ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Many have said he has the same future potential as Giants' current catcher, Buster Posey, who played for the Volcanoes in 2008.
Bart, who will join the Volcanoes roster on July 4th, said he is looking forward to his stay in Salem-Keizer. He will get to meet the Giants' 1998 first round draft pick, Tony Torcato, who resides in Salem. Torcato began his career with the Volcanoes in 1998, and eventually played four seasons with the Giants. Other Giants first round draft picks to begin their professional careers with the Volcanoes were Kurt Ainsworth (1999), Nate Bump (1998), Boof Bonser (2000), Nate Lowry (2001), Brad Hennessey (2001), Tim Lincecum (2006), Emmanuel Burris (2006), Jackson Williams (2007), Buster Posey (2008), Conor Gillespie (2008), Gary Brown, 2010, Joe Panik (2011), Chris Stratton (2012), and Christian Arroyo (2013).
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 Joey Bart of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes |
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