2022 NL Rookie of the Year Odds: Giants catcher Joey Bart, struggling former betting favorite, sent down to minors

When the first National League Rookie of the Year odds were released back in late February, San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart was a +450 co-favorite. It's probably time to consider that a worthless ticket if you wagered on it. The former touted prospect has struggled so much this season that the Giants sent him down to Triple-A on Wednesday. He's now +20000 to win NL Rookie of the Year at Caesars Sportsbook.

Bart, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft (Tigers pitcher Casey Mize was No. 1 that year and has had major injury problems so far in 2022), was essentially handed the starting catcher's job in San Francisco this offseason when likely future Hall-of-Famer Buster Posey surprisingly retired. Bart played in 33 games in 2020 and hit .233 and then just two games last year, going 2-for-6. He still retained rookie status in 2022 through MLB's rather complex formula on such things.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound right-hander was hitting a brutal .156 with a miniscule .596 OPS, four homers, seven RBI and 49 strikeouts in 90 at-bats this year. Over his past 30 games, Bart was hitting .111/.256/.194 with a whopping 45.3 percent strikeout rate. Frankly, the Giants had no choice here. They are contending for a playoff spot and Bart was a black hole in the lineup when he did play.

"We still think Joey is an everyday catcher," Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said today. "In the broader scheme of things, we thought it made sense to get him a little bit of a reset. We're very open to the notion that at-bats at Triple-A out of the spotlight can help get a guy on track."

Bart entered the season with 112 days of MLB service time, meaning he needed another 60 days on the active roster or big-league injured list to reach one full year of service, and he hit 62 days. That may matter down the line in terms of arbitration and free agency.

Curt Casali (.244, four HRs, 12 RBIs) has taken over as the team's No. 1 catcher and Bart might not be back anytime soon because the team also traded for catcher Austin Wynns from the Phillies. The 31-year-old Wynns was hitting well in Triple-A this year but hadn't played in the Show. He previously played in 115 games over parts of three seasons with the Orioles, slashing .216/.255/.326 with nine homers.

The current NL Rookie of the Year favorite at Caesars is Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore at +220 followed by fairly recently promoted Cardinals infielder Nolan Gorman at +250. Chicago outfielder Seiya Suzuki (+450) had been atop the board for a while but has fallen back a bit, as he hasn't played May 26 due to a finger injury and likely won't return until late next week.

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