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Today, we’re talking about the biggest positional hole on the team: catcher. Who will replace Joey Bart this season?
2019 Roster (Catchers)
Kyle McCann (Junior)
Brenton Sanders (Sophomore)
Cameron Turley (Sophomore)
Jamie Taylor (Sophomore)
And here’s how the veterans fared:
Returning Catcher 2018 Stats
| Player | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | HR | SLG | BB | K | OBP | SB-ATT | FLD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | HR | SLG | BB | K | OBP | SB-ATT | FLD |
| Kyle McCann | 0.300 | 54-49 | 190 | 48 | 57 | 15 | 0.600 | 37 | 56 | 0.423 | 1-1 | 0.982 |
| Cameron Turley | 0.250 | 8-0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.250 | 1 | 2 | 0.400 | 0-0 | 1.000 |
| Jamie Taylor | 0.200 | 11-0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.200 | 0 | 4 | 0.200 | 0-0 | 1.000 |
Joey Bart is a huge loss from last year’s team. He led Georgia Tech in nearly every offensive category and was also a good defensive presence at catcher. Bart truly had an incredible season, finishing with a slash line of .359/.471/.632 while hitting 16 home runs and 38 RBIs (which is one of the few categories Bart did not lead the team in).
The obvious choice to replace Bart played in the position on occasion last year: Kyle McCann. Splitting time between catcher, first baseman and designated hitter, McCann had an incredible season, finishing the season by being named third team All-ACC. He also finished second on the team with 15 home runs. He’s not the defensive stalwart Bart was, but he is still more than serviceable behind the plate.
If, for whatever reason, McCann does not start, the Yellow Jackets do have a few more options with a trio of sophomores: Brenton Sanders, Cameron Turley and Jamie Taylor. There isn’t much information out about them, but there is always a chance one of them could make an impact.
I feel pretty confident in saying that McCann will be the starter at catcher for the Yellow Jackets opening day. As good as he was for the team last year, he will certainly start somewhere, even if it isn’t at catcher.
For continuing coverage of the run-up to the 2019 baseball season, click here.
What are your thoughts at catcher? Let us know below!