SAN FRANCISCO -- Life went on at Oracle Park on Wednesday afternoon, even if Twitter wouldn't allow much of the press box to capture it. The Giants played another intrasquad game, seven innings this time, and there was a clear standout among young position players.
Five days after Buster Posey bowed out of the season, Joey Bart continued to show why it's hard to believe he's not one of this organization's two best catchers. Bart had the strongest batting practice of anyone in the afternoon group, repeatedly crushing balls deep into the bleachers in left and then showing off his two-way game when Team Orange faced Team Black.
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The front office and staff have been adamant that Bart has more to work on and isn't in the mix for Opening Day. But perhaps the veterans on the club are sending a subtle message.
Two days after Evan Longoria praised Bart, Wilmer Flores said this when asked which young Giants has impressed him: "I really like Joey Bart's approach. He can hit the ball hard. He has really impressed me. I didn't get to see him in spring training but I'm getting to see him now. He's really got some pop."
Bart also struck out twice Wednesday, and afterward it didn't sound like the entire day had moved the needle at all. Manager Gabe Kapler said the Giants still have a "really strong conviction that Joey's best path to being an excellent major league player is through more repetition and a little more time to develop."
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"I think it's important to remember that a lot of the best players in baseball become as good as they are through repetition, sometimes sitting in the dugout and watching games unfold, sometimes watching them from behind the plate and getting lots of reps in the batter's box and time with coaches," Kapler said in a video conference with reporters. "We just see Joey as a player who can really benefit from more reps in the batter's box, more opportunities to gameplan and more opportunities to work with some really great player development and major league coaches (in Sacramento)."
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--- We're eight days from the opener, so all reps are important. It certainly stood out, then, that right-hander Carlos Navas was stretched out and he struck out five in 2 1/3 innings, allowing just an infield single to Heliot Ramos. Navas had a good year with Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento last season. While he primarily has been a reliever in his career, he has always been a multi-inning one. That's a good fit in 2020.
"I think the way that I would describe Carlos right now is dependable and professional, predictable," Kapler said. "I think you need pieces like that in your bullpen. I think you need pieces like that where the staff and his teammates really believe in him on a major league roster. He's making a nice push. Obviously there's a way to go but he's doing a really nice job for us in camp so far."
--- It's all about versatility this season, and even more so in future years. Here are some of the positions we saw Wednesday: Austin Slater in center field, Joe McCarthy at first base and then right field, Luis Toribio at second and third, Mauricio Dubon in center and then at short, Mike Yastrzemski in center.
Dubon had the defensive play of the day, going deep into center to run down a Tyler Heineman line drive as he ran onto the track. He looked very much like someone who has been playing the outfield his whole life.
"He did what a good outfielder is supposed to do, (got) that first step, he got it real quick," Flores said. "The rest is history because he's got the speed to do it. I thought he got a great read on that ball. He looked really good out there ... he'll be fine, because he's so athletic. If you can play shortstop like he does you can play center field."
--- The Giants made it official: Their secondary camp will be in Sacramento, as expected. It won't be open to reporters or the public, although hopefully they have a camera up there capturing some of the action.
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--- Rule 5 pick Dany Jimenez had a good day on the mound and Kapler said his last two outings were more encouraging than his spring ones.
"Dany has shown well his last two outings and is making a nice push," Kapler said.
--- Trevor Cahill continues to miss time with a nail issue. He looked like a lock for the 30-man roster a couple weeks ago, but he's running out of time to get back on the mound.
Brandon Belt (sore heel) is progressing well and will start running soon.