In September of 2009, the San Francisco Giants called up a young catcher that would forever change their history. His name was Buster Posey. Posey’s run with the Giants spanned over a decade and was a major factor in their three World Series championships. It can’t be stressed enough how good he was, and it’s likely that he will be in the Hall of Fame.
But even the best players’ careers come to an end. Granted, Posey’s retirement was unusually early. Who knows how good he’d be if he were still on the Giants roster in 2023? And yet the Giants were fortunate to have him for his entire career. A player staying in one place like that is rare.
In 2018, the Giants drafted Joey Bart. He was supposed to quickly rise to the big leagues and become their starting catcher. The Giants no doubt viewed him as the guy to fill Posey’s spot in the future. But things didn’t turn out. Bart made an unimpressive debut in 2020, spent almost the entire 2021 season in the minors, and then underperformed in the majors in both 2022 and 2023.
Their current catching setup proves to have been the most unexpected imaginable. Patrick Bailey and Blake Sabol are their primary catchers, and both have performed well. Sabol was being discussed extensively as far back as spring training, but the focus on Bailey has been a more recent phenomenon.
90 seconds of Alex Cobb raving about Patrick Bailey 🔽 pic.twitter.com/qeT2CT5Ox0
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 6, 2023
How Good is Patrick Bailey?
Looking at His Offensive Ability
Bailey has whacked five homers and hit to an .817 OPS in 140 at-bats. It’s true that the sample size is small. Casey Schmitt, who was at one time a prominent prospect contributor, has regressed of late, and it is of course always possible that Bailey will do so as well. But we need to see what happens.
Already, Bailey has given the Giants significant production at catcher compared to what they expected. If he can continue the good work, it could go as far as being the key in the postseason for all we know.
Pitch Framing
Catcher framing is a valuable skill in baseball because umpires will often reward a neatly caught pitch. It’s amazing to see how good Bailey is in this regard, and it has proven valuable in the sample of games he’s played in for the Giants.
It’s already a fact that pitching will play a major factor in the Giants success or failure going forward. Any help they can get on the borderline pitches will be something to appreciate.
Bailey’s Future in San Francisco
Although the Giants must add on at the trade deadline, they will not want to trade Bailey. He is capable of being as big of a part of a 2023 postseason run as anyone. For a long time, the Giants have been in need of prospects that could immediately produce, and now they’re finding answers. Many disappointing prospects have been drafted, but guys like Bailey are (finally) actually good.
But there is a future component to all of this. Could Bailey turn out to be anything like Buster Posey? It’s an obvious fact that Giants fans feel let down after the era of their legendary veterans ended. Still, new stars come in as fast as the old ones go out.
It is never easy to replace players like Posey. But it’s not as impossible as, say, finding the next Barry Bonds. The danger here is making too much from too little. But Bailey has shown promise. It remains to be seen how good he actually is.
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Photo Credit- Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Buster Posey, Joey Bart, Patrick Bailey, Blake Sabol, Casey Schmitt, Barry Bonds
