Giants Coach Offers Praise For Young Star

(Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

The San Francisco Giants have been trying to find Buster Posey’s successor behind the plate for quite some time now.

To compare any young catcher with Posey’s sustained offensive and defensive excellent is a bit reckless, but truth be told, the team hasn’t been able to find any consistency after his retirement.

That was until Patrick Bailey came along.

A 2020 first-round draft pick, Bailey’s offensive game still hasn’t translated to the majors.

However, his defense, game-calling ability, blocking, and framing skills are outstanding.

Giants pitching coach Bryan Price offered significant praise to the up-and-coming Giants catcher, via MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.

“It’s about how motivated you are to be great.”

Bryan Price on Patrick Bailey taking his game to the next level: @SFGiants | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/awSFvsN8tH

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 20, 2023

“He (Bailey) certainly has the physical tools to be outstanding. So if he can stay healthy and he’s got that gene, I think he is going to be a really special player, and that is reflected in how well he handles our pitching staff and prepares for his opponents,” Price said.

That’s significant praise for a player who finished 2023 with 13 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 17.4 Framing Runs, according to FanGraphs.

Basically, Bailey does everything a catcher should do behind the plate and before games to prepare for his opponents.

The only thing preventing him from reaching superstar status as of now is his bat.

He slashed a modest .233/.285/.359 with seven home runs and 48 RBI in 353 plate appearances in the majors this year.

His wRC+ was a subpar 78.

Still, with everything he does behind the plate, the overall package is worthy of a starting gig, and the potential is there to improve on offense and enter the upper echelon of catchers.

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