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SF Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey named NL Gold Glove finalist

After an impressive rookie campaign, SF Giants catcher Patrick Bailey was named one of three finalists for a National League Gold Glove award.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey named NL Gold Glove finalist
SF Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey named NL Gold Glove finalist /
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One SF Giants player was named a finalist for a 2023 Gold Glove Award on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, it was rookie catcher Patrick Bailey who was named a finalist alongside Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. Bailey would be the first rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove in the 21st century. The last rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove was former Marlins backstop Charles Johnson in 1995.

Chicago Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario collides with SF Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field on September 5, 2023.
Cubs 3B Jeimer Candelario collides with SF Giants C Patrick Bailey. (2023) / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Whether or not Bailey wins the award, it's a valuable reminder of how quickly the public perception of the 2020 first-round pick has transformed since the beginning of the season. Bailey was not considered a top prospect in the organization heading into the year by most major outlets (credit to FanGraphs for standing on its own ranking Bailey among the top catching prospects in the minors). In fact, he started this season at Double-A.

Bailey received his big-league call-up in mid-May and immediately infused new energy into the team's lineup. He immediately began showcasing elite defensive ability and was arguably even more impactful in the batter's box. Bailey hit .322/.347/.557 with 10 doubles, a triple, and five home runs in his first 33 games.

Over the course of the season, Bailey did take a significant step back at the plate, particularly as fatigue took hold in September. He ultimately finished the year with a well below-average .233/.285/.359 MLB triple-slash with 18 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs in 353 plate appearances.

Still, Bailey's defensive impact helped him solidify himself as San Francisco's catcher of the future. Despite spending the first six weeks of the season in the minor leagues, Bailey led all catchers in MLB in Defensive Runs according to Statcast and was second, only trailing Austin Hedges, in Baseball Prospectus' Defensive runs prevented.

Bailey would be the first SF Giants catcher to win a Gold Glove Award since Buster Posey in 2016.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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