SF Giants prospects: Patrick Bailey ties franchise record at Double-A

SF Giants 2020 first-round pick Patrick Bailey tied a franchise record with the team's Double-A affiliate on Tuesday.

Marc Delucchi | Apr 19, 2023

SF Giants prospects: Patrick Bailey ties franchise record at Double-A /

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San Francisco Giants

The top-catching prospect in the SF Giants farm system tied a franchise record with the team's Double-A affiliate in Richmond on Tuesday. Richmond Flying Squirrels catcher Patrick Bailey (Giants #21 prospect) went 5-for-5 with a home run and a walk in a 15-6 win over the Erie SeaWolves, tying a Flying Squirrels' franchise single-game record with five hits. It was the 10th five-hit game in the team's history.

Bailey was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2020 draft out of NC State. Bailey had been a three-year starter behind the plate with the Wolfpack and had showcased intriguing potential defensively and as a switch-hitter.

While Bailey was expected to move quickly through the minors, his career got off to an unexpectedly slow start. Bailey began his professional career in 2021 with High-A Eugene and hit just .185/.290/.296 in 33 games before he was optioned to Single-A San Jose. Bailey finished the season strong at the lower level, posting a .322/.416/.531 line.

Back in Eugene last season, Bailey was far from exceptional but did take some notable steps forward. He hit .225/.342/.420 with 14 doubles and 12 home runs across 83 games. Granted, particular struggles against left-handed pitching dampened Bailey's overall numbers. He posted a far better .252/.370/.481 triple-slash against righties with a 15.7% walk rate and an above-average 19.7% strikeout rate.

There has been significant buzz surrounding Bailey from within the organization since the preseason. Bailey appeared in 10 games with the big-league team during spring training and recorded four hits in 14 at-bats. Since the start of the regular season, though, at Double-A Richmond, Bailey has been crushing opposing pitching.

Through eight games this season, Patrick Bailey is hitting .412/.460/.559 with two doubles, a home run, three walks, and seven strikeouts in 37 plate appearances. Needless to say, the SF Giants hope their top-catching prospect can change the narrative around his pro career this season and perhaps even make a push to make his big-league debut.

Published Apr 19, 2023

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).