Patrick Bailey
{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1999)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = Patrick Bailey
|image = Bailey2023catcher.jpg
|caption = Bailey with the Giants in 2023
|team = San Francisco Giants
|number = 14
|position = Catcher
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|5|29}}
|birth_place = Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
|bats = Switch
|throws = Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate = May 19
|debutyear = 2023
|debutteam = San Francisco Giants
|statleague = MLB
|statyear = May 27, 2025
|stat1label = Batting average
|stat1value = .225
|stat2label = Home runs
|stat2value = 16
|stat3label = Runs batted in
|stat3value = 109
|teams =
- San Francisco Giants ({{mlby|2023}}–present)
|awards =
- Gold Glove Award (2024)
}}
Patrick Bailey (born May 29, 1999) is an American professional baseball catcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at North Carolina State University, and was selected 13th overall by the Giants in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Early life
Patrick Bailey was born on May 29, 1999, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Bailey attended Wesleyan Christian Academy ('17) in High Point, North Carolina, where he played catcher for the baseball team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.greensboro.com/sports/high-school/baseball/wesleyan-catcher-patrick-bailey-is-among-nations-best/article_7544b931-d4a5-5a86-9166-3afbbdf2db2a.html|title=Wesleyan catcher Patrick Bailey is among nation's best|author=Joe Sirera|work=Greensboro News and Record|date=March 31, 2017 }} In 2016, he played for the U-18 United States national baseball team.{{Cite web|url=https://gopack.com/sports/baseball/roster/patrick-bailey/8528|title=Patrick Bailey – 2019 – Baseball|website=NC State University Athletics}}{{cite web | url=https://www.usabaseball.com/news/forty-one-usa-baseball-alumni-selected-in-the-2020-mlb-draft/c-313510892/?tid=216639934 | title=Forty-One USA Baseball Alumni Selected in the 2020 MLB Draft | work=USA Baseball | date=June 12, 2020 | access-date=June 26, 2020 }} In 2017, his senior year, he batted .510/.561/.947 with 13 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, and 33 runs batted in (RBIs) in 96 at bats.{{Cite web|url=https://www.greensboro.com/sports/high-school/baseball/hsxtra-all-area-baseball/article_36615230-4d32-11e7-ae07-57f78ab3aaf1.html|title=HSXtra All-Area: baseball|author=Joe Sirera|website=Greensboro News and Record|date=June 10, 2017 }} He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 37th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead chose to fulfill his commitment to play college baseball at North Carolina State University.{{Cite web|url=https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina-state/Article/Patrick-Bailey-NC-State-2020-MLB-Mock-Draft-First-Round-Top-10-132793807/|title=Patrick Bailey Projected as Top 10 Pick in 2020 MLB Mock Draft|website=PackPride.com}}
College career
File:Patrick Bailey (190719-M-ON849-1129) (cropped).jpg in 2019]]
In 2018, Bailey's freshman year at NC State, he slashed .321/.419/.604 (fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)) with 13 home runs (an NC State freshman record) and 40 RBIs, earning AC Freshman of the Year honors alongside being named a Freshman-All American and to the All-ACC Second Team.{{Cite web|url=https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina-state/Article/NC-States-Patrick-Bailey-breaks-freshman-home-run-record-118736351/|title=NC State's Patrick Bailey breaks freshman home run record|website=PackPride.com}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.technicianonline.com/sports/article_70ba0dbc-3018-11e9-aae1-ab6fb25aec7d.html|title=Patrick Bailey to build on historic freshman campaign|website=Technician|date=February 14, 2019 }} He was named a Freshman All-American by First Team D1Baseball, NCBWA & Perfect Game, and Collegiate Baseball, and selected as a member of the ABCA All-Region Team. After the 2018 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.{{cite web|url=http://baseball.pointstreak.com/player.html?playerid=1288158&seasonid=31242 |title=Patrick Bailey |publisher=pointstreak.com |access-date=June 11, 2020}} He was also selected for the United States collegiate national team.
As a sophomore in 2019, Bailey batted .288/.390/.513 with three triples (eighth in the ACC) and 10 home runs alongside a .989 fielding percentage.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimesnews.com/sports/20200213/acc-baseball-preview-high-hopes-for-in-state-teams/1|title=ACC baseball preview: High hopes for in-state teams|first=Bob|last=Sutton|website=The Times-News}} He was named to the All-ACC First Team, ABCA's Atlantic All-Region Team, USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, and third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, and was one of 14 semifinalists for the Buster Posey Award, as the nation's best catcher. That summer, he again played for the United States collegiate national team.{{Cite web|url=http://www.technicianonline.com/sports/article_3883c746-ac17-11e9-8acc-4f357a21798f.html|title=Patrick Bailey closes out USA Baseball summer in Japan|first=Camden|last=Speight|website=Technician|date=July 21, 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.usabaseball.com/news/patrick-bailey-named-to-usa-baseball-collegiate-national-team/c-306983136|title=Patrick Bailey Named to USA Baseball Collegiate National Team|website=USA Baseball}}
As a junior in 2020, he hit .296/.466/.685 in 54 at bats. He hit six home runs (fourth in the ACC), 20 RBIs (second), and 17 walks (third) over 17 games before the college baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professional career
=Draft and minor leagues=
Bailey was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round with the 13th overall selection of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Giants-surprise-first-pick-in-the-2020-MLB-15331501.php|title=Giants' surprise first pick in the 2020 MLB draft: college catcher Patrick Bailey|first=Henry|last=Schulman|date=June 11, 2020|website=San Francisco Chronicle}} He signed with the Giants for a signing bonus of $3.8 million.{{cite web | last=Shea | first=John | title=Giants sign first-round draft pick Patrick Bailey for $3.8 million | website=San Francisco Chronicle | date=July 1, 2020 | url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Giants-sign-top-draft-pick-Patrick-Bailey-3-8-15379976.php | access-date=August 5, 2024}} He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web | title=2020 Minor League Baseball Season Cancelled | website=MiLB.com | date=August 5, 2024 | url=https://www.milb.com/news/2020-season-cancelled-x2793 | access-date=August 5, 2024}}
Bailey made his professional debut in 2021 with the Eugene Emeralds of the High-A West.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/giants-prospects-get-minor-league-assignments|title = Giants prospects get Minors assignments|website=MLB.com}} After slashing .185/.290/.296 with two home runs and 15 RBIs over 33 games, he was demoted to the Rookie-level Arizona League Giants on June 26, but was reassigned to the San Jose Giants of the Low-A West after two games.{{Cite news|url=https://theathletic.com/2663961/2021/06/21/giants-minor-league-notebook-joey-bart-plugging-holes-marco-luciano-putting-together-next-level-at-bats/|title=Giants minor-league notebook: Joey Bart plugging holes, Marco Luciano putting together 'next-level' at-bats|first=Melissa|last=Lockard|work=The Athletic}} Over 47 games with San Jose to finish the season, Bailey slashed .322/.416/.531 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, and 16 doubles, and caught 48% of attempted base-stealers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/giants/giants-prospect-patrick-bailey-finds-stride-plate-san-jose|title=Giants minor league review: Bailey finds stride for San Jose|website=RSN|date=August 30, 2021 }} He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions after the season where he batted .292/.375/.417 in 48 at bats, and was named to the Fall Stars Game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/arizona-fall-league-rosters-2021-prospect-loaded?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage|title=Here are the Arizona Fall League rosters|website=MLB.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/arizona-fall-league-2021-fall-stars-game-rosters|title=Check out the Fall Stars Game rosters|website=MLB.com}}
Bailey returned to Eugene for the 2022 season.{{cite tweet|user=EugeneEmeralds|number=1511803909546803201|title=What a sight to behold...The roster is here and it's spectacular! #GoEms}} Over 83 games, he hit .225/.342/.420 in 267 at bats with 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 49 walks (eighth in the league), while leading the league with seven sacrifice flies and on defense catching 30% of attempted base-stealers.{{cite web | url=https://www.milb.com/player/patrick-bailey-672275 | title=Patrick Bailey Stats, Fantasy & News }} He was named the 2022 MiLB Gold Glove as the best defensive catcher in the minor leagues, an NWL post-season All Star, and an MiLB.com organization All Star.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/2022-minor-league-gold-glove-award-winners|title=Here are 2022's MiLB Gold Glove winners|website=MLB.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/player/patrick-bailey-672275|title=Patrick Bailey Stats, Fantasy & News|website=MiLB.com}}
To open the 2023 season, he was assigned to the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Double-A Eastern League.{{cite web | last=Callis | first=Jim | title=Where Giants top prospects are starting 2023 season | website=MLB.com | date=April 4, 2023 | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/where-giants-top-prospects-are-starting-2023-season | access-date=August 5, 2024}} After hitting .333/.400/.482 in 60 plate appearances across 14 games, Bailey was promoted to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, where he posted a .216/.317/.353 slash with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs across 14 games.
=San Francisco Giants (2023–present)=
On May 19, 2023, Bailey was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.{{Cite web|title=Giants' Patrick Bailey: Contract Selected|url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/giants-patrick-bailey-contract-selected-by-giants/|access-date=May 19, 2023|website=cbssports.com|date=May 19, 2023 |language=en}} On May 21, 2023, Bailey hit his first major league home run in a 7–5 win over the Miami Marlins. On August 1, 2023, Bailey – after entering the prior inning as a defensive replacement – ended a game with a walk-off pick-off from his knees, catching Diamondback Geraldo Perdomo on first base with two outs in the ninth inning in a one-run game, with the fastest pop time (1.39 seconds) to first base on a successful pickoff throw in the Statcast era (since 2015).{{Cite web|url=https://www.810thespread.com/2023/08/03/brandon-crawford-breaks-down-difference-between-patrick-bailey-and-buster-poseys-throws-to-second-base/|title=Brandon Crawford breaks down difference between Patrick Bailey and Buster Posey's throws to second base|date=August 3, 2023|website=810 The Spread}}[https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1686753335045410816 "Patrick Bailey ended the game with the fastest pop time to 1B on a successful pickoff in the Statcast era (since 2015),"] Twitter, MLB.com.{{cite web | last=Harrigan | first=Thomas | title=Patrick Bailey's pickoff carries Giants to win | website=MLB.com | date=August 2, 2023 | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/patrick-bailey-s-pickoff-carries-giants-to-win | access-date=August 5, 2024}} On August 13, he caught Ezequiel Duran of Texas trying to steal, to send the game into extra innings, with the fastest pop time (1.71 seconds) to second base recorded by an MLB catcher so far in 2023; it was the fastest pop time to second base by a Giants catcher under Statcast (from 2015), and he had each of the top 14 pop times on that list.{{cite web | last=Kavner | first=Rowan | title=In Patrick Bailey, have Giants finally found their Buster Posey successor? | work=FOX Sports | date=August 15, 2023 | url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/in-patrick-bailey-have-giants-finally-found-their-buster-posey-successor | access-date=August 5, 2024}}
In 2024, Patrick Bailey won his first Gold Glove Award as a catcher in the National League. He is the fourth catcher to win the Gold Glove for the Giants. He won the award that year along with his teammate, third baseman Matt Chapman.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{baseballstats|mlb=672275|espn=4345843|br=b/bailepa01|fangraphs=27478|brm=bailey000pat|retro=B/Pbailp001}}
- [https://gopack.com/sports/baseball/roster/patrick-bailey/9038 NC State Wolfpack bio]
{{San Francisco Giants roster navbox}}
{{San Francisco Giants first-round draft picks}}
{{2020 MLB Draft}}
{{NL C Gold Glove Award}}
{{C Fielding Bible Award}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Patrick}}
Category:Arizona Complex League Giants players
Category:Baseball players from Greensboro, North Carolina
Category:Eugene Emeralds players
Category:Major League Baseball catchers
Category:NC State Wolfpack baseball players
Category:Richmond Flying Squirrels players
Category:Sacramento River Cats players
Category:San Francisco Giants players
Category:San Jose Giants players
Category:Scottsdale Scorpions players