| Patrick Bailey | |
|---|---|
 Bailey with the Giants in 2023 | |
| San Francisco Giants – No. 14 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1999-05-29)May 29, 1999 (age 25) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 19, 2023, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Batting average | .234 |
| Home runs | 15 |
| Runs batted in | 94 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Patrick Bailey (born May 29, 1999) is an American professionalbaseballcatcher for theSan Francisco Giants ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He playedcollege baseball atNorth Carolina State University, and was selected 13th overall by the Giants in the first round of the2020 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.
Patrick Bailey was born on May 29, 1999, inGreensboro, North Carolina. Bailey attendedWesleyan Christian Academy ('17) inHigh Point, North Carolina, where he played catcher for thebaseball team.[1] In 2016, he played for the U-18United States national baseball team.[2][3] In 2017, his senior year, he batted .510/.561/.947 with 13 doubles, seven triples, fivehome runs, and 33runs batted in (RBIs) in 96 at bats.[2][4] He was drafted by theMinnesota Twins in the 37th round of the2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead chose to fulfill his commitment to play college baseball atNorth Carolina State University.[5]
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In 2018, Bailey's freshman year at NC State, heslashed .321/.419/.604 (fourth in theAtlantic 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.[6][7] He was named a Freshman All-American by First Team D1Baseball,NCBWA & Perfect Game, andCollegiate Baseball, and selected as a member of theABCA All-Region Team.[2] After the 2018 season, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theYarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of theCape Cod Baseball League.[8] He was also selected for theUnited States collegiate national team.[3]
As a sophomore in 2019, Bailey batted .288/.390/.513 with three triples (eighth in the ACC) and 10 home runs alongside a .989fielding percentage.[9] 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 byCollegiate Baseball, and was one of 14 semifinalists for theBuster Posey Award, as the nation's best catcher.[2] That summer, he again played for the United States collegiate national team.[10][11][3]
As a junior in 2020, he hit .296/.466/.685 in 54 at bats.[2] 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic.[2]
Bailey was selected by theSan Francisco Giants in the first round with the 13th overall selection of the2020 Major League Baseball draft.[12] He signed with the Giants for asigning bonus of $3.8 million.[13] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[14]
Bailey made his professional debut in 2021 with theEugene Emeralds of theHigh-A West.[15] After slashing .185/.290/.296 with two home runs and 15 RBIs over 33 games, he was demoted to theRookie-levelArizona League Giants on June 26, but was reassigned to theSan Jose Giants of theLow-A West after two games.[16] 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.[17] He was selected to play in theArizona Fall League for theScottsdale Scorpions after the season where he batted .292/.375/.417 in 48 at bats, and was named to the Fall Stars Game.[18][19]
Bailey returned to Eugene for the 2022 season.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22][23]
To open the 2023 season, he was assigned to theRichmond Flying Squirrels of theDouble-AEastern League.[24] After hitting .333/.400/.482 in 60 plate appearances across 14 games, Bailey was promoted to the Triple-ASacramento River Cats, where he posted a .216/.317/.353slash with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs across 14 games.
On May 19, 2023, Bailey was selected to the40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[25] 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 the a walk-off pick-off from his knees, catching DiamondbackGeraldo Perdomo onfirst base with two outs in the ninthinning in a one-run game, with the fastestpop time (1.39 seconds) to first base on a successfulpickoff throw in theStatcast era (since 2015).[26][27][28] On August 13, he caughtEzequiel Duran of Texas trying to steal, to send the game into extra innings, with the fastest pop time (1.71 seconds) tosecond 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.[29]
In 2024, Patrick Bailey won his firstGold Glove Award as a catcher in theNational 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-basemenMatt Chapman.