Giants Brass: Picking Bailey 'A Pretty Easy Decision'
Patrick Bailey's selection by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft Wednesday was a surprise to many considering that the team also took a catcher in the first round just two years ago.
But even with Joey Bart already in the organization, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said that the NC State star was simply too good to pass up when he fell to them with the 13th overall pick.
"I think this sort of embodies two old baseball adages that you don't draft for need -- I won't even say need, but perceived need -- and you can never have too much catching," Zaidi said in a Zoom call with the media shortly after the selection. "Bailey may have been the guy that just had the broadest consensus in our scouting group, to our analytics department which loved the power and patience and defensive skills.
"It was a really strong consensus pick for us as an organization. We were obviously thrilled that he was there and it was actually a pretty easy decision for us."
Bailey was the highest-rated catcher on the draft board this year, a status he earned primarily because of his superior defensive skills. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Greensboro native is especially adept at handling a pitching staff, so much so that Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent allowed him to call his own pitches for each of his three college seasons.
Bailey is best known for his superior defensive skills, especially his ability to handle a pitching staff. State coach Elliott Avent had so much trust in his ability that he allowed the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Greensboro native to call his own pitches for all three of his college seasons.
Although there are some questions about his bat, Bailey showed off his power during the abbreviated 2020 season while leading the Wolfpack with six home runs -- including three grand slams -- in the 17 games that were played before play was halted by the coronavirus pandemic. He hit .296 with 20 RBI and 17 walks.
"In high school he was always a guy who could catch and throw," said Giants amateur scouting director Michael Holmes, who having lived in North Carolina, is familiar with Bailey's development over the years. "To see the bat develop the way it has and the trajectory it's on now, I still think it's pointing north and I still think there's a lot of room for him to continue to grow offensively. He's (already) got the defensive skill set you look for on the Major League level."
Because of Bailey's defensive ability and the fact that Bart is better known for his bat than his glove, Zaidi raised the possibility that Bart -- who played his college ball at Georgia Tech -- could potentially move to another position.
No matter what, the Giants executive said because of the nature of the position, there's plenty of room on a major league roster for two elite catchers as eventual successors to current star Buster Posey.
"When we look at what our ideal team and ideal roster looks like, the dream scenario is to have two catchers that can impact the game both offensively and defensively," Zaidi said. "If you're lucky enough to have that, there are going to be times when you want both guys in the lineup.
"Who knows what the future holds in terms of whether we go to a universal DH. But I think it's something we want all of our catchers to do, to be able to play a different position."
For his part, Bailey said he's looking forward to meeting and talking shop with both Posey and Bart.
"The next step is talking to guys like Posey with all the experiences he's had and learning from him," Bailey said. "Even talking to Joey Bart, learning from different guys and different ways of doing stuff and seeing if I can implement that into my game."
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook -- ACC Insider
Twitter -- @WolfpackMaven and Brett Friedlander at @BFriedACC
Add us as a preferred source on Google