How Giants' Daniel Susac Has Filled the Void Left by Patrick Bailey

While many are quick to find the negatives that has been the San Francisco Giants' 2026 campaign, there are still bright spots that the fanbase should embrace, knowing the rest of the season is for development for the future.

One of the bigger bright spots for the Giants comes from behind the plate in rookie catcher Daniel Susac.

San Francisco got the trade deadline started way back in May, trading away two-time Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians for Matt Wilkinson and the No. 29 overall pick (Competitive Balance Round A) in the 2026 MLB Draft, according to MLB.com.

While Bailey was a strong performer behind the dish, he never became an above-average hitter at the plate, which is arguably more important to the future of the Giants franchise. Susac, however, has stepped up nicely in the opportunities he's been given.

Susac's MLB Milestone

San Francisco Giants catcher Daniel Susac (6) hits a sacrifice fly at Oracle Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In Thursday night's contest against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, the rookie catcher sent a home run into the left field seats, making his last three hits all home runs. Susac's homer was the difference-maker for San Francisco, leading to its 4-1 victory on the back of a dominant start from Robbie Ray.

As reported by Sarah Langs on X (formerly Twitter), Susac became the 201st MLB player since 1900 to hit his first 2+ home runs in the same game, and now, he’s just the 20th of that group to then homer in his next game, too.

SUSAC CAN'T BE STOPPED 💥 pic.twitter.com/NNPMMssUCI
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 31, 2026

Defensively, Susac has been a positive WAR player, posting a 0.3 dWAR in 41 games behind the plate, having committed only two errors. In Bailey's rookie season, in 94 games behind the plate with the Giants, he posted a 0.8 dWAR, so Susac is on the right track to fill the defensive shoes.

If Susac can continue to hit at the plate, he should be a player that the franchise builds around. With a handful of players likely to be dealt between now and the MLB Trade Deadline, scheduled for Aug. 3 at 6:00 PM EST, Susac is a member of the new core in San Francisco.

Sure the sample size is small, but the future looks bright.

Eventually, should everything pan out, Susac could become the everyday catcher, catching Jackson Flora, the Giants' first-round draft pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, as well as other starting pitchers climbing the ranks of the organization.

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