San Francisco Giants 'Best Defensive Catcher in Baseball' Provides Incredible Value

The San Francisco Giants are receiving a ton of value from their defensive-minded catcher.

Apr 11, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) throws the ball to second base as New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (not pictured) attempts a steal during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have gotten off to a wonderful start in the 2025 MLB regular season with a 10-4 record out of the gate.

Overall, the offense has not been great, but the Giants are receiving timely hitting from their guys and a few positional players are massively outperforming expectations. 

Leading the way on that front is outfielders Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski.

They are tied for the team lead through with 0.9 WAR numbers, getting the job done in every facet of the game.

The two combined for 14 extra-base hits, with Lee leading the MLB with seven doubles entering play on Saturday. Getting on base with regularity, they are also making some noise with their speed, recording five stolen bases combined.

Where San Francisco is really thriving is on the mound.

Their starting rotation has been dominant. 

Even though his ERA is 6.92 out of the gate, there are signs that Justin Verlander has plenty left to offer, as his 3.90 FIP indicates there has been some bad luck involved with his early performance. His 16 strikeouts in 13 innings are also very encouraging.

The four other starting pitchers have ERAs of 3.60 or lower and the bullpen has been thriving in the early going.

Tyler Rogers, Randy Rodriguez, Erik Miller and Hayden Birdson have thrown 25.2 shutout innings so far. New closer Ryan Walker has given up only one run in six appearances and six innings.

If the Giants have a lead in the latter stages of the game, good luck mounting a comeback.

A big reason the staff is excelling in the fashion they have is the presence of catcher Patrick Bailey.

He is a maestro defensively, where virtually all of his value comes from right now. What he does behind the plate is incredibly impressive and is the main reason why Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report selected him as the best player making less than $1 million on the team.

“Bailey is the best defensive catcher in baseball. He won his first Gold Glove in 2024 after tallying 20 DRS, throwing out 27.1 percent of base stealers and grading as the best pitch-framer in the sport,” he wrote.

His defense is so good that there are some analysts who believe it will propel him to an All-Star game appearance in 2025. Fans may not vote him in as they focus more on the production at the plate, but his peers and coaches know the impact that he can have on a game.

Bailey is struggling at the plate out of the gate with a .206/.270/.382 slash line which is concerning. But anything that he provides at the dish is gravy; that is how important his defense is to the team’s success.

He has shown capable of producing, with a .300/.364/.500 slash line during spring training.

If he can ever reach even league-average numbers at the plate, he will be arguably the most impactful catcher in the game.