San Francisco Giants Young Star Going in Right Direction of Positional Power Rankings

The San Francisco Giants have another solid foundational piece to build around in their lineup.

Sep 5, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) hits a walk off double to win the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are hoping that Buster Posey, now the team’s president of baseball operations, can help get the franchise back to the level of prominence it experienced while he was a star for the team.

During his career, the legendary catcher helped the Giants win three World Series titles, but they haven’t gotten close to that level since he retired.

The last time Posey took the field as a player was in 2021; San Francisco has yet to make the postseason since his retirement.

He knows there is plenty of work to do before they are true contenders again, but he certainly looks to have them on the right path.

The roster he inherited was short on impact talent, but he began to address that this winter with the signing of shortstop Willy Adames.

The former Milwaukee Brewers slugger makes up one of the better left sides in baseball along with third baseman Matt Chapman. But, it will take more than two players to carry an entire lineup.

The Giants are hoping that one of their emerging young players will be up to the task.

One person everyone will be keeping an eye on is catcher Patrick Bailey.

Replacing a legend in the stature of Posey is never easy. The team thought they had their long-term replacement in Joey Bart, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft, but things didn’t pan out.

Bailey took over the reins starting in 2023 when he finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting. Last season, he took his game to another level, winning the Gold Glove Award.

With a solid defensive base, the arrow certainly points up for the No. 13 pick in the 2020 MLB draft.

So much so that Buster Olney of ESPN placed him in the top 10 of his catcher power rankings at No. 9.

“He won a Gold Glove last year, and is seen as one of the best pitch framers. But the Giants could use a nudge upward in his offense: Bailey had an adjusted OPS+ of 82 last year,” Olney wrote.

He has room to grow.

There were improvements in his game at the plate in Year 2, as he cut down his strikeouts and improved his walk rate. He was also hitting the ball harder with more consistency, upping his average exit velocity to 90.3 mph with a hard hit rate of 43.0%.

If those numbers continue trending in the same direction, the raw statistics on the back of the baseball card will begin to reflect the improvements.