One SF Giants player was named a finalist for a 2023 Gold Glove Award on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, it was rookie catcher Patrick Bailey who was named a finalist alongside Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. Bailey would be the first rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove in the 21st century. The last rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove was former Marlins backstop Charles Johnson in 1995.
Whether or not Bailey wins the award, it's a valuable reminder of how quickly the public perception of the 2020 first-round pick has transformed since the beginning of the season. Bailey was not considered a top prospect in the organization heading into the year by most major outlets (credit to FanGraphs for standing on its own ranking Bailey among the top catching prospects in the minors). In fact, he started this season at Double-A.
Bailey received his big-league call-up in mid-May and immediately infused new energy into the team's lineup. He immediately began showcasing elite defensive ability and was arguably even more impactful in the batter's box. Bailey hit .322/.347/.557 with 10 doubles, a triple, and five home runs in his first 33 games.
Over the course of the season, Bailey did take a significant step back at the plate, particularly as fatigue took hold in September. He ultimately finished the year with a well below-average .233/.285/.359 MLB triple-slash with 18 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs in 353 plate appearances.
Still, Bailey's defensive impact helped him solidify himself as San Francisco's catcher of the future. Despite spending the first six weeks of the season in the minor leagues, Bailey led all catchers in MLB in Defensive Runs according to Statcast and was second, only trailing Austin Hedges, in Baseball Prospectus' Defensive runs prevented.
Bailey would be the first SF Giants catcher to win a Gold Glove Award since Buster Posey in 2016.
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