San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Giants Need More Offensive Production from Patrick Bailey in Future

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 11:00 AM ET

San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey played more games in 2025 than he had in any of his previous two Major League seasons. That’s good news considering that Bailey has battled some concussions and injuries during his young career.

As a first-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft, the Giants saw him as the heir to Buster Posey, who just happens to be the Giants’ president of baseball operations. Posey was an excellent offensive player, finishing his career with a .302 batting average, along with 158 home runs and 729 RBI. He also had a National League Gold Glove, an NL MVP, an NL rookie of the year award and seven All-Star game appearances.

Bailey finished seventh in 2023 NL rookie of the year voting and won an NL Gold Glove last year. But Bailey hasn’t come close to approaching Posey’s numbers yet as he prepares for the 2026 season.

San Francisco Giants Catchers Breakdown

Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Bailey played in 135 games and slashed .222/.277/.325 with a .602 OPS, including six home runs and 55 RBI. Those numbers remained in line with his season totals in 2023 and 2024, though his OPS has dropped each of his first three years in the Majors. It was .644 in 2023 and .637 in 2024.

Two other catchers spent time behind the plate for the Giants — 32 games from veteran Andrew Knizner and 20 from Sam Huff, who was picked up from the Texas Rangers before the season. Knizner provided some offense, with a slash of .221/.299/.299 with a home run and five RBI. Huff, who played most of the season at Triple-A Sacramento, slashed .208/.259/.340 with two home runs and four RBI.

San Francisco also had Tom Murphy on the 60-day injured list. He played in 13 games and batted .118.

While Bailey’s bat remained flat, his defensive ability was among the best in baseball, per Baseball Savant. His blocks above average were in the 80th percentile, his caught stealing above average was in the 97th percentile, his framing was in the 100th percentile and his pop time was in the 99th percentile. Behind the plate, there were few catchers better in baseball than Bailey. He had a fielding run value in the 100th percentile.

That defensive ability is hard to find, though it’s not clear how much the implementation of ABS in 2026 will impact Bailey’s frame rate.

But, for the Giants to truly get what they need from Bailey, his bat must improve. As good as his fielding run value was, his batting rune value was minus-19 and in the first percentile, making him one of the worst batters in Baseball Savant’s rankings. Looking ahead, Bailey either has to hit better or feel the heat from Jesus Rodriguez, who was acquired in the Camilo Doval trade. He’s not Bailey’s equal behind the plate, but his bat could push Bailey.

This article first appeared on San Francisco Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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