Should Giants Be Concerned With Lack of Offensive Production for Star Catcher?

The San Francisco Giants have gotten off to a tremendous start this season and been able to keep pace in what is arguably the best division in baseball.

In order to continue the level of winning which has placed them right near the top of the National League, not only will they need continued production from the surprising sources which have helped them get to this point, but also guys off to rough starts to turn it around.

At one area in particular, San Francisco has found itself in an extremely unique situation. Third year catcher and Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey has continued his level of elite defense and even raised it up a notch. The argument can absolutely be made that he is far and away the best defensive catcher in all of baseball.

On the negative side of things, Bailey hasn't just not improved at the plate rather than behind it, he seems to be getting worse.

What Can the Giants Do About Bailey's Offensive Struggles?

Through the first two seasons of his career which saw 218 games played, Bailey was not a great hitter by any means, however he was not terrible either. Slashing .234/.292/.348 with 15 home runs and 94 RBI during that period, his defense was more than making up for a below average bat.

In 2025 however, things have been pretty close to disaster territory for the young catcher.

Over the first 34 games of the season, Bailey has slashed .188/.227/.267 without a home run and a dreadful OPS+ of just 44.

According to Baseball Reference, Bailey has an even 0.0 WAR at this point in the season despite his elite defense, showing just how much of a liability he's been at the plate.

The simple fact of the matter is San Francisco is in a really rough spot here.

Bailey is an absolute star behind the plate and his defense is hard to take off the field. Any other option is going to be a noticeable downgrade.

They also don't necessarily have an option on the team who is going to provide a significant upgrade with a bat in their hand.

Unfortunately, reality dictates the Giants are simply going to have to let Bailey ride it out and hope the bat eventually starts to catch some fire.

If his offense can get to even half of what his defense is, the 25-year-old is going to be a superstar. If not though, tough decisions will have to be made down the line.