NC State catcher Patrick Bailey was selected 13th overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2020 MLB draft. With the selection, Bailey became the ninth first round draft pick in program history and the fourth since 2014.
Being selected so early, Bailey took home the honor of being the first player at his position taken in the draft. His numbers prove his worth, as he hit .302 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI’s in three seasons with the Wolfpack.
The switch-hitter has been under the eyes of MLB scouts since his freshman year when he was a freshman All-American. One of the things that Bailey has excelled at is being a great defensive catcher. To go along with his strong arm, the Greensboro native called pitches for the team when behind the plate.
Being selected at No. 13 his approximate value according to MLB.com is $4.20 million. His full contact will be negotiated in the coming weeks with the Giants, but around this number is where Bailey should fall with a large signing bonus.
San Francisco is going under a transformation of leadership with Gabe Kapler taking over the reins as manager after 3-time World Series winner Bruce Bochy retired after the 2019 season. Bailey will look to lead a new set of youth talent in the Giant’s system that was ranked 11th by Bleacher Report in March. Last season, the Giants had the oldest team in baseball with an average age of 30.63 on their roster.
Whenever baseball resumes, possibly at Spring Training facilities, Bailey will have the opportunity to learn from 6-time All-Star, and 3-time World Series winner catcher Buster Posey. With Posey being 33 years old and only being signed with the team until 2022, Bailey could be next in line after a few years of development.
An interesting thing about this pick is that the Giants selected catcher Joey Bart second overall in 2018 from Georgia Tech. Bart made it to Double-A in 2019, batting .316 in 22 games played at that level. However, the MLB is slowly moving towards a universal DH and more teams are looking to have two valuable catchers on their rosters. That being said, Bart and Bailey could move up together through the farm system and be an impressive catching duo for the Giants in the years to come.
Coming out of high school Bailey was selected in the 37th round by the Minnesota Twins. A standout three years in Raleigh, completely changed things for him. Moving forward, Bailey will have to wait and see if Minor League baseball happens this season. Three of the affiliates for the Giants are on the west coast, including Triple-A Sacramento, while Bailey could stay closer to home at Single-A Augusta and Double-A Richmond early on in his professional career.
With the uncertainty of when the baseball season returns, Bailey will be ready regardless as he has been keeping up the hard work during the pandemic.
“Despite not playing any games, my life as an athlete has been kind of somewhat normal based on a schedule,” Bailey said in a press conference in May. “…I have been very fortunate to this time to have a place I can keep working and get better.”
Bailey will join former teammate Will Wilson in the Giants farm system, who was traded after being a first round pick last year by the Los Angeles Angels.
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