San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Bailey the one ‘untouchable’ Giant
Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds took off like the wind, and it seemed nothing could stop him. Baseball’s most exciting newcomer was about to steal second base and put another notch on his splendid rookie season.
Patrick Bailey, also a rookie, was having none of it. The San Francisco Giants’ catcher quickly popped from his crouch onto his right foot and followed with an immediate left step before unleashing a unique sidearm throw that’s more often seen by a middle infielder on a double-play turn.
De La Cruz was out by so much that the Reds didn’t consider a review. It was equal parts effective and elegant, Bailey’s 15th victim of the season, and it’s just one of the tools that makes him untouchable in conversations leading to MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline. Yes, even for Shohei Ohtani.
The Bay Area is experiencing a bumper crop of young catchers. Sean Murphy is gone, but there are two others with the Oakland Athletics after Tyler Soderstrom, their top prospect, was promoted to the majors last week, joining Shea Langeliers, who’s in his first full bigleague season. The Giants have a second rookie catcher, Blake Sabol, with Joey Bart, one of their former No. 1 prospects, in the minors.
Until further notice, none of them are on Bailey’s level, and his value to the team is evident by the fact the Giants were 26-14 going into Friday’s game when he’s in the lineup, and below .500 when he’s not. No Giants position player influences outcomes of games quite like Bailey, whose work with pitchers, framing abilities and quick, strong and precise throws make him a keeper. Dare we say he’s Buster Posey-like?
Bailey’s 15 caught steals entering Friday were the most in the majors since his May 19 debut (Langeliers was second with 13), and his 1.87-second pop time to second base is quicker than every catcher but Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto, a three-time All-Star.
Despite Ohtani’s unprecedented pitching-andhitting combination, he’d still be a two-month rental. While he simultaneously would strengthen the Giants’ rotation and lineup, losing Bailey at this point would leave them without a No. 1 catcher and hamper their playoff hopes, Ohtani or no Ohtani. Bailey’s that
important. And if the Giants somehow trade for Ohtani, they’d be more appealing for him to return as a free agent with Bailey aboard.
“I’d say Bailey’s the one untouchable in that system,” a scout for an MLB team said. “He’s probably been the best catch-andthrow guy I’ve seen in the minors in the last few years. The defense definitely is legit. Personally, I don’t care what a catcher can hit if he provides those catching tools. I’ve always liked him, but he’s even better than I thought.
“There had been questions about his leadership, his energy, but he’s snapped out of that. He’s really handled himself well, and he’s surprised me a little and other people with the bat, especially from the right side. He’s come back to earth a bit, but maybe he’ll hit at this level.”
The switch-hitting Bailey struggled against left-handers in the minors, but he’s raking against lefties in the majors, entering the weekend hitting .313 with an .882 OPS (against .252 and .703 vs. righties). It’s a sign he could succeed from both sides of the plate.
Regardless of what Bailey does with the bat, his most fascinating tool is his throwing arm. He trends on social media every time he throws out a runner, and many of the victims are big-time threats to steal: the Mets’ Starling Marte (24-for-28), Baltimore’s Jorge Mateo (23-for-26), Toronto’s Whit Merrifield (20-for-28) and San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. (15-for-18).
A second scout also sees Bailey as untouchable, saying, “He’s playing better in the big leagues than he ever played in the minor leagues, for me. He kind of reminds me of
Thurman Munson with a stronger arm, throwing from the side, throwing accurately, framing well, and he’s coming on offensively, though it’s a short sample size. It wouldn’t make sense to trade him unless they have someone else in the fold, and I don’t think they’re enamored with Bart.”
It’s uncertain if the Angels will actually trade Ohtani. That decision is all on owner Arte Moreno, who’d be wise to move the two-way superstar before the deadline if he’s convinced Ohtani will leave as a free agent in the offseason. If Moreno could fetch a few top prospects who are MLB-ready, perhaps a better team could be built around Mike Trout, who has just three career postseason games, all back in 2014.
Even without Bailey, the Giants have attractive young talent to offer in trade. Kyle Harrison, Carson Whisenhunt, Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, Casey Schmitt and Mason Black, none of whom would be easy to trade, could make Farhan Zaidi a competitive buyer at the deadline, including offers for Ohtani. Harrison and Whisenhunt are among the top left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, and with Harrison’s command issues, quick hooks and recent hamstring issue, Whisenhunt might be a more popular target in trade talks.
The first MLB scout ranks Whisenhunt, who was spectacular in the Futures Game in Seattle — popping 96 mph and striking out his first two batters on dazzling changeups — ahead of Harrison, who “might have more ceiling, but it’s a struggle for him to throw it over the plate. I like Whisenhunt more every time I see him. If a team needs a starter in the big leagues, I think (Whisenhunt) is at the top of the list.”
The scout also is big on pitcher Hayden Birdsong, who was part of a combined Fourth of July nohitter at High-A Eugene, and Luciano, who’s now at Triple-A Sacramento and “has some swing-andmiss but has legit power, and he’s only going to get bigger and stronger. I’d be asking for him if I was making a deal.”
Unlike the 2022 trade deadline, when the Giants’ best prospects were either hurting or slumping, there’s an ample supply of worthy candidates beyond Bailey who could bring a game-changer in a deal. It’s the best hand Zaidi has had to work with at the deadline in his five seasons as the Giants’ boss. The question is how much he might part with.
The only thing for certain is that Bailey should stay put.