Scouting report: Giants' Patrick Bailey

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When the Giants took Joey Bart out of Georgia Tech with the second overall pick in 2018, consensus around baseball was that the organization had acquired a catcher who might be worthy of following in the footsteps of Buster Posey before long. Those were lofty expectations to put upon a young ballplayer.

So imagine the confidence San Francisco must have in Patrick Bailey, who entered the system last year with Posey at the top and Bart still making his way through the Minors.

Selected with the 13th overall pick last year, the switch-hitting backstop out of North Carolina State has the profile to be of real value behind the plate for years to come and the bat to earn a sense of belonging in any organization. Bailey belted 29 homers, 28 doubles and six triples over 129 games for the Wolfpack, and he twice represented America as a member of the collegiate national team. He's currently San Francisco's No. 6 prospect.

“I’ve seen Patrick grow into a real leader, a very confident player who believes in himself,” Giants scouting director Michael Holmes said after the Draft. “I’ve seen him go from a very talented high school player to a two-time Team USA player and the leader of that team at N.C. State. I’ve seen his skill set really, really take off.

“In high school, he was a guy that could always catch and throw. To see the bat develop the way it has and the trajectory it’s on right now, I still think it’s pointing north. I still think there’s a lot of room for him to continue to grow offensively. And he’s got the defensive skill set that you look for at the Major League level.”

Although Bailey wasted no time displaying his defensive acumen as a pro -- he recorded a whopping 27 assists in his first 25 games behind the dish, including nabbing 13 would-be base thieves -- he failed to find a groove offensively in his opening assignment to High-A Eugene. In 33 games, he struggled to a .185/.290/.296 slash line while striking out 43 times in 135 at-bats.

A slow start does nothing, though, to take away from his promise in the box. Nicknamed "Patty Barrels," Bailey figures to be a decent hitter -- both for average and for power -- and he has flashed potential even as he's been going through a period of adjustment against pro pitching. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound North Carolina native belted 11 extra-base hits (two homers, nine doubles) before being reassigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League's Giants Orange squad.

It stands to reason Bailey will make some necessary tweaks in Arizona and be back in the High-A West before long. When he does, opposing pitchers and baserunners surely will take notice.

Here's what the experts at MLB Pipeline have to say about Bailey:

Scouting grades (20-80 scale):

HIT: 45
POWER: 50
RUN: 40
ARM: 55
FIELD: 55
OVERALL: 50

Despite spending the No. 2 overall pick in 2018 on Joey Bart, San Francisco couldn't resist taking another Atlantic Coast Conference catcher in the first round two years later. A veteran of the U.S. national 18-and-under and collegiate teams, Bailey was a three-year starter at North Carolina State who slammed 29 homers in 131 college games. Signed for $3,797,500 as the 13th overall choice last June, he impressed with his steady professionalism at the Giants' alternate site and instructional league program.

Though he's a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, Bailey may be more impressive with his defense than his offense. He's athletic for a catcher, moving well behind the plate while providing solid receiving skills and arm strength. He has all the intangibles teams want in a backstop, exhibits the ability to take charge of a pitching staff and called his own pitches with the Wolfpack.

Bailey's 20-25 homer potential stands out more than his hitting ability, but he makes consistent contact and walked nearly as much as he struck out in college. While his lefty swing is better than his righty stroke, he's capable of doing damage from either side. Though the coronavirus pandemic delayed his pro debut until 2021, the Giants believe exposing him to advanced pitching at their alternate site last summer may expedite his offensive and defensive development.