Aside from his recent walk-off inside-the-park home run, Patrick Bailey doesn't always deliver with his bat for the San Francisco Giants.
But he more than makes up for it when he puts on his catching gear.
So far this season, Bailey has a case as the best defensive player in all of Major League Baseball. Not just catcher, mind you, but any position.
Reminder to #SFGiants Patrick Bailey haters: he’s not only the best defensive catcher in the NL, he’s not only the best defensive catcher in baseball, he’s not only the best defensive player in the National League, he’s the best defensive player in @MLB 🧡 pic.twitter.com/2OYOTN4hNC
— Dan Koster (@dk9rfan) July 12, 2025
Catcher defense can still be a bit tough to evaluate. How much value do you put statistically on framing and blocking and throwing relative to the more overlapping skills at the rest of the positions in the field?
But the analysis on catcher contributions has gotten better in recent years, so it's fair to take those statistics from Fangraphs as legitimate.
MORE: Cal Raleigh puts up stats never before seen in MLB history
Bailey is on top of that list right ahead of Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk before the next two players on the defensive leaderboard there are shortstops Nick Allen and Bobby Witt Jr.
His value behind the plate far outweighs any struggles Bailey might have at the plate. And there are few things more important on a baseball diamond than a truly high-end defensive catcher.
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