SF Giants have “best duo of catching prospects,” per MLB Pipeline

Jim Callis of MLB.com released a piece on the state of the SF Giants farm system on Thursday. He had some strong praise for Joey Bart and Patrick Bailey.

The SF Giants farm system is the deepest it’s been in years. Since Farhan Zaidi became the team’s president of baseball operations, many prospects already in the system had breakout 2019 campaigns. When combined with added talent through the draft, international free agents, and trades, the organization has seen a massive jump in talent. In Jim Callis’ state of the Giants’ farm system piece for MLB.com, he reinforced how far the system has come.

Five Giants prospects rank among MLB Pipelines most recent top-100 prospects, four rank in the top-75, and two rank in the top-30. Yet, Callis made one statement that included another prospect on the outside of the top-100. In his concluding paragraph, Callis called Joey Bart and Patrick Bailey “the best duo of catching prospects in the game.” Bart is ranked the 11th best prospect in baseball, per their rankings. Bailey, however, is on the outside of the list, currently ranking as the best Giants prospect, not in the top-100.

Even with future Hall of Fame catcher Buster Posey entrenched behind the plate, the Giants drafted Bart with the second overall pick out of Georgia Tech. He struggled in his big-league debut last season, but with Posey set to return in 2021, the franchise can afford to give Bart as much time in the minors as he needs to reach his full potential.

In this year’s draft, the Giants took many by surprise when they drafted Bailey in the first round out of NC State. The switch-hitter is considered an above-average hitter and defender with a very good chance to become a solid starting catcher as well.

Callis does not mention prospect Ricardo Genoves or rookie Chadwick Tromp, but both of them have a chance to be MLB contributors as well. Needless to say, they’ve accumulated an embarrassment of riches at the position.

As Posey enters his mid-30s, the Giants will soon be faced with replacing a legend. There’s no way any replacement will fully fill Posey’s shoes, but with the best catching prospect duo in baseball and a number of other young prospects, the franchise has ensured that they’ll have options whenever the time comes.

While many fans have been critical of the SF Giants recent penchant for catchers, it’s hard to argue with amassing talent at what is one of the weakest hitting positions in baseball. According to one of the most reputable prospect writers, the franchise now has the best prospect duo at the position in Patrick Bailey and Joey Bart. Only time will tell who emerges as the team’s backstop down the line.