Legendary SF Giants catcher thinks it's inevitable that Susac will supplant Bailey

Every time the SF Giants struggle to score runs and catcher Patrick Bailey goes hitless in a game, the calls for Daniel Susac to replace him in the lineup will only grow louder and louder. Legendary former Giants catcher Brian Johnson thinks it's only a matter of time before Susac supplants Bailey.

Appearing on KNBR, Johnson, who hit one of the most iconic homers in franchise history against the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 1997, said that Susac may be the better option:

"I think you have somebody [in Susac] that's more talented overall...I think in the end, Susac will probably be the guy."

Brian Johnson predicts a catcher shakeup in San Francisco

Johnson made sure to praise the defense that Bailey brings to the table, but he also noted you have to hit if you want to stick around in the big leagues and Bailey clearly has not done that so far.

Bailey is currently hitting .136 right now. He struggled on offense for much of last season and his batting average may have been below .200 had it not been for a hot September. But if the bat doesn't come around then the Giants will have no choice but to get Susac in the lineup more.

The 24-year-old rookie has seven hits in his first 12 career at-bats. Even his outs are impressive. On Tuesday night, Susac pinch hit for Bailey with two outs in the ninth inning with the Giants down by a run and drove a pitch from right-handed closer Emilio Pagán towards the wall in left-center but it did not quite have enough distance to be a homer and was caught for the final out of the game.

Off the bat, it seemed like Susac had added to his budding legend but even though it was an out it is unquestionable who is swinging the hotter bat right now. Susac's at-bats are just way more competitive and while he will inevitably cool off, there is an argument to be made that the Giants just need to ride the hot hand for now.

It's also becoming clear that while Bailey is a Gold Glove catcher, Susac is far from a defensive liability behind the plate. He has looked strong back there and has a cannon for an arm so Johnson is probably right that Susac is the better overall option when taking both sides of the position into account.

The Giants may be starting to agree with Johnson as Susac is set to get his first start against right-handed pitching tonight against the Cincinnati Reds. His previous starts were against lefties so manager Tony Vitello is beginning to recognize and act on what fans are seeing.

This controversy is not going away anytime soon, and if Susac continues to rake and Bailey continues to slump then the decision will become pretty obvious at some point.

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