Mike Krukow says what many SF Giants fans are thinking on Bailey vs. Susac debate

Bay Area sports fans have been treated to their fair share of controversies over the years. While the budding debate of who deserves more playing time between catchers Patrick Bailey and Daniel Susac is not quite Young vs. Montana, it is still getting Giants fans talking and Mike Krukow recently shared his thoughts on the matter.

Krukow appeared on KNBR and was asked whether Susac deserved more playing time with his red hot start to the season. Krukow had the following to say:

“I do think they have something in Daniel Susac…My opinion on the guy that gets hot, especially a new guy that gets called up, is ride the hot hand. Ride it as long as you can…Ride him until he cools off.”

Krukow thinks SF Giants should ride the hot hand in Daniel Susac

Many fans are clamoring for the Giants to do just that. It’s undeniable that Susac has provided a bit of a spark in his two starts in the season. The Giants won both games and scored a lot of runs as the 24-year-old has recorded six hits in his first seven at-bats and got his name mentioned alongside Willie McCovey's which is never a bad thing.

It seems pretty obvious that Susac will get starts against left-handed pitching going forward. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up catching Robbie Ray going forward given the veteran lefty’s praise of Susac behind the plate in his last start.

But many fans think he should be starting pretty much every day based on his offensive output so far. With Bailey struggling at the plate, it’s easy to understand why the demand for Susac is only growing louder. 

Bailey has just five hits in 34 at-bats to begin the season. He’s never been known for his offense and has always been a consistent presence in the lineup due to his superb defense, but he’s never had a challenger with a hot bat below him like Susac.

So what will the Giants do? Manager Tony Vitello believes that Susac has earned more opportunities but he also has to show a little deference to Bailey given his defense pedigree. Our own Jeff Young noted on social media that general manager Zack Minasian said he views the Susac and Bailey situation as fluid and compared it to having dual running backs in the NFL.

It’s a good problem to have because if Susac was struggling then the Giants would have two catchers hitting poorly. Maybe the Giants will heed Krukow’s advice and ride the hot hand going forward or at least get that hot hand a spot in the lineup a bit more frequently.