SF Giants pitcher Ross Stripling highlights key quality that makes Patrick Bailey an effective catcher

Count SF Giants pitcher Ross Stripling among the many fans of catcher Patrick Bailey. He highlighted one quality that makes him such an effective backstop and it is his game-calling ability.

SF Giants pitcher Ross Stripling highlights key quality that makes Patrick Bailey an effective catcher

Stripling chatted with Todd Frazier, Erik Kratz and Scott Braun of the Foul Territory podcast and was asked about his experience with Bailey. Stripling discussed how impressed he has been with Bailey's preparation and the impact he has had on veteran pitchers.

""We had guys like Logan Webb and Alex Cobb who call their own games. Veterans. And, they let Patrick Bailey, a rookie catcher, call their games now. Shows you how much they respect him and what he has done for us so far." "

- Ross Stripling

Baseball is leaning more and more into what can be calculated and quantified. For example, Bailey's pitch framing is regarded as one of the best in baseball as he has a 52.9 percent strike rate while being worth +10 Catcher Framing Runs.

The rookie catcher excels at getting strikes in the bottom part of the strike zone, which is something that holds value to ground-ball-heavy pitchers like Webb and Cobb.

That is not the only way Bailey makes an impact. He has one of the best average pop times to second base at 1.87 seconds, which is tied for second behind only J.T. Realmuto of the Philadelphia Phillies. It is no surprise that he has thrown out 21 runners in 59 opportunities in 2023.

The 24-year-old has made an immediate impact on the Giants, but game-calling is one trait that is tough to quantify. You just know someone is good at it, but there is no metric for it. It is the unknown in a sport where every detail must be known.

Former Giants Bruce Bochy highlighted Buster Posey's game-calling abilities all the time. And, veteran pitchers allowing Bailey to call their games is a really nice compliment to their level of trust with him. It just feels like he has it.

Not surprisingly, pitching has been a strength of he Giants' roster since his arrival. Bailey debuted on May 19, and since then, the pitching staff has posted a 3.66 ERA. Only the Philadelphia Phillies (3.61 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (3.57 ERA) have a better mark during that span.