Top SF Giants catcher snubbed in rookie rankings

The SF Giants are having a fantastic start to the 2023 season, as they sit 54-43 through their first 97 games, and while the playoffs remain the goal for this young team, they've already got some major positives to take away from the season.

Top SF Giants catcher snubbed in rookie rankings

Arguably the biggest is the emergence of Patrick Bailey, who has succeeded Joey Bart as the future catcher of the Giants organization, and while he started the year positive, he continues to get better and better, flashing shades of the last superstar catcher from the Giants franchise.

It's tough to compare any rookie to Buster Posey given what he achieved in San Francisco, but Bailey's performance this year is eerily similar to 13 years ago when Posey burst onto the scene, with power, average, solid framing, and an incredible arm, it appears he's stamped himself as invaluable to this organization going forward.

In 45 games this year, Bailey is hitting .276 with 5 home runs and 29 RBI, while throwing out an incredible 42% of runners attempting stolen bases, and has become a leader for this team, so how does he compare to other rookies?

While he doesn't get the hype of Elly De La Cruz or Corbin Carroll, it's easy to suggest that Bailey has been one of the most valuable catchers and rookies in all of baseball to this point, but according to a recent Bleacher Report article, that's not been enough to stamp himself among the best rookies in baseball.

In their recent MLB Rookie Rankings piece, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has Bailey ranked as the No. 23 rookie in all of baseball, and while the top 10 is certainly hard to crack, Bailey has shown value at the plate and in the field and deserves a much higher ranking.

At the end of the day, no one in the Giants organization will be bothered by being over looked, as it was a key to their three Championship runs in the 2010's, and if Bailey continues this level of play, he will crack the top-10 by the end of the season, but for now, it's tough to say that he doesn't deserve higher than this.

Also mentioned in the piece as an honorable mention was Blake Sabol, who has quietly become a key, everyday player for the Giants in recent weeks, hitting .256 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI while catching and playing the outfield, so if the team continue to nurture this young core, this will be a very fun team for years to come.

Bailey may not be getting the recognition he deserves from other media outlets, but he has quickly made an impact. The Giants are 34-20 since he was called up on May 19 and pitches have a 3.30 ERA when he is behind the dish. Not bat at all.