Struggling SF Giants bat slowly, but surely, trending in the right direction at the plate

It has been a tough year for Patrick Bailey at the plate. He is slashing just .202/.267/.298 (61 wRC+) in 246 plate appearances this season. However, the struggling SF Giants hitter looks to be slowly turning the corner at the plate.

Struggling SF Giants bat slowly, but surely, trending in the right direction at the plate

Anything Bailey offers with the bat is a bonus. Despite struggling mightily offensively, he has still put up 1.8 fWAR this season and is on pace to surpass 3.0 fWAR for the year.

That is not a bad mark at all, especially at a key position like catcher. Bailey's defense offers considerable value, as he is arguably one of the best defensive players in baseball at the moment. It also gives him a relatively high ceiling.

Even when Bailey is not hitting at the plate, he is still finding ways to impact the game by either framing pitches to get an extra strike or throwing out a runner on the bases. The latter play can and does change the momentum of a game.

However, the Giants would be thrilled if he could offer more with the bat. The switch-hitter has a .623 OPS across three major league seasons. He only had 28 combined games in the upper minors before getting called up in 2023, so you can probably chalk up some of his early struggles as a function of his bat just not being ready.

That said, he is now in his age-26 season, so if he is going to show anything with the bat, this is the time for it to happen. The season is a long one, with plenty of ups and downs. Bailey looks to be in the midst of one of those ups, as he is slashing .237/.314/.355 (92 wRC+) with one home run, 11 RBI, and nine runs in 88 plate appearances since June 1.

The strikeout rate remains high at 28.4 percent, but every other data point is passable. On a somewhat related note, he has flattened out his swing during that stretch. His launch angle was too high earlier in the year, leading to too many pop ups and in-zone whiffs.

The Giants would be thrilled if he could sustain just that level of production. It is not necessarily strong offensive production, but catcher is a glove-first position. It would cover up a soft spot in the lineup, and would make Bailey one of the best catchers in baseball from an fWAR standpoint.

The 26-year-old will need to continue to produce at this level to gives the Giants confidence that he has turned the corner. If so, this could be a strong second half for Bailey.