Patrick Bailey has a legitimate shot at becoming the fifth rookie catcher to ever win a Gold Glove Award.
Bailey, 24, was named a finalist for the National League Gold Glove. Veteran J.T. Realmuto and 23-year-old Gabriel Moreno of the Diamondbacks are the other candidates.
Bailey’s creative usage of various arm slots allowed him to cut down baserunners from any base. Bailey threw out 25 runners on the season, tied for third most in MLB despite playing only 97 games. His 28.4% caught stealing rate ranked ninth in the league.
Bailey also graded out as the top framer in MLB, ranking first in catcher framing runs and strike rate, per Baseball Savant.
The last rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove was Miami’s Charles Johnson in 1995.
After debuting on May 19, Bailey immediately emerged as a force behind the plate. He constantly stole strikes for Giants pitchers and earned the trust of the pitching staff. Some pitchers who were using PitchCom to call their own pitches, like Logan Webb, completely turned the game over to the rookie backstop.
“He really knows what he’s doing,” reliever Ryan Walker said. “I trust him behind the plate. Understand that you can call your own game, but if he’s calling a pitch, there’s a reason behind it.
Bailey ended two games with his arm. His caught stealing victims included Elly De La Cruz, Mookie Betts, Starling Marte and Fernando Tatis Jr..
The Gold Glove finalists — three per position, including utility — are determined by a voting pool of managers, players and coaches and a smaller SABR Defensive Index component. The winners will be announced Nov. 5.
No other Giants were named finalists. Thairo Estrada was really the only player besides Bailey to have a case.
Estrada led all second basemen in outs above average, taking a significant step forward from 2022. Although the award is a single-season honor, reputation also comes into play. If Estrada repeats his 2023 defensive performance next year, proving it wasn’t a blip, it will be tough to imagine he gets passed over again.