Once Patrick Bailey still was available when the Giants were on the clock with the No. 13 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, they had an easy decision to make. Though they waited until the final seconds for the pick to be in, Bailey was their guy.
Giants general manager Scott Harris said Friday to KNBR's Mark Willard there were plenty of reasons why they felt Bailey was the right choice. As a catcher, it all starts with how you can lead a team and Harris believes Bailey has proven he can do just that.
"First of all, extremely strong makeup," Harris said. "... I think any time you draft a catcher, you know he's going to be the field general in the big leagues and we really wanted to dig into Pat's makeup and make sure he has the ability to lead teammates.
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"He answered all of those questions for us."
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Bailey, 21, was a three-year starter for North Carolina State. He also played for the Team USA Collegiate National Team, handling a pitching staff that featured some of the best arms in country.
When it came to his ability on the field, Harris and the rest of the front office are more than excited about Bailey's future. Being able to add a power-hitting catcher to your farm system is an advantage for any team.
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"On the field, one of the main tenants of our philosophy is to find dynamic up the middle players who can impact the game on both sides of the ball," Harris said. "In that sense, Patrick Bailey certainly fits the bill. He's a switch-hitting catcher who's a plus catch-and-throw guy, but also has really strong contact in the zone and some developing power that we're really excited about from both sides of the plate."
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Bailey hit .302 with 29 homers and 106 RBI over his college career. Harris said he was the Giants' highest player on their board when their pick was up, and they weren't going to let Bailey get past them.
"Any time you can add a switch-hitter with those types of contact skills and add in some power, you should probably do it," Harris said. "That's what ultimately convinced us that Pat Bailey was the guy to be our first-round pick this year."
