Crazy chart shows why Guardians traded for Patrick Bailey

Crazy chart shows why Guardians traded for Patrick Bailey originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cleveland Guardians pulled off a shocking trade with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday to acquire the Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey.

Turns out, one chart is all it takes to understand Bailey's importance as the best defensive player in baseball.

This chart shows all the strikes Bailey has stolen this season:

Yes, there are challenges now, but there are plenty of situations in which a hitter won't use a challenge, whether it's a low-leverage spot, a time they're already out of challenges, or simply a situation where Bailey makes the pitch look so good that even the hitter believes it's a strike.

If the strike zone ever becomes fully automated, pitch receiving like Bailey's won't matter. Until that day comes, though, it matters immensely.

The modern metrics that quantify pitch framing have Bailey as the best defensive catcher in baseball, by a lot, since he became a big leaguer.

And most of those metrics will say that a good pitch framer is more valuable than pretty much any other spot on the diamond.

The Guardians simply don't care whether Bailey hits or not. They believe that his skill with his glove behind the plate is enough to make their team better by having him back there. That's why they traded for him, and while some might not agree with the premise, that one chart pretty much sums it all up.