Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, known for his strong defensive skills, is experiencing a significant drop in his blocking performance this season, falling from the 80th to the 19th percentile. Despite this, he remains the top-ranked framer in MLB according to Baseball Savant.
Something weird is going on with Giants catcher Patrick Bailey originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Patrick Bailey was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball last season for the San Francisco Giants. It meant his inconsistent offensive performance wasn't too detrimental to his overall value.
This season, though, something weird is going on with Bailey's defense.
He's still a top-notch framer -- Baseball Savant ranks him No. 1 in MLB in the early going, and that's a crucial skill to overall catcher value.
But after being in the 80th-percentile in blocks above average last season, Bailey is in the 19th-percentile this season.
And he was in the 97th-percentile in caught stealing above average last season, now down to 11th-percentile.
Both of those are massive declines, and they've got Giants fans getting frustrated.
MORE:Blue Jays' Ernie Clement is a battle between old-school and new-age baseball
In the raw totals, Bailey has thrown out just 1-of-14 attempted base stealers this season.
Both those stats, though, blocking and caught stealing, are really the effect and not the cause.
Base stealers take bags as much off of the pitcher, if not more, than they do off of the catcher.
And blocking can depend a lot on pitchers, as well.
It's early, and so these stats also haven't had a ton of time to stabilize yet. It's unlikely that Bailey has had just a major drop-off in his catching ability, particularly considering his framing still remains top-notch.
This is probably just one of those early-season frustrations that should come around as the year goes along.
If Bailey continues to struggle, though, maybe this was actually the start of a new and unexpected trend. And if that's the case, it'll eventually have to be addressed.
Patrick Bailey's blocking performance has dropped significantly, but specific reasons for this decline have not been detailed.
Patrick Bailey is currently ranked No. 1 in MLB for framing according to Baseball Savant.
Last season, Bailey was in the 80th percentile for blocks above average, but this season he has fallen to the 19th percentile while maintaining his top framer status.
LIV Golf's future appears uncertain as reports suggest Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund may withdraw funding after investing $5 billion. Despite assurances for the 2026 season, the tour faces challenges from low ratings and strong competition from the PGA Tour.
Wings shut down questions about Fudd and Bueckers' relationship
Damon Jones, former NBA player, to change plea to guilty in conspiracy case involving Terry Rozier.
Indiana Fever bolster roster by signing veteran guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Joe Cole advises Arsenal to adjust their attack for the Man City match.
Former Indiana basketball players appeal dismissal of their lawsuit against the school.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.