by
Greek Giant

With the 13th pick in the 2020 MLB Draft the Giants made what some analysts consider a surprise pick in NC State catcher Patrick Bailey. Bailey is a switch hitter with legit power and high ceiling defense making him a projected starter and maybe a star. Many have ask why the Giants would pick another catcher considering they already have one of the top MLB prospects in catcher Joey Bart. In fact, according to many publications, the Giants are even being mocked. My feeling is simple: Farhan Zaidi chose the best player available.

Here is Farhan Zaidi on the pick, in a story on mlb.com by Maria Guardado:

“You don’t draft for need. And I won’t even say draft for need, but perceived need. And you can never have too much catching. … Bailey may have been the guy that just had the broadest consensus in our group, from Holmesy, to the rest of his scouting group, to our analytics department, which loved the power, the patience and defensive skills. It’s a really strong consensus pick for us as an organization, so we were obviously thrilled that he was there. It was actually a pretty easy decision for us.”

Patrick Bailey

There are many other factors to consider such as using either catcher as a trade chip or simply having depth in a system that was sorely lacking in the backstop position for many recent years. We will know how good this pick is in about 4 years.

Here is the official MLB write-up on the Giants pick.

For now, it looks like Zaidi is sticking to his philosophy that values versatility, depth and players with more than one skill, which is not the same as versatility when it comes to catcher. With the Bailey move, presumably Bart and Patrick can share catching duties, keep each other fresh and play first base when the other is catching. There are many possibilities.


Here is the list of first round picks for each team:

1. Detroit Tigers Spencer Torkelson 3B Arizona State
2. Baltimore Orioles Heston Kjerstad OF Arkansas
3. Miami Marlins Max Meyer RHP Minnesota
4. Kansas City Royals Asa Lacy LHP Texas A&M
5. Toronto Blue Jays Austin Martin SS Vanderbilt
6. Seattle Mariners Emerson Hancock RHP Georgia
7. Pittsburgh Pirates Nick Gonzales SS New Mexico State
8. San Diego Padres Robert Hassell III OF Independence High School (Tennessee)
9. Colorado Rockies Zac Veen OF Spruce Creek High School (Florida)
10. Los Angeles Angels Reid Detmers LHP Louisville
11. Chicago White Sox Garrett Crotchet LHP Tennessee
12. Cincinnati Reds Austin Hendrick OF West Allegheny High School (Pennsylvania)
13. San Francisco Giants Patrick Bailey C NC State
14. Texas Rangers Justin Foscue 2B Mississippi State
15. Philadelphia Phillies Mick Abel RHP Jesuit High School (Oregon)
16. Chicago Cubs Ed Howard SS Mount Carmel High School (Illinois)
17. Boston Red Sox Nick Yorke 2B Archbishop Mitty High School (California)
18. Arizona Diamondbacks Jarvis Bryce RHP Duke
19. New York Mets Pete Crow-Armstrong OF Harvard-Westlake School (California)
20. Milwaukee Brewers Garrett Mitchell OF UCLA
21. St. Louis Cardinals Jordan Walker 3B Decatur High School (Georgia)
22. Washington Nationals Cade Cavalli RHP Oklahoma
23. Cleveland Indians Carson Tucker SS Mountain Pointe High School (Arizona)
24. Tampa Bay Rays Nick Bitsko RHP Central Bucks High School East (Pennsylvania)
25. Atlanta Braves Jared Shuster LHP Wake Forest
26. Oakland A’s Tyler Soderstrom C Turlock High School (California)
27. Minnesota Twins Aaron Sabato 1B UNC
28. New York Yankees Austin Wells C Arizona
29. Los Angeles Dodgers Bobby Miller RHP Louisville