Giants of San Francisco: Bailey showcases eagerness to commence season
Patrick Bailey's Offensive struggles: Behind the Scenes
Baseball's defensive wunderkind, Patrick Bailey, is currently stuck in a batting slump. Sitting atop the defensive leaderboards, it's his offensive prowess that's not keeping up. After 33 games this season, he sports a dismal .194/.234/.276 slash line with zero home runs. While he's riding a four-game hitting streak, he's still a woeful 52 percent worse than a league-average hitter, according to OPS+.
Despite this, hitting coach Pat Burrell is confident that the 25-year-old is in a good place. While his primary duty is to manage the pitching staff, the Giants are hoping for Bailey to regain his status as a two-way force.
"I know he's anxious to get going," Burrell said. "I think he's in a pretty good spot right now, so we'll just keep monitoring. He's definitely getting his work in."
Interestingly, Bailey's recent offensive slump isn't entirely new. Since the second half of last season, he's shown a significantly lower .461 OPS over 291 plate appearances. That mark is the lowest among all players with at least 250 plate appearances.
In the first half of last season, Bailey demonstrated almost above-average batting ability, with a .283 batting average, .784 OPS, seven homers, and 31 RBIs. By WAR, as calculated by FanGraphs, he topped the list as the most valuable catcher in baseball at the break despite missing time due to a concussion. Conversely, in the second half, he logged a .434 OPS with just one home run – a slump he attributed to his swing, not conditioning.
"We're winning ballgames, and I'm doing what I can to try to help the team win," Bailey said. "Just trying to stay consistent behind the plate and keep managing the pitching staff, then putting the work in before the games offensively to try to get where I want to get."
Bailey's current offensive struggles seem to stem from him chasing pitches more frequently. In '24, Bailey's chase rate was 25.1 percent (72nd percentile). In '25, that jumped to 29.4 percent (37th percentile), while his whiff rate climbed from 23.4 percent last season to 36.1 percent this season. Not surprisingly, he's walking less and striking out more as a result.
According to Burrell, it's all about Bailey getting comfortable again. "More than anything, it's just about him getting comfortable."
The manager, Bob Melvin, echoed Burrell's sentiments, stating, "He tends to walk and get into deeper counts. He's maybe swinging a little too early right now."
Bailey's batted-ball profile also shows a dramatic shift this season. In '24, he had a 41.1% groundball rate, 30.7% line drive rate, and 24.9% fly ball rate. This season, those percentages have flipped dramatically, sitting at 28.8% groundballs, 16.7% line drives, and a striking 50% fly balls. "Ground balls typically don't play, but fly balls can hurt as well," Bailey conceded. "Just trying to hit more line drives."
Interestingly, pitchers have been avoiding Bailey's sweet spots. As a left-handed batter, he thrives on high, inside pitches. But this season, they've stayed away from those areas, causing issues. Bailey has not made any significant mechanical adjustments, though he's notably deeper in the batter's box compared to last season – a move he maintains is unintentional.
Multiple Giants players are experiencing offensive struggles this season, and Bailey's slump may be just part of a larger trend. Whether the turning point comes soon, no one can say for certain. But one thing is clear – the Giants will be eagerly awaiting Bailey's return to his can't-miss form.
Despite Patrick Bailey's exceptional defensive skills in baseball, his offensive performance has been lackluster, with a dismal slash line that puts him far below the league average. In the Major League Baseball (MLB), Bailey has struggled to find his form, failing to hit home runs and maintaining a low batting average and OPS.
As a two-way force, the San Francisco Giants are hoping for Bailey to regain his batting prowess, a trait he displayed in the first half of last season, when he demonstrated almost above-average batting ability with a high batting average, OPS, and home run count. Reclaiming his MLB success in both sports would be a significant boon for the team.
