Why SF Giants’ Patrick Bailey believes he struggled in second half

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Patrick Bailey’s second season in the majors mirrored the arc of his first: hot start, cold finish. A second straight second-half stumble, at least offensively, resulted in recent chatter regarding his conditioning. Bailey has said that logic applied when he was a rookie in 2023, but to the 25-year-old catcher, the root cause of his woes last August and September can be traced elsewhere.

“I would definitely result (the second half) being more of a swing thing and kind of going down a rabbit hole I shouldn’t have gone down,” Bailey told this news organization. “I was able to finish up strong in September. … Physically, I felt good. I think it’s just one of those things where you struggle a little bit at the plate and you start searching instead of trusting the swing.”

That assessment isn’t to suggest that Bailey hasn’t put an emphasis on his health in the winter. While Bailey’s offseason routine remained mostly the same, he began using the meal service Elevated Meals to ensure he ate better quality food, a change that he believes has made a “big difference.” The catcher’s weight is similar to last season but assessed that he has “better weight,” adding that he feels more mobile and flexible compared to last season.

Regarding the swing, Bailey, a switch hitter, made a few tweaks as a right-handed hitter, noting that he’s trying to “use the ground better.” Bailey assessed that last year, his right-handed swing was “super drifty” — his front foot would go down and his hips would sway towards the pitcher, leading to his upper half collapsing. The 25-year-old hopes the changes will allow him to be more stable and swing more efficiently. As far as the left side, Bailey said he’s trying to clean up his bat path.

A full season of offensive production would elevate Bailey to the same echelon as the Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras and the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh. Prior to the All-Star break, Bailey had a .283 batting average and .784 OPS with seven home runs, being snubbed from the Midsummer Classic despite leading all catchers in WAR (3.8). In the second half, by contrast, Bailey had a .170 batting average and .434 OPS with one lone home run. Bailey went on the injured list in May due to a concussion, but said he doesn’t believe the injury played a role in his post-All-Star break performance.

During August, specifically, Bailey had a slash line of .063/.090/.078. According to Stathead, Bailey became the first player to finish with an OPS under .200 in a single month since Gerald Williams in August 1996 (min. 50 plate appearances). Bailey’s rookie season followed a similar arc; after posting an .817 OPS over 40 games in the first half, Bailey was down to a .514 OPS over 57 games in the second half.

“It’s baseball, right? You’re always going to go through some struggles,” Bailey said. “It’s just trying to limit how deep those struggles get. That’s something I learned last year and was finally able to get out of a slump and finish strong in September.”

The Giants would gladly take six months where Bailey produces like an All-Star, without question, but for president of baseball operations Buster Posey, Bailey’s primary focus should be on leading San Francisco’s pitching staff.

“It’s one of those things that’s really hard to specifically hard to put your finger on because it can change from day to day,” Posey said. “As much as anything, it’s understanding all of your pitchers’ personalities, being able to read the room, knowing when it’s time to push a little bit, knowing when it’s time to back off. It doesn’t really ever stop.”

Added Bailey: “In the first two seasons, you’re young and you’re trying to get to learn everybody and how they tick. More than anything, just trying to earn the respect of everybody. I hope that’s something I’ve done so far, and I’ll continue trying to build relationships with pitchers on and off the field.”

The ability to guide a team’s starters and relievers will likely forever remain in the domain of the unquantifiable. That said, Bailey won the first Gold Glove of his career this past offseason by putting together an impressive statistical résumé.

Bailey not only led all catchers in defensive runs saved (20) and catcher framing runs (16), but he led all defenders in fielding run value (22). His tied J.T. Realmuto and Korey Lee for the best pop time in baseball (1.85 seconds) and finished second in caught stealing above average (nine).

“These guys all have a ton of faith in him,” said manager Bob Melvin. “There’s some guys that just rely on what he’s calling — and some veteran guys too. As a younger catcher, it’s kind of rare. There’s a lot of information now for guys to be up to speed, but he’s always up to speed. He takes it very seriously. You come into another year where you’re the starting catcher, you win a Gold Glove and something to kind of puff your chest out and take it to the next level.”

Murphy dealing with back spasms

Catcher Tom Murphy has been dealing with back spasms, according to Melvin, and received an MRI on Sunday. His timetable is unclear.

Murphy, who only played 13 games last season due to a left knee sprain, enters camp as the leading candidate for the backup catcher position.

Aside from Bailey and Murphy, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Sam Huff, who the Giants claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers in January. Max Stassi, who hasn’t played in the majors since 2022, is in camp as well as a non-roster invitee.