Former NC State All-American Catcher Patrick Baiely Earns Gold Glove

Former NC State All-American Catcher Patrick Bailey earned the Gold Glove at his position in the National League, becoming the first former Wolfpack player to earn a Gold Glove.

The best defensive catcher in the National League 😤

Patrick Bailey is officially a @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Award Winner! pic.twitter.com/rneV1VNTfE

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) November 4, 2024

The same could be said for the 25-year-old Bailey, who picked up his first career Gold Glove Award after leading all Major League players with a +22 fielding run value in his sophomore season for the Giants. Bailey also paced MLB backstops with 16 catcher framing runs and 20 DRS, twice as many as 2023 Gold Glove winner Gabriel Moreno, who ranked second in the NL for the D-backs this year.

“That’s something I’ve taken a lot of pride in,” Bailey said. “I was obviously a little frustrated not getting it last year. I got to work and wanted to improve in all aspects and was just really excited to be able to win it this year.”

In addition to his elite framing skills, Bailey excelled at controlling the running game, tying for the fastest average pop time (1.85 seconds) in the Majors and finishing second behind the Dodgers’ Will Smith (10) with nine runners caught stealing above average in 2024. The 2020 first-round Draft pick is the fourth catcher to win a Gold Glove for the Giants, joining new president of baseball operations Buster Posey (2016), Mike Matheny (2005) and Kirt Manwaring (1993).

(MLB)