With the San Francisco Giants nine games off the top spot and nine games behind .500, it was time to take some calls. And they have. Yes, Tony Vitello has finally pulled the plug on Patrick Bailey as the Giants’ everyday catcher. At 26 years old, Bailey should be entering his offensive prime, not struggling like a rookie. With the team struggling, Vitello had to make the change, and he benched Bailey for Jesús Rodríguez and Eric Haase.
“It’s not a rule to have an everyday catcher,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said,
Patrick Bailey has been one of the Giants’ most trusted players since arriving during the 2023 season. He appeared in 381 games since his promotion, catching more innings than nearly every major-league catcher.
Defensively, he is elite; he won two Gold Gloves and ranks consistently among baseball’s strongest pitch framers. However, his offensive numbers became impossible to ignore after another rough stretch. Bailey, after Wednesday, carries an average of .146 with just one homer and five RBIs. To go along with that, he has a dismal .396 OPS.
Since July 2024, Bailey has had an average of .204 and has struck out around 27.4% of his appearances.
But the change isn’t just about Bailey. The Giants’ offense has been struggling. Stars like Rafael Devers and Willy Adames are unable to find consistency, but their huge contracts make it almost impossible to bench them. Because of that, the catcher spot was the only place left to try to find some hits.
This is exactly what happened to the Astros with Martin Maldonado. Eventually, a team can’t keep an elite defender in the lineup if he provides zero offense.
At the same time, Jesús Rodríguez has started making noise after finally receiving his long-awaited major-league opportunity. He collected his first RBI single on Tuesday before crushing an opposite-field homer in the same game. Vitello praised Rodríguez’s approach in recent at-bats, mentioning that his approach looked controlled and balanced. And with Andrew Susac’s expected return from injury, Bailey simply cannot crack the roster.
But what is the main reason behind the Giants’ offense not firing?
The Giants’ offense is as bad as it can get for San Francisco
The Giants are doing everything to get back on track, but it might not be so easy for Tony Vitello and the team. The San Francisco Giants were never expected to become baseball’s biggest offensive disaster entering this season.
Even during difficult seasons, the Giants usually managed timely homers or productive innings. Instead, the Giants started May with just 23 total home runs, putting them in last place across the league. Their recent 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays was already their sixth shutout defeat of the year, marking their worst start to a season since 1976.
The road series in Philadelphia was a complete disaster. The Giants failed to hit a single home run in all three games, even though they faced pitchers they normally hit well. It was their first time going a full series without a homer this year. Their offense looked completely lost.
Matt Chapman addressed those struggles, saying, “Did not see that coming.” He also said that after the spring training, everyone was expecting better results. This lineup was supposed to carry the team. Devers was projected for 31 home runs, and Adames was expected to hit 26.
Instead, both Devers and Adames currently have only two homers through 37 and 36 games, respectively. Chapman’s production also looks concerning since he has not homered since March 31 against San Diego.
Meanwhile, San Francisco’s offense continues to collapse further because their hitters rarely even reach base. The Giants currently rank last with just 72 walks drawn. Devers’ walk rate has also dropped sharply from his career average of 9.4% down to just 5.0% this season.
That offensive collapse explains why San Francisco remains only 3-16 whenever they have failed to homer during games.
So while Patrick Bailey might take the blame for not performing offensively, the others in the lineup are not doing any better.
