NC State baseball has a rich history of successful catchers in recent years. 2016 draftee Andrew Knizner has earned his way to AAA in the St. Louis Cardinals organization while Brett Austin, who was drafted in 2014, also finds himself in AAA for the Chicago White Sox.
It was clear after the 2018 season that sophomore Patrick Bailey is the next great catcher at NC State. Bailey earned ACC Freshman of the Year, second-team All-ACC and Freshman All-America honors from all of the main publications.
“We’ve had so many great catchers here,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “And he’s as good as any of them we’ve ever had. As a sophomore, someone could put the tag on him; he might be as good as we’ve ever had, but he’s got to grow and get better and that’s what everybody has to do.
Bailey hit .321/.419/.604 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs in his freshman year while getting the start in 50 games. His .321 average was highest among ACC freshmen and No. 12 among all conference players, while his 13 home runs set an NC State freshman record and led all freshmen in the ACC.
“It’s hard to do what he did as a freshman,” Avent said. “But to come back and do it again when everybody is looking at you and seeing you different, and maybe some of your other teammates like Brett Kinneman and Brock Deatherage aren’t in the lineup with you.”
The Greensboro native hit over .500 in his senior year of high school at Wesleyan Christian Academy and was drafted in the 37th round in the 2017 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins. Thankfully for Pack9 fans, he chose to go to school in Raleigh.
“More than anything, it’s just relaxing and playing my game,” Bailey said. “That’s pretty much all I can do, and whatever happens happens.”
The switch-hitting catcher carries a unique array of talent on the field. Hitting from both sides of the plate for power is something few ballplayers can master, especially as a catcher, but Bailey made history against William & Mary by being the first player in NC State history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game.
Bailey hit three triples last season, tied for second on last year’s team, which suggests more speed than a traditional catcher. Only five catchers in the MLB had three or more triples, and only one on that list had more than 12 home runs.
The sophomore catcher was also an asset on the defensive side, boasting a .983 fielding percentage (second among starting position players last season) and catching 11 runners stealing on the base path.
As a catcher, Bailey is charged with the difficult task of learning each and every pitcher and their tendencies. There are 22 pitchers listed on the roster, including four true freshmen, that he works with to build that chemistry.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys,” Bailey said. “Got some strong returners, but a lot of them are just throwing strikes, which is kind of what you need right now.”
Not only does he have to work with the weekend and weekday starters, but he also catches all the guys coming out of the deep bullpen that this NC State team has developed.
“He’s an absolute wall,” junior pitcher Kent Klyman said. “You can throw anything; whether one gets away from you or it’s not even close to the zone, he’s going to knock it down. He definitely contributes to confidence level you have; he calls a good game back there. Coaches sometimes just let him call like a Major Leaguer, because they have confidence in him and they know he’s going to do the job.”
Along with NC State teammate junior shortstop Will Wilson, Bailey had the opportunity to play over the summer with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. The highlight of the summer came in the series finale against Chinese Taipei in Cary, when he went 2 for 4 with three RBIs.
The catcher has earned a number of preseason honors before the start of the 2019 season, including the Golden Spikes Award watchlist and Preseason All-American honors by the main publications.
If Bailey continues to build on his first season, he could be yet another NC State alumni to make his way into the MLB. Don’t be surprised if you see him make an impact on the big stage one day, but for now enjoy watching Bailey behind the plate for the Pack this season.
