Giants Catcher Patrick Bailey Wins Fielding Bible Defensive Player of the Year

Elite framing, throw‑out rates, plus top‑tier pop time propelled the San Francisco backstop to Sports Info Solutions’ overall award.

Overview

Bailey became the first catcher to earn the Fielding Bible’s overall Defensive Player of the Year, joining Ke’Bryan Hayes (2023) and Daulton Varsho (2024) as winners since the category launched.
Statcast credited him with a +31 Fielding Run Value, the top single‑season mark by any defender since 2018, and +25 Catcher Framing Runs, the best by a catcher in that span.
He led catchers with 19 defensive runs saved and 40 strike‑zone runs saved, underscoring elite framing value.
He threw out 27 runners with a 1.86‑second average pop time, tied for the best in MLB with J.T. Realmuto and Endy Rodriguez.
He is a National League Gold Glove finalist at catcher, with coverage viewing him as a strong candidate for a second straight Gold Glove and for Rawlings’ Platinum Glove, while teammate Matt Chapman is a Silver Slugger finalist.