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The Giants took a catcher, just not the one many of their fans were expecting.
With Turlock’s Tyler Soderstrom sitting there at No. 13 in a strange draft, the Giants passed on the son of their 1993 first-round pick and instead went east, taking North Carolina State’s Patrick Bailey in Wednesday’s first round.
While the Giants will tell you they took the best player available, Bailey, a switch-hitter, could theoretically platoon with Joey Bart down the road, in particular if the National League adopts the DH.
Bailey, from Greensboro, slashed .302/.411/.568 over three NCAA seasons in a program that also featured Will Wilson, a shortstop prospect whom the Giants traded for this offseason. They like their Wolfpack players.
Bailey becomes the second catcher taken in the first round by the Giants in the last three years, joining Bart, sandwiched by Arizona State’s Hunter Bishop.
After Detroit began predictably with Spencer Torkelson, the draft took a turn immediately, the Orioles surprising with outfielder Heston Kjerstad, whom some experts saw the Giants taking at 13. This year’s draft set a record, its first seven picks going to college players before San Diego took high schooler Robert Hassell, an outfielder from Tennessee. So much was unknown about both players and teams because of the pandemic, and it showed early.
The Giants have a long Thursday in front of them, looking at picks 49, 67, 68, 85, 114 and 144. Their seven total picks are tied with the Cardinals for the most in baseball.