HOLLY SPRINGS – Coastal Plain League alum Patrick Bailey (photos courtesy of SF Giants) made his Major League debut with San Francisco on Friday night (5/19). While he didn’t get an at-bat, the catcher from NC State did work the final three innings behind the dish as the Giants defeated Miami, 4-3.

Bailey since has played in four games for San Francisco, including a 1-for-3 afternoon on May 21 that saw him connect on his first Big League home run – a 423-foot shot – to left-center field in the fourth inning. He also put down a sacrifice bunt in the sixth to finish with 2 RBIs and a run scored in the Giants 7-5 victory.

“Yeah, it was definitely pretty cool,” Bailey told Carlos Ramirez and Shawn Estes on “Giants Postgame Live” after the win. “Probably the best right-handed swing I’ve ever taken in professional baseball so hopefully more to come.”

Selected in the first round pick, 13th overall, by San Francisco in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, Bailey had to wait till 2021 to begin his professional career. Across stints between Rookie ball and High A, he slashed .265/.366/.429 with 39 RBIs and 61 runs scored. The 2022 season saw him back at High-A Eugene, where he finished swinging .225 with 14 doubles, 12 homers and 51 RBIs. Even more notable, however, was his play defensively as catcher. In 72 games for the Emeralds, Bailey finished with a 98.9% fielding percentage and was recognized as a recipient of a 2022 Gold Glove Award presented by Minor League Baseball and Rawlings.

Bailey was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training before being promoted to Double-A Richmond at the start of 2023. Then, after batting .333 through his first 14 games, he joined Triple-A Sacramento on April 26. He swung .216 with 11 hits and six RBIs for the River Cats before receiving the call up to join the Giants.

A member of the Holly Springs Salamanders briefly in 2019 before joining the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, Bailey batted .300 through six games. He averaged a hit per game and connected on a double and a dinger, while scoring four runs and driving in seven RBIs. He was also walked nine times and stole a base.

Bailey is the third former Salamanders player and 172nd CPL alum to reach the Majors. The league now has seen eight former players debut in 2023 alone – an average of one per week.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 172 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.