Giants catcher Patrick Bailey has a chance to become the first rookie backstop to win a Gold Glove in nearly 30 years.
But it doesn't matter to the 24-year-old when he earns the award, if he does at all. Because for Bailey, earning a Gold Glove would be the achievement of a lifetime.
"It'd be incredible," Bailey told NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic on the latest "Giants Talk" episode. "That's kind of what I've been known for and something I take the most pride in. And whether it's this year, which would be really cool [because] I don't think many other rookie catchers have done it, but whether it's this year or the next, it'll probably be one of the things I'm most proud of."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Since making his MLB debut with the Giants in May, Bailey quickly has become one of the league's best defensive catchers. His enviable pop time allows him to throw runners out with ease, and his pitch-framing abilities coupled with an affinity for calling games have earned Bailey the respect and trust of the Giants' pitching staff.
He's a star in the making, and it's why San Francisco selected him in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft -- despite already taking catcher Joey Bart at No. 2 overall two years earlier. Bailey officially became eligible for the Gold Glove in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 18.
If Bailey achieved the feat this season, he would join Johnny Bench (1968), Carlton Fisk (1972) and Charles Johnson (1995) as the only NL catchers to win a Gold Glove as a rookie. Johnson was the last rookie catcher to do so, just a few years before Bailey was born.
"Crazy," Bailey told Pavlovic.
San Francisco Giants
It certainly wouldn't be out of the question for Bailey to hoist a Gold Glove when all is said and done this season. But if the Giants' history of producing icons behind the plate continues, Bailey will have plenty more chances as his MLB career continues.