2021 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List #9

In the 2020 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, it only took a few selections to find a player from that year’s draft class. Hunter Bishop, the team’s 2019 first-round pick, was selected as the fourth-best prospect in the San Francisco Giants system, a ranking that he repeated this year.

It took a bit longer to find his successor. The Giants 2020 first-round pick, switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey from North Carolina State, is finally off the board, coming it an No. 8 in the 2021 CPL with 45% of the vote.

Why did Bailey fall so low relative to Bishop? Likely for a handful of factors. Not getting to play any games, due to the coronavirus altering the 2020 season, probably played a big role. We have no professional stats for Bailey, even if the reports from the Alternate Training Site were positive.

Many people also weren’t enthused with the pick when it happened, as it was viewed by some as a high floor/low ceiling selection at a not-versatile position where the Giants were already strong. And the farm system is simply much better now than it was a year ago.

Either way, Patrick Bailey has been voted the eighth-best prospect in the farm, and I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he were comfortably higher on this list next year.

The list so far

1. Marco Luciano
2. Joey Bart
3. Heliot Ramos
4. Hunter Bishop
5. Luis Matos
6. Seth Corry
7. Alexander Canario
8. Patrick Bailey

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

OK, let’s add to it. It’s also nomination day, so be sure to suggest names you think should be on the tenth CPL, and recommend the names you agree with. The four most heavily rec’d names will be added to Monday’s CPL.

#8 prospect nominees

Kyle Harrison
Jairo Pomares
Luis Toribio
Will Wilson

Note: When available, each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.