Patrick Bailey Wins Johnny Bench Award

CINCINNATI – NC State baseball’s Patrick Bailey has been named the recipient of the 2020 Johnny Bench Award, which is annually given to the nation’s top collegiate baseball catcher.

The Greensboro, N.C. native, is the 21st player to receive the prestigious award since its inception. He is also the third ACC player to earn the honor as he joins Buster Posey (Florida State, 2008) and Zack Collins (Miami, 2016).

“I’m extremely humbled to have been chosen as this year’s Johnny Bench Award winner,” said Bailey. “To be considered as the nation’s best collegiate catcher by a Hall of Famer is a true honor and great ending to this chapter of my career. I’m excited to get to work with the Giants and hopefully continue the legacy that Mr. Bench created in our great sport.”

Bailey was recently drafted as the 13th overall pick to the San Francisco Giants, becoming NC State’s fourth top 15 MLB Draft pick since 2014 and 10th first-rounder in program history.

Before his final season with the Pack was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey earned 16 starts behind the plate in the 17 games he played in, batting .296 with a team-leading six home runs and 20 runs batted in. He finished second on the team with 20 runs scored and a .685 slugging percentage, and ranked top four in the ACC in RBIs, home runs and walks (17).
 
He hit three grand slams in the 2020 campaign, which all came in an 11-day span. On Feb. 28 against Iowa at the CambriaCollegeClassic in Minneapolis, he homered from both sides of the plate for the second time in his career, remaining the only player in program history to do so in a single game.
 
Additionally, Bailey reached base safely in the first 15 games of the season and turned in five multi-hit and five multi-RBI games.

About the Johnny Bench Award
The Johnny Bench Award is presented annually to college baseball’s top catcher. The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission created the award in 2000 and dedicated it to Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. In 2019, the Cincinnati Reds and Johnny Bench, along with the Reds Community Fund, expanded the awards to include high school catchers. The awards were permanently relocated to the Reds Hall of Fame & Museum at Great American Ball Park. The awards committee determined the winners with support from local media and organizations in each state including West Virginia Prep Baseball Report, USA Baseball, USA Softball, the Cincinnati Enquirer and Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association. The Reds Scouting Department provided additional input for the baseball categories.