The San Francisco Giants’ rookie backup catcher, Daniel Susac, continued his hot start in the Giants’ 6-0 shutout win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, Apr. 7th.
Susac made his first start for the Giants in their 7-2 win over the Mets on Apr. 2, where he reached base in all 4 plate appearances. He then got his second start against the Phillies. Susac gave the Giants offense a jolt as he went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.
After a single in the 2nd inning, Susac was the first Giant to have 4 hits in his first 4 at-bats since Willie McCovey did so in 1959, according to NBC Sports Bay Area.
The rookie catcher singled in his next at-bat in the 5th inning to stay a perfect 5-for-5 before finally recording an out in the 7th. But Susac provided much-needed insurance when he hit a two-run triple in the 8th inning to give the Giants a 6-0 lead.
Susac holds a slash line of .857/ .875/ 1.143 with a 2.018 OPS through two games.
Daniel Susac’s historic start has caught the attention of Manager Tony Vitello, who feels the backup catcher has “earned the right to be out there more often.”
The Giants acquired Daniel Susac in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, who took Susac fourth overall in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. Susac was then invited to the Giants’ 2026 Spring Training, where he impressed with a .350/ .386/ .550 line to beat out Eric Haase for the backup catcher position.
Susac is making the most of his opportunity and has 6 hits in 7 at-bats compared to starting catcher, Patrick Bailey’s, 4 hits in 31 at-bats. Furthermore, he has already posted a 0.5 WAR in his two starts compared to Bailey’s -0.4 WAR in 10 starts.
Bailey joined the major league club in 2023 and immediately took over the starting catcher position. Bailey, who is known for his defense, has earned two Gold Glove awards in the past two seasons. But he is a career .227 hitter and is only batting .129 this season, according to Baseball Reference.
San Francisco Giants’ rookie catcher, Daniel Susac
Tony Vitello Addresses the Catcher Role Moving Forward
After Daniel Susac’s 3-for-4 night in the Giants’ 6-0 win over the Phillies, Giants Manager Tony Vitello addressed whether the backup catcher will get more playing time.
“I think (Susac) has earned the right to, even prior to today, has earned the right to be out there for us more often… You will see plenty of both (Bailey and Susac) as the season goes on,” Vitello said.
Despite Susac’s hot start, Vitello is rolling with his Gold-Glove catcher in the Giants’ series finale game against the Phillies.
“Bailey’s a Gold Glove catcher, and he’s our guy. Susac is becoming our guy too, which is great… Bailey is very sincerely supporting Susac every time he’s out there, and Susac is doing the same,” Vitello said.
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