Andrew Bailey (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Scott Bailey is an American baseball
relief pitcher
for the Oakland Athletics
of Major League Baseball
. He is a native of Voorhees Township, New Jersey
.
in Haddonfield, New Jersey
. From Wagner College
, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics
in the 6th round (188th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
. Bailey started off the season on the A's double AA team, the Midland Rockhounds
. Bailey participated in the 2008 Arizona Fall League
as a member of the Phoenix Desert Dogs
. He made the Athletics Opening Day
25-man roster for the season as a long shot. Bailey was selected to represent the Athletics in the 2009 MLB All-Star Game
in St. Louis. Bailey broke the Athletics rookie save record on September 12 against the Minnesota Twins
with his 24th save of the season.
After a final line of 26 saves and a 1.84 ERA, Bailey was named 2009 American League Rookie of the Year on November 16, 2009.
On September 12, 2011, Bailey was hit right above the temple by a line drive in batting practice. He felt fine, passed concussion tests, and sat out the next few days. He returned to action to face the Tigers a few games later.
, a curveball
, and a cutter
. Bailey has a very good fastball that he can locate well, coming in at 93–97 mph. Bailey's cutter is also effective at 89–92 mph, and he can often get strikeouts with his fastball or cutter. Bailey's curveball comes in at 78–80 mph, but Bailey usually throws his curveball earlier in the count to get ahead.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
for the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He is a native of Voorhees Township, New Jersey
Voorhees Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 28,126 people, 10,489 households, and 7,069 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,424.0 people per square mile . There were 11,084 housing units at an average density of 955.2 per square mile...
.
Baseball career
He first played baseball at Paul VI High SchoolPaul VI High School
Paul VI High School is a private Catholic high school located in Haddon Township, New Jersey. As there is no post office in Haddon Township, the mailing address is Haddonfield, New Jersey, United States. The school is named in honor of Pope Paul VI, and was founded in 1966. The Paul VI sports and...
in Haddonfield, New Jersey
Haddonfield, New Jersey
Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593....
. From Wagner College
Wagner College
Wagner College is a private, co-educational, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 total students located atop Grymes Hill in New York City's borough of Staten Island...
, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the 6th round (188th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
. Bailey started off the season on the A's double AA team, the Midland Rockhounds
Midland RockHounds
The Midland RockHounds are a minor league baseball team based in Midland, Texas, USA. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Citibank Ballpark, located in Midland. Opened in 2002, the stadium seats...
. Bailey participated in the 2008 Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
as a member of the Phoenix Desert Dogs
Phoenix Desert Dogs
The Phoenix Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League located in Phoenix, Arizona. They play their home games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics...
. He made the Athletics Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
25-man roster for the season as a long shot. Bailey was selected to represent the Athletics in the 2009 MLB All-Star Game
2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 80th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of the...
in St. Louis. Bailey broke the Athletics rookie save record on September 12 against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
with his 24th save of the season.
After a final line of 26 saves and a 1.84 ERA, Bailey was named 2009 American League Rookie of the Year on November 16, 2009.
On September 12, 2011, Bailey was hit right above the temple by a line drive in batting practice. He felt fine, passed concussion tests, and sat out the next few days. He returned to action to face the Tigers a few games later.
Scouting Report
Bailey's repertoire consists of three main pitches: a four seam fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
, a curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
, and a cutter
Cutter (baseball)
In baseball, a cutter, or cut fastball, is a type of fastball which breaks slightly toward the pitcher's glove side as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider but with more motion than a typical fastball. Some...
. Bailey has a very good fastball that he can locate well, coming in at 93–97 mph. Bailey's cutter is also effective at 89–92 mph, and he can often get strikeouts with his fastball or cutter. Bailey's curveball comes in at 78–80 mph, but Bailey usually throws his curveball earlier in the count to get ahead.