Buddy Bailey
Welby Sheldon Bailey Dews
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 193-198 lb.
- School Lynchburg College
- Born March 28, 1957 in Norristown, PA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Catcher Buddy Bailey was drafted in the 26th round of the 1978 amateur draft by the Kansas City Royals and the 16th round of the 1979 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves and played for 3 years in the Braves system.
Bailey spent 9 years managing in the Braves organization (1983-1990) and 14 years coaching & managing (1991-2004) in the Boston Red Sox chain. In addition to managing, Bailey filled a variety of roles for the Red Sox.
- 1997 Major league advance scout
- Start - 7/30/1998 Minor league catching instructor
- 7/31/1998-1999 Minor league field coordinator
- 2000 Bench coach Boston Red Sox
- 2001 Minor league catching instructor
Bailey reached the major leagues in 2000. Initially he was promoted to coach first base, but later switched positions with bench coach Tommy Harper. He returned to managing the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2002 where he stayed until he was dismissed after the 2004 season. Bailey was out of organized baseball in 2005.
The Chicago Cubs hired Bailey in 2006 as the their minor league catching & baserunning coordinator before he took the helm of the Daytona Cubs in mid-June. He has managed in the Cubs organization to the present day.
In the year 2024, Bailey marks his 36th season as a minor league manager. Bailey is the winningest active minor league manager with 2,419 regular season victories. Additionally, the #46 American Sign Language jersey worn by Bailey on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' inaugural Deaf Awareness Night was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum[1] in Cooperstown, NY in October of 2018 and remains on display today.
In addition to his work in the States, Bailey has managed one of the best dynasties in Venezuelan League history, piloting the Tigres de Aragua to 6 titles from 2002/2003 through 2012/2013. Bailey led the franchise to its first Caribbean Series title in 2009. After missing out on the title for two years, Bailey again guided his squad to their sixth championship in 2012, with a team that had to overcome the kidnapping of C Wilson Ramos, and the tragic death of P Rosman Garcia in a car crash. The Tigres fired Bailey in November, 2013 when he started the season with a 12-14 record. Bailey continued to manage and coach in Venezuela for a number of years after his dismissal.
- 2002/2003 - 11/13/2013 Manager Tigres de Aragua
- 2014/2015 - 2015/2016 Manager Tiburones de La Guaira.
- Start - 12/14/2016 Bench coach Tigres de Aragua
- 12/15/2016 - 1/6/2018 Manager Tigres de Aragua
- 2023/2024 Manager Tigres de Aragua
The second dismissal from the Tigres happened during the playoffs and Bailey was replaced by his bench coach Carlos Garcia.
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