Howard Bailey

Howard L Bailey

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School Grand Valley State University
• High School Grand Haven High School
• Debut April 12, 1981
• Final Game October 1, 1983
• Born July 31, 1957 in Grand Haven, MI USA

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Biographical Information

Left-handed pitcher Howard Bailey signed with the Detroit Tigers on August 26, 1978. He reported to the Lakeland Tigers of the Class A Florida State League the next spring. His first year was a bit of a rough go, going 8-12 for Lakeland. He pitched 142 innings, gave up 147 hits and finished with a 4.56 ERA. He led the pitcher-friendly Florida State League in earned runs allowed (72), hit batsmen (12) and homers allowed (11) and tied Luis DeLeon for the most intentional walks (11). He was one shy of the league lead in losses. He was with the Double A Montgomery Rebels of the Southern League in 1980 where he went 12-12 in 186 innings and had a good 3.44 ERA. He led the league with 22 batters hit by pitch.

The Tigers came calling in 1981 and he got his first shot at the majors. He appeared in 9 games, pitching 37 innings, giving up 45 hits and 30 earned runs. Bailey was 1-4 with a not-so-hot 7.36 ERA. In the middle of the season, Detroit sent him to the Triple A American Association Evansville Triplets, where he got into 17 games, going 2-7 with a 5.02 ERA. Bailey was back with Evansville in 1982 and rose above a .500 record with a 11-10 mark. He pitched 153 innings with a 4.16 ERA. He was with Detroit at the tail end of the year, getting into 8 games with no decisions, pitching only 10 innings. The next season, in 1983, the Tigers kept him up for the entire season. He appeared in 33 games, going 5-5 in 72 innings and a 4.88 ERA. That year would be his last to wear a big league uniform. The Evansville Triplets got him again in 1984 and he finished 0-8 in 55 innings along with a 6.47 ERA. This got him shipped to the Birmingham Barons Southern League team where he produced at a 2-2 in 39 innings, allowing 48 hits and 34 earned runs for a 5.90 ERA. The season proved his last in organized baseball. Bailey's combined big and minor league stats show in his six-year career he pitched 779 innings in 176 appearances, with a pitcher win-loss record of 41-60 and a 5.07 ERA.

Sources

SABR Minor League Data base
baseball-reference.com