Otha Bailey

Otha William Bailey (Bill)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 150 lb.

• Born June 30, 1930 in Huntsville, AL USA
• Died September 17, 2013 in Birmingham, AL USA

Biographical Information

Otha Bailey was a catcher in the dying days of the Negro Leagues.

Bailey came up with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1950 but was let go befoe the year was out. He spent the latter part of the year with the Cleveland Buckeyes and Houston Eagles. He played for the Eagles (now the New Orleans Eagles) in 1951, then rejoined Birmingham in 1952. He would play for them for eight years. Otha was known for calling a good game and throwing accurately. At one point, he was scouted by the Boston Red Sox. He once was to try out for the Brooklyn Dodgers but overslept.

Bailey was the catcher for the East in the 1952 East-West Game, going 1 for 4 with a RBI double, driving in Ted Washington, in a 7-3 loss. In the 1953 East-West Game, he went 0 for 1 as the backup to Piggy Sands in a 5-1 defeat.

Bailey worked for Connor Steel in Birmingham after his baseball career ended.

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester