Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey, 2009

Pitcher, Oakland Athletics

Age:  25 (May 31)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 240

Prior to 2009:

Bailey, a New Jersey native, went to Wagner College from Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, from where he was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2005 amateur draft following “Tommy John” surgery for an elbow injury suffered during his junior year. He decided to remain in college, became Wagner’s all-time leader in strikeouts, and was drafted by the A’s in 2006. Bailey started 10 games for Vancouver of the Short-Season Class A Northwest League and compiled a 2-5 record with a 2.02 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 58 innings pitched. While with the Midland RockHounds of the Class AA Texas League in 2008, the decision was made to move Bailey to the bullpen, which set the stage for him to make the A’s in the spring of 2009.

2009 Season Summary

Appeared in 68 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 68 [20, tied with Hideki Okajima]

Games Started – 0

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 6

Losses – 3

PCT - .667 [Non-qualifying]

Saves – 26 [9]

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 83.1

Hits – 49

Runs – 17

Earned Runs – 17

Home Runs – 5

Bases on Balls – 24

Strikeouts – 91

ERA – 1.84 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 0

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 6 [19, tied with sixteen others]

Midseason Snapshot: 4-1, ERA - 1.92, SV – 10, SO - 60 in 51.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 4 (in 2 IP) at Toronto 4/17, (in 2 IP) vs. Arizona 5/23

Fielding

Chances – 17

Put Outs – 7

Assists – 9

Errors – 1

DP – 0

Pct. - .941

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star

AL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Andrew Bailey, Oak.: 88 pts. – 13 of 28 first place votes, 55% share

Elvis Andrus, Tex.: 65 pts. – 8 first place votes, 41% share

Rick Porcello, Det.: 64 pts. – 7 first place votes, 40% share

Jeff Niemann, TB: 21 pts. – 13% share

Gordon Beckham, ChiWS.: 10 pts. – 6% share

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A’s went 75-87 to finish fourth (last) in the AL Western Division, 22 games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Angels.

Aftermath of 2009:

Bailey followed up with a 25-save season in 2010 and was again an All-Star selection. A strained right forearm put him on the disabled list for the first half of the season in 2011 and he ended up with 24 saves and a 3.24 ERA. The A’s traded the injury-prone Bailey to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason. A thumb injury limited him to 19 games in 2012 and his comeback in 2013 was derailed by a shoulder injury that required surgery. Bailey signed with the New York Yankees in 2014 and missed the entire season, returning as a minor league pitcher in 2015 who appeared in 10 games for New York to unimpressive effect. He moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 and continued to miss extensive time due to injuries. He was released in August and signed with the Los Angeles Angels. He compiled six saves in 12 late-season games and signed a one-year deal to remain with the Angels in 2017. He saw action in only four games due to another shoulder injury and retired in the offseason to take on a coaching job with the Angels. Over the course of his injury-plagued career, Bailey compiled a 16-14 record with 95 saves in 265 games. 75 of the saves occurred while with Oakland, where he was 7-10 with a 2.07 ERA. He was a two-time All-Star with the A’s as well.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.