Welby Sheldon "Buddy" Bailey (born March 28, 1957) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

and former Major League

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

with 40 years of experience in the game, 30 as a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

manager. Bailey is currently manager for the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. He has been a member of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

' organization since 2006. In , his first season as manager of the

of the

, the Cubs' Class A-Advanced affiliate,Myrtle Beach Pelicans news at milb.com
he led the Pelicans to the league championship. Previously, in , he had spent his fourth consecutive season and fifth year overall as manager of the

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off Int ...

, the Cubs' Double-A Southern League affiliate. The veteran minor league pilot won his 1,500th game in May 2011 and exceeded the 2,000-win mark during 2016.

Atlanta Braves organization

A graduate of

Amherst County High School Amherst County High School is a hood public high school, grades 9–12, serving Amherst County, Virginia, United States. As the only high school in the county, it offers a comprehensive program from advanced (AP) classes to classes offered through ...

Amherst, Virginia Amherst (formerly Dearborn) is a town in Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County. Amherst is part of the Lync ...

, and

Lynchburg College The University of Lynchburg, formerly Lynchburg College, is a private university associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Lynchburg, Virginia. It has approximately 2,800 undergraduate and graduate students. ...

, Bailey signed his first pro contract with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

in . A catcher, he threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and weighed 193 pounds (87.5 kg). Bailey never reached Major League Baseball as a player, hitting .210 with six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s over four minor league seasons, mostly at the Class A level. He managed in the Atlanta organization from 1983–90, winning the Southern League pennant as pilot of the

Greenville Braves The Greenville Braves were an American minor league baseball franchise, based in Greenville, South Carolina, that served as the Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves between 1984 and 2004. The Braves played in Greenville Municipal Stadium for ...

in 1988.

Boston Red Sox organization

Bailey joined the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

as manager of their Class A Lynchburg Red Sox affiliate in the Carolina League in 1991–92. He then became the ninth manager in the history of the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

in 1993, the youngest manager in team history at the time. He would lead the "PawSox" for seven seasons, spread over two terms (1993–96; 2002–04). Under Bailey, the PawSox played for the 2003 Governors' Cup, the championship of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. They were defeated by the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

. He won Manager of the Year twice in the IL, in 1996 and 2003, becoming one of only four managers to do that in league history. Bailey also spent one season (

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

) in the Major Leagues as the

bench coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the parent Red Sox and was Boston's advance scout, field coordinator of minor league instruction, or roving catching instructor during the period of 1997–99 and in 2001. Bailey also has been the manager of

Tigres de Aragua The Tigres de Aragua ( en, Aragua Tigers) is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua. Founded in 1965, the Tigres plays its home games at the Estadio José Pérez Colmenares i ...

of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (

LVBP The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

) since 2002 and has collected six championships and two sub-championship in nine finals, while leading the Tigres to the

2009 Caribbean Series The fifty-first edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was played in . It was held from February 2 through February 7 with the champions teams from Dominican Republic (Tigres del Licey), Mexico (Venados de Mazatlán), Puerto Rico ( ...

title. He also was named the LVBP Manager of the Year in the 2006–07 season.

Chicago Cubs organization

Bailey initially joined the Cub system in 2006 as its roving minor league catching instructor, before assuming the managerial reins of the

Daytona Cubs Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Dayt ...

of the Class A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

in the middle of that season. He then spent 2007 and 2008 as a manager in high classification leagues, including one year as manager of the Smokies. Bailey spent 2007 as pilot of the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

, and finished second overall in the PCL American North Division standings with a 79–65 record. In 2008, his Smokies finished in last place in the SL's North Division with a mark of 62–77 (.446). He was replaced by

Ryne Sandberg Ryne Dee Sandberg (born September 18, 1959), nicknamed "Ryno", is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies (19 ...

as Smokies' manager on December 17, 2008. Bailey then returned to Daytona for the 2009–11 seasons. His 2011 Daytona Cubs finished 76–61 during the regular season and won the first-half championship of the Florida State League's Northern Division.Minor League Baseball Standings
/ref> The Cubs then won the FSL playoff championship, earning Bailey a promotion to his second term as manager of the Double-A Smokies for 2012. His 2012 club missed the SL playoffs (compiling a record of 72–68), but the 2013 edition finished 76–62, the best overall record in the Southern League North Division, to qualify for the postseason. The Smokies then fell to the eventual league champion

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

in the first playoff round, three games to two. His 2016 Pelicans won 82 of 139 games played (.590) during the regular Carolina League season, then defeated the

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

and

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

in the playoffs to win the league title. Bailey was rehired for the season on December 16, 2016. In , his Pelicans finished 73–67 and won their first-half division title, but fell in the first playoff round. Bailey was invited to return for and his third straight campaign with Myrtle Beach on January 18, 2018. After spending the 2019 season with the Low-A South Bend Cubs, Bailey returned to managing the Pelicans for the 2021 season.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Buddy 1957 births Living people Anderson Braves players Baseball catchers Boston Red Sox coaches Boston Red Sox scouts Caribbean Series managers Durham Bulls managers Durham Bulls players Iowa Cubs managers Kingsport Braves players Major League Baseball bench coaches Pawtucket Red Sox managers People from Amherst, Virginia People from Norristown, Pennsylvania Savannah Braves players Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania American expatriate baseball people in Venezuela