Jeffrey Todd Bailey (born November 19, 1978) is an American former professional baseball

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

, and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

. He formerly played

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

until a throwing disorder prompted him to change positions. Bailey grew up in Kelso, Washington and graduated from Kelso High School.

Professional career

Bailey was selected by the Florida Marlins in the second round (64th overall) of the draft. Bailey began his professional career in 1997 playing for the

Gulf Coast League Marlins The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays ...

and played in the Marlins minor league system until . In March , the Marlins traded him to

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for a player to be named later (

Wilson Valdéz Wilson Antonio Valdez (born May 20, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. Playing career Early career Valdez was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Expos on February 4, 1997. He played on the Expos' Dominic ...

). He played in the Expos system until October when he granted his free agency. Bailey was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Red Sox organization first on November 7, 2003, then again on December 15, , December 10, and December 13, . Between 2004 and , Bailey split time between Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

and Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. In 2006, he played the entire season playing for the Pawtucket Red Sox and had a .275 batting average, 82 RBI, and 22

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 in 134 games. PawSox Jeff Bailey

Bailey participated in the Red Sox' 2007

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

before being sent back to the Pawtucket Red Sox. He was called up from Pawtucket on July 6, 2007, and made his MLB debut for the Red Sox replacing the injured

Kevin Youkilis Kevin Edmund Youkilis (; born March 15, 1979), nicknamed "Youk" , is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman, who primarily played for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he was drafted by the Red S ...

at first base, going 0-4. His first major league hit was a home run on July 8, against

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

southpaw

Nate Robertson Nathan Daniel Robertson, (born September 3, 1977) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. Career Florida Marlins Robertson attended Wichita ...

. Bailey was optioned back to Pawtucket on July 12, 2007, to make room on the active roster for pitcher Joel Piñeiro. Bailey participated in the Red Sox spring training camp, but was reassigned to minor league camp on March 8. Bailey had very good beginning to the 2008 season in Pawtucket, hitting well over .300 by the end of May. Bailey's contract was purchased by the Red Sox on May 30, 2008. On August 26, 2008, after being called up by the Red Sox, he was denied entry to

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

, with security believing he was a fan trying to get in without a ticket. Eventually he was allowed in after they discovered he was a member of the Red Sox, and he drove in two runs to help give the Red Sox a 7-3 win. Bailey finished the 2008 season having played 27 games in the majors and batted .280 with two home runs and six RBIs. On February 6, 2009, Bailey was outrighted off the 40-man roster to create roster space for re-signed catcher

Jason Varitek Jason Andrew Varitek (; born April 11, 1972), nicknamed Tek, is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is currently the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded a ...

. Bailey refused the assignment and became a

but was immediately re-signed to a minor league contract by the Red Sox and was invited to major league spring training. Early in the 2009 season,

went on the DL, and Bailey was called to fill in his spot. On June 2, 2009 was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket after

Mark Kotsay Mark Steven Kotsay (born December 2, 1975) is an American professional baseball manager and former outfielder. He is the manager for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Kotsay appeared in 1,914 MLB games for the San ...

being activated off the DL. He was once again called to the majors on June 30, after Mike Lowell was placed on the DL. Bailey was designated for assignment on September 1, 2009. In October 2009, Bailey was granted free agency. On December 28, 2009, Bailey signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks with an invitation to spring training. On November 20, 2010, Bailey signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

with an invitation to spring training.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Jeff 1978 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Washington (state) Boston Red Sox players Brevard County Manatees players Edmonton Trappers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Harrisburg Senators players International League MVP award winners Kane County Cougars players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Kelso, Washington People from Longview, Washington Portland Sea Dogs players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players