Bob Bailor
Bob Bailor | ||
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Runs batted in | 222 | |
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Robert Michael Bailor (born July 10, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball player best known for being the first player selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft.
Early years
Bailor was born in
, and Agnes was a stay-at-home mom.In August 1963, Connellsville won the Pennsylvania state
Bailor played baseball with the Connellsville American Legion team. Among his teammates were future Seattle Mariners pitcher Bob Galasso and first baseman Jim Braxton, who went on to have an eight-year career in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills. It was through the American Legion that Bailor caught the eye of Baltimore Orioles scout Jocko Collins.[1]
Baltimore Orioles
Bailor signed with the Orioles upon graduation from Geibel Catholic in
He started both games of a September 28
Toronto Blue Jays
After the Seattle Mariners selected Ruppert Jones from the Kansas City Royals with the first overall pick in the expansion draft, the Toronto Blue Jays made Bailor the second overall pick.[3] It is sometimes reported that he did not have an everyday position, and at the beginning of the year this was true -- in April he was used at shortstop, left field and center field. However, Bailor was the team's regular shortstop from late April through mid-July, and then was moved to center field, becoming their everyday centrefielder until he was injured in late August. Bailor was out of action for a month, from August 22 to September 22; when he returned for the team's final nine games starting September 23, he was their regular left fielder.
In 1977, Bailor appeared in 122 games, and logged 523
In
Bailor's production declined in 1979, as he batted only .229 with 1 home run and 38 RBI in 130 games, however, his fifteen assists from right field tied
New York Mets
Bailor spent a month on the
He began the 1983 season as the Mets' starting shortstop. For the season, he appeared in 118 games, his highest total since 1979. On December 8, Bailor and pitcher Carlos Diaz were shipped to the Dodgers for Sid Fernandez and Ross Jones.[10]
Los Angeles Dodgers
Bailor's first season in Los Angeles started late and ended early due to injuries. He dislocated his left shoulder during Spring training, causing him to miss the first month of the
Career stats
Games | PA
|
AB
|
Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR
|
RBI
|
SB
|
BB
|
SO | Avg. | OBP | AB/SO | Fld% | IP | ERA |
955 | 3206 | 2937 | 339 | 775 | 107 | 23 | 9 | 222 | 90 | 187 | 164 | .264 | .310 | 17.9 | .974 | 1.2 | 7.71 |
Bailor's .310 batting average with the expansion Toronto Blue Jays broke Rusty Staub's record[clarification needed] set in 1969 with the Montreal Expos (.302). The two were teammates on the New York Mets from 1981 to 1983. Bailor wore number 4 with the Mets, Staub's number during his first tenure with the club (1972–1975). Though he proved to be one of the great utility players of his era, Bailor never liked the term. "It sounds like a guy who changes light bulbs."[12]
Management and retirement
Shortly after his release from the Dodgers, Bailor was offered a player-coach position with Toronto's triple A affiliate, the
Post-baseball, Bailor split his time between Connellsville and Palm Harbor, Florida, where he pursued his hobbies of fishing and hunting. He also worked as a hunting guide in Colorado in the off-seasons during his baseball career, and for a time afterwards.[16]
References
- ^ Rory Costello (December 20, 2011). "Bob Bailor". The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
- ^ "New York Yankees 3, Baltimore Orioles 2". Baseball-Reference.com. September 28, 1975.
- The Prescott Courier.
- ^ Jim Kaplan (May 22, 1978). "I'll Tell You What—this Guy Can Hit". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "New York Yankees 7, Toronto Blue Jays 5". Baseball-Reference.com. April 20, 1977.
- ^ Mark Deutsch (July 4, 2012). "Toronto Sports History: Bob Bailor. He just wanted to play". Todays Thoughts.
- ^ "Bob Bailor". baseballbiography.com.
- ^ "Early Eighties Mets Utility Player: Bob Bailor (1981-1983)". Centerfield Maz. July 9, 2012.
- ^ Herschel Nissenson (March 30, 1982). "Perfect Example of Baseball Credo That It's Easier to Fire Manager than Dispense of Players". Williamson Daily News.
- Gainesville Sun.
- ^ "Russell, Bailor on DL". The Spokesman-Review. August 14, 1984.
- ^ "Sports Focus: In Their Own Words". The Lexington, N.C. Dispatch. January 11, 1984.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Comings and Goings". New York Times. 1987-01-28. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Syracuse". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "History: Blue Jays All Time Coaches". Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Bob-Bailor/
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or The Baseball Page, or Retrosheet, or SABR Biography Project, or Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)