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Robert Sherwood Bailey
Montreal Expos
Third Base-Outfield
Born: October 13, 1942, Long Beach, CA
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-66; Los Angeles Dodgers 1967-68; Montreal Expos 1969-75; Cincinnati Reds 1976-77; Boston Red Sox 1977-78
Died: January 9, 2018, Las Vegas, NV (age 75)
Bob Bailey played in parts of 17 seasons in the majors, first as the regular third baseman for the Pirates and Expos and later as an outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Reds and Red Sox. Bailey earned the starting third baseman's job with the Pirates in 1963 and while he struggled that first full season, he came back to bat .281 in 1964. He'd have four consecutive seasons with at least 11 home runs between 1963 and 1966, but he wouldn't put up his biggest power numbers until after being sold to the Expos from the Dodgers in late 1968. Bailey was the first first baseman in Montreal Expos franchise history, and his best seasons came in the early 1970s with the club. He batted a career high .287 in 1970 while hitting 28 home runs (also a career high) and 84 RBIs. He'd lead all National League third baseman in 1971 with a .960 fielding percentage and Bailey would bat .273 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs in 1973. Later helping the Reds reach the World Series in 1976, Bailey didn't appear in the postseason, but he was the recipient of a ring after the Reds swept the Yankees in four games.
Bob Bailey played in parts of 17 seasons in the majors, first as the regular third baseman for the Pirates and Expos and later as an outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Reds and Red Sox. Bailey earned the starting third baseman's job with the Pirates in 1963 and while he struggled that first full season, he came back to bat .281 in 1964. He'd have four consecutive seasons with at least 11 home runs between 1963 and 1966, but he wouldn't put up his biggest power numbers until after being sold to the Expos from the Dodgers in late 1968. Bailey was the first first baseman in Montreal Expos franchise history, and his best seasons came in the early 1970s with the club. He batted a career high .287 in 1970 while hitting 28 home runs (also a career high) and 84 RBIs. He'd lead all National League third baseman in 1971 with a .960 fielding percentage and Bailey would bat .273 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs in 1973. Later helping the Reds reach the World Series in 1976, Bailey didn't appear in the postseason, but he was the recipient of a ring after the Reds swept the Yankees in four games.
Bailey would play a few more seasons as a back-up outfielder, pinch-hitter and designated hitter before retiring. In 1,931 games, Bailey collected 1,564 hits, batting .257 with 189 home runs and 773 RBIs. He'd briefly manage in the minor leagues following his playing days.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #364
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Expos Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
On October 21, 1968, the Dodgers sold Bailey's contract to the expansion Expos, after he had been left unprotected but not drafted by the Expos or Padres in the expansion draft. Manager Gene Mauch (#606) had him batting fifth and at first base on opening day, and Bailey would make 83 starts at first base and 12 starts in left field. Ron Fairly (#122) saw the bulk of the action at first base in the second half of the season, and Bailey missed about a month of playing time after breaking his ankle in the game Bill Stoneman (#67) threw his no-hitter against the Phillies on April 17th. For the season, Bailey batted .265 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #228
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17): 1963-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #310
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 89 in the Beckett online database as of 9/3/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders. I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500. This card was the 72nd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me a little over $1.
Bailey is wearing a Pirates uniform here, and he hadn't played for the Pirates since the 1966 season. The write-up on the back isn't quite right (see below) as Bailey wasn't selected in the expansion draft. The cartoon highlights his Minor League Player of the Year honor from 1962 while a member of the Triple-A Columbus Jets.
Accuracy Index: It's yet another -8, given the Pirates jersey (-5) and no hat (-3).
1969 Season
On October 21, 1968, the Dodgers sold Bailey's contract to the expansion Expos, after he had been left unprotected but not drafted by the Expos or Padres in the expansion draft. Manager Gene Mauch (#606) had him batting fifth and at first base on opening day, and Bailey would make 83 starts at first base and 12 starts in left field. Ron Fairly (#122) saw the bulk of the action at first base in the second half of the season, and Bailey missed about a month of playing time after breaking his ankle in the game Bill Stoneman (#67) threw his no-hitter against the Phillies on April 17th. For the season, Bailey batted .265 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1963 Topps #228
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17): 1963-79
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #310
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 89 in the Beckett online database as of 9/3/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#398 Tito Francona - Atlanta Braves / #400 Don Drysdale - Los Angeles Dodgers
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