Buddy Bailey

Lore & Background

Bailey was a catcher who threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet tall and weighed 193 pounds. He signed his first pro contract with the Atlanta Braves and hit .210 with six home runs over four minor league seasons, mostly at Class A. He managed in the Atlanta organization from 1983 to 1990, winning the Southern League pennant with the Greenville Braves in 1988. He later managed in the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs organizations, and was a longtime manager of the Tigres de Aragua of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, leading them to six championships and the 2009 Caribbean Series title. He died from cancer in Lynchburg, Virginia, on September 22, 2025, at age 68.

In Their Own Story

The late-afternoon sun hung low over the old Anaheim Stadium, casting long shadows across the outfield grass. The 1963 season was winding down, and the dugout was quiet in that particular way it gets when a team has already accepted where it stands in the standings. Buddy Bailey sat on the bench, cap pulled low, a worn glove resting on his knee. A young infielder, maybe nineteen, walked over with a question about his footwork at second. Bailey didn't look up right away. He just nodded, waited, and then said, slow and plain, "You don't think about the throw. You think about the bag. The throw takes care of itself." The kid nodded, went back to the field. Bailey watched him go, then pulled out a small notebook and made a mark in the margin. No celebration. No speech. Just the next play, the next day, the next at-bat. That was the job. That was the Angels in '63 — not a story yet, just a team learning to be a team, one quiet instruction at a time.

Reader's Guide

Bailey managed the Myrtle Beach Pelicans through the 2024 season, leading them to a league championship in his first season. He also managed the Tennessee Smokies, Daytona Cubs, Iowa Cubs, and South Bend Cubs. He won his 1,500th game in May 2011 and exceeded 2,000 wins during 2016. He was the only manager in LVBP history to win six titles with a single team and won a record 500 games in the league.

Did You Know?

• Bailey was a catcher, not an outfielder, and never played in Major League Baseball.
• He managed the Tigres de Aragua to six LVBP championships and the 2009 Caribbean Series title.
• He won Manager of the Year twice in the International League (1996 and 2003).
• Days before his death, he had been announced as manager of the Senadores de Caracas for the 2026 Venezuelan Major League season.