NewsQ's with A's: Andrew Bailey
Rookie reliever on starting, the king of the 'pen and more
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
07/02/09 2:53 PM ET
Last June 21, Andrew Bailey was asked to make his 15th and final start of the season at Double-A Midland on two days of rest. Why? Because he'd walked a season-high seven in 2 2/3 innings on June 18.To say he'd been struggling was an understatement; after winning his first start of the season, Bailey went 0-8 with a 6.75 ERA in his next 14 starts.
Over the Texas League All-Star break, the A's decided to make Bailey a reliever, and like Justin Duchscherer and Brad Ziegler before him, Bailey handled the transition with aplomb. He threw a scoreless inning in his first relief outing, June 28, and went 4-1 with a 0.97 ERA over 22 outings out of the bullpen in the second half.
Having further excelled in the Arizona Fall League, and then at his first big league Spring Training, Bailey, a New Jersey native who turned 25 on May 31, broke camp with the A's and is their unofficial closer.
On Wednesday, he sat down with MLB.com to discuss his rapid rise, and a handful of other topics, for the latest installment of oaklandathletics.com's weekly feature, "Q's with A's."
MLB.com: Why do you think you struggled as a starting pitcher?
Bailey: I think mentally, I was just psyching myself out. I was giving the hitters way too much credit and falling into way too man hitters' counts, trying to pick at the strike zone instead of attacking it. I'd get a guy on first base as a starter and start to think I needed to throw a sinker in, pitch to contact, when in reality I don't even have a sinker. So I was trying to be someone that I wasn't, and moving to the bullpen allowed me to be more of myself and pitch to my strengths, just pounding the strike zone with fastballs, cutters, my best stuff.
MLB.com: Who came to you with the idea of moving to the 'pen?
Bailey: It was Gil Patterson, our Minor League pitching coordinator. He asked me what I thought of it, and I said, "Whatever you want. As long as I have a jersey on, I've got an opportunity." I didn't take it as a demotion. Some guys might, but I didn't at all. I took it as an opportunity, and once I had some success, they kind of put me on the fast track.
MLB.com: Is there anyone you've faced in the big leagues that you were kind of in awe of when he stepped into the batter's box?
Bailey: Probably Ken Griffey Jr. I faced him in one of my first appearances. Growing up, I had posters of him on my wall, so facing him is something I'll never forget. He's probably the guy I've been most excited to get to pitch against. He flew out to the wall, to the warning track.
MLB.com: Has anyone emerged as something of a mentor for you here?
Bailey: Russ Springer has been a big help to me ever since Spring Training, when we had lockers next to each other. I wasn't even on the 40-man roster, so I was new to everything, and he just kind of settled me in and showed me the ropes a little bit. Michael Wuertz has been really helpful, too. ... Springer is the king of the bullpen, though. Everyone kind of follows his lead.
MLB.com: Do you have a favorite city or stadium yet?
Bailey: I like Seattle and Safeco Field a lot. The field is awesome, and the city is always good. I like the whole [Pike's Place] Fish Market thing; I haven't had any salmon thrown at me yet, though. Being in my first year in the big leagues, I like to get up early and go see each city we go to.
MLB.com: Who is your best friend on the team? Vin Mazzaro is a Jersey guy, too. Are you close to him?
Bailey: Vin probably is my best friend on the team, but not necessarily because we're both from New Jersey. My first year with the A's, 2006, we were roommates in instructional league, and the next year we played in [Class A] Stockton together, then instrux again, and then we played together in [Double-A] Midland. So we kind of came up together. Trevor [Cahill], too. He's been with us pretty much the whole time, so I'm close with him, too.
MLB.com: What's the coolest part of being in the big leagues?
Bailey: The coolest thing is going to a big league park every day and having fans ask you for your autograph -- hundreds of people asking you, every day. It's awesome, because when I was young, I used to go to the field and do that, and that's something I keep in mind when someone asks me to sign.
MLB.com: Is there anything that isn't cool about being a big leaguer?
Bailey: No. It's all good. Plane rides are better than bus rides. The food here is better than the food in the Minors. The hotels. And the adrenaline rush of pitching in front of so many people, it's something that's hard to explain, but there's nothing that can take its place.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
