November 6, 2024
4 issues to learn about Andrew Bailey, reportedly near turning into the brand new Purple Sox pitching coach

Purple Sox

New Purple Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey (proper) labored with former Giants supervisor Gabe Kapler (left) to remodel the Giants’ pitching division. Jeff Chiu/AP Picture

The search might almost be over for the Purple Sox’ new pitching coach.

In line with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Purple Sox are near hiring Andrew Bailey to fill the place, changing Dave Bush, who was fired a month in the past.

There may be a number of pleasure in Boston about this rent, an uncommon quantity for a pitching coach.

Listed here are 4 issues to learn about Bailey.

He’s credited with turning across the San Francisco Giants’ pitching workers

Bailey’s status as a proficient coach comes from how he turned the San Francisco Giants’ pitching workers right into a league-wide juggernaut. He’d been with the Giants since 2020, a yr through which San Francisco pitchers completed with the 18th-best ERA (4.64) and Sixteenth-best WHIP (1.32) in MLB.

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Since then, the Giants’ pitchers completed with the second-best ERA (3.24), WHIP (1.15) and FIP (3.55) in 2021, the second-best FIP in 2022 (3.43) and gave up the fewest house runs (173) and walks (403) in 2023. When combining the 4 years that Bailey has been their pitching coach, the Giants had a workforce ERA of three.81, which ranks because the sixth-best in baseball per Speier. Comparatively, the Purple Sox’ 4.57 workforce ERA during the last 4 years ranked twenty third.

He didn’t simply enhance the groups’ stats both. Yearly for the reason that pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bailey managed to show not less than one Giants pitcher into among the best in baseball. Kevin Gausman made his first All-Star Recreation and completed sixth in NL Cy Younger voting in 2021, his second yr in San Francisco. Carlos Rodón completed on the similar spot the next yr in 2022, his first and solely season with the membership. Their present ace, Logan Webb, is a finalist for the NL Cy Younger race this yr, incomes a High-3 spot over flamethrowers Justin Steele, Spencer Strider and Kodai Senga.

A number of groups had been fascinated by Bailey, together with a Purple Sox rival

Because of Bailey’s work in San Francisco, a number of groups wished to deliver him to their organizations. In line with The New York Publish’s Joel Sherman, the Purple Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Miami Marlins thought-about Bailey to be their pitching coach, and he denied the Chicago White Sox a possibility to do the identical.

The New York Yankees additionally had curiosity in signing Bailey because the workforce’s bench coach to exchange Carlos Mendoza, who was employed as supervisor of the New York Mets. Bench coach comes with the next standing than pitching coach, and dwelling in New York appeared like a perfect alternative for Bailey, a Jersey native and former Yankee.

He pitched for the Purple Sox and received a World Collection with them in 2013

Purple Sox followers are probably to acknowledge Bailey’s identify for his contributions on the mound at Fenway Park. The Purple Sox traded with the A’s for the previous AL Rookie of the 12 months after the 2011 season, and he pitched his first recreation in Boston close to the top of the 2012 season. He turned the workforce’s nearer following an damage to Joel Hanrahan shortly after the 2013 season started, and he then he started his finest few months since leaving Oakland.

Bailey registered a 3.77 ERA and a 1.221 WHIP with 8 saves, 39 strikeouts and an American League Participant of the Week award (week of April 21, 2013) in 30 appearances. He suffered a season-ending shoulder damage that July, however in his absence his workforce capped off an astounding playoff run by profitable the World Collection trophy.

The Purple Sox selected to not tender Bailey a contract following the 2013 season. He signed with the Yankees and would pitch for them, the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels earlier than retiring in 2018.

He’s shut with new Purple Sox CBO Craig Breslow

Bailey and Breslow had been teammates on the 2013 World Collection-winning Purple Sox and are additionally shut mates. The connection between the 2 latest Purple Sox leaders goes again to 2009, after they pitched collectively on the A’s. Since then, they’ve solely grown nearer, as the 2 used to reside shut to one another in Connecticut and labored collectively on Breslow’s Strike 3 Basis, which is devoted to elevating funds and consciousness for pediatric most cancers.