Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...601bailey.html
Texas Righthander Ambles Into Draft
Bailey emerges as the latest in a long line of gifted, good ol' Texas boys
By Alan Matthews
June 1, 2004
There's not often a lot of fuss in La Grange, Texas. A town of 4,500, it sets off U.S. Highway 77 about midway between San Antonio and Houston, and beyond the Fayette County Fair and an air show, there's not much going on.
But once a week during baseball season this spring, La Grange became a must-see travel destination for major league scouting directors and crosscheckers. And they all came to see easygoing, hard-throwing senior righthander Homer Bailey.
David "Homer" Bailey Jr. is the real McCoy. He drives a Ford F-150 diesel pickup truck, wears boots and a cowboy hat and spends his free time hunting in the woods back of his father's egg farm. "Right now it's wild boar season," he says. "I cut the tusks out and keep a collection in my room."
Like the eye of a hurricane, the sanguine Bailey hasn't been caught up in the hype that has surrounded the town, yet he is at its center. He offers a mid-90s fastball, solid secondary pitches, a slender, projectable build and an unflappable demeanor strong enough to withstand a Texas twister. It has made him the most sought-after high school player in the draft class of 2004.
The 18-year-old has long been a big deal in his hometown. Texas has produced a bevy of pitching prospects, and it was clear Bailey was another one in the making as he cut his teeth against the state's tough competition. He has notched wins over current minor league pitching prospects Zach Segovia and Don Levinski, to name just a couple.
Legacy Born
As a freshman in 2001, Bailey was thrown right in to the fire and led La Grange High to the Class 3-A championship. He matched up with future Reds first-rounder Ryan Wagner, then a Houston-bound senior, in a regional final against Yoakum High and outdueled him to advance. Against Iowa Park High in the state semifinals, he took on lefty Chase Wright, a third-round pick that year by the Yankees, and dominated, winning 7-1. "He could do everything," recalls Wright, now with the Yankees' Class A Battle Creek affiliate. "In that big of a game to get the start, that takes a lot. Velocity-wise and good command . . . You could tell he had a chance."
A day later in the title game against Forney High, with the score tied 3-3 in the fifth inning, La Grange coach Ralph Ferguson called on Bailey in relief. He retired all eight batters he faced as La Grange rallied to win 4-3. As a 15-year-old, Bailey was the Class 3-A tournament MVP as the winning pitcher in the school's first state championship since 1973.
"When you're around baseball you just see certain talents, and you know they're special," Ferguson says. "He handled pressure very well from the beginning."
Bailey's fastball was touching 89 mph then, and his velocity has climbed each year. Despite his impressive credentials, however, he entered his senior season as one of about a dozen good righthanders in this year's prep class. While most of the others have faded, at least a bit, Bailey has surged to the top of the list.
He was brilliant from the season's first outing. He grabbed the reins in March, when he took on Weimar High's Ken Kasparek and struck out 10 over four perfect innings, touching 94 mph. From there, he dug in the spurs and galloped to the top of draft boards with a fearless approach and an advanced assortment of pitches.
"Absolutely," a scouting director said when asked if Bailey had surpassed Nick Adenhart, who was the top prep pitching prospect coming into the season. "I think he's got a better body, the ball comes out of his hand easier, he has more projection to him, he throws harder and has a sharper breaking ball.
"He's the epitome of a pure projection pitcher. He has plus stuff with a good breaking ball, and he even has a little change-piece now. And it comes out of his hand really easy."
Bailey did not allow an earned run until his eighth outing and wrapped up the regular season 10-0, 0.23 with two saves. He allowed two earned runs, striking out 144 and walking seven in 61 innings. He threw a five-inning no-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a mercy-rule 10-0 win over Hardin-Jefferson High in the first round of the playoffs.
Scouts said Bailey will add velocity as he fills out his spindly, 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. He's pitched at 93 mph this season with plus command of all three of his pitches, including an 81-83 mph curveball with 11-to-5 break.
"He's always been able to have more velocity than the average pitcher out there, so everyone knew that he had some arm strength," an area scout said. "But to develop the secondary pitches that he has is a credit to how hard he's worked.
"It doesn't look like he's throwing that hard, but you pull out the gun and he's 92, 93, 94 and it's so easy and smooth."
Signature Of His Own
Easy and smooth are not often adjectives used to describe the big flamethrowers the state has produced so many of. The first image of Roger Clemens to pop into your head doesn't often incorporate anything resembling mellow. Even Texas high school product Josh Beckett has taken a liking to a rugged goatee and is known for his signature ripping of his right leg through the air after releasing a pitch.
But Bailey has produced similar results at the high school level with a smooth and fluid motion. His delivery has perfect tempo, and though his body is still awkward, his mechanics look comfortable and aligned, never forced or deliberate.
Still, his delivery and stuff draw comparisons to other pitchers the state has produced. And in an era when high school righthanders are picked apart by scouts looking for a reason not to spend an early-round selection and millions of dollars, Bailey stands up to the scrutiny.
"There's always going to be some risk involved with any pitcher you take," a scouting director said. "But there's going to be some people taking chances on this kind of arm. It's one of those rare ones that doesn't come along often.
"If you look at the state of Texas, two recent ones that have gone out of the state in the first five picks have had a little success: Beckett and (Kerry) Wood."
Bailey has a scholarship to stay in state at Texas, but as a likely top 10 pick in the draft, he's not likely to make it to Austin except as a visitor. He doesn't seem any more anxious about what lies ahead than he is about the collection of mud on his truck's tailgate.
"It's a tough position to be in, but at the same time it's really not," he says in the matter-of-fact fashion that epitomizes his humble persona. "If I was lucky enough to be taken in the first five picks, who would not go pro? If you talk to anyone who goes that high and says they're going to college, they're lying.
"It makes sense. If you go to college, it's not to pursue a career, it's to get better and go higher in the draft. If you go in the first five picks, you can't do any better than that. You have to take that advantage when it's there. You don't just pass up that kind of money."
So until the draft, Bailey will continue to savor the long summer evenings that allow him a little extra daylight for hunting. And La Grange will savor its easygoing, hard-throwing prospect for a little bit longer, before giving him over to the rest of the country.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...irstround.html
7. Reds: Homer Bailey, rhp, La Grange (Texas) HS
The undisputed class among the nation's high school crop, Bailey was 12-1, 0.39 on the season with 10 walks and 168 strikeouts in 72 innings. He has the best fastball (92-96 mph), the best righthanded breaking ball (a hard downer curveball), the best command and the most polish among high schoolers in the draft. He still has plenty of room for projection, and Bailey will need to improve his changeup and get stronger, but that's true of almost every prep pitcher.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/a...pbp&pid=456701
Homer Bailey: Individual Stats (Batting)
Team From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
Chattanooga Lookouts 06/19 06/24 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 .500 .000 .000
Bookmark Player
Homer Bailey: Individual Stats (Pitching)
Team From To W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
Sarasota Reds 04/06 06/19 3 5 3.31 13 13 0 0 0 70.2 49 35 26 6 22 79
Chattanooga Lookouts 06/19 06/24 1 0 0.00 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 5 0 0 0 0 7
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
http://reds.mostvaluablenetwork.com/index.php?p=1091.
Homer Bailey, RHP, Texas HS
6′4″/185, Age: 20
2004 GCL Reds: 0-1, 4.38 ERA in 6 G; 12.1 IP, 14 H, 3 BB, 9 K
2005 Dayton 8-4, 4.43 ERA, 28 G; 103.2 IP, 89 H, 5 HR, 62 BB, 125 K
2006 level: Sarasota/Chattanooga (Yep, both.)
Homer finally signed in July, and started appearing in the GCL shortly thereafter. He got better and better as the season went along. The Reds decided to challenge Bailey by jumping him straight to the Midwest League for 2005, where he’s missed sporadic time with nagging injuries but pitched very solidly most times, including an impressive scoreless-innings streak.
After a fitful start in 2005, Homer’s come on strong for the Dragons, going 84 with a 4.43 ERA. He’s whiffed an impressive 125 batters in 103.2 innings, but also walked 62. He is doing a good job of keeping the ball in the park (five HR). Baseball America named him the #2 prospect in the Midwest League after the season, and he’s coming to spring training with the big club.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_88275.asp
Four Chattanooga Pitchers Combine To One-Hit Huntsville Tuesday
Lookouts Sink The Stars, 7-1
by Tim Evearitt
posted June 27, 2006
Four Chattanooga pitchers combined to take a no-hitter into the ninth inning Tuesday at Huntsville. With one out, Callix Crabbe ruined the no-hit effort (and the shutout) with a home run that barely cleared the right field fence. The Lookouts (6-3) came away with a 7-1 win.
Homer Bailey (2-0 - 0.00), making just his second start for Chattanooga, was even better than his first start. The 20-year Texan hurled a no-hitter over six innings, walking two, striking out six and uncorking a wild pitch. Bailey was Cincinnati’s top draft choice in 2004, the seventh pick overall. Monday he was named #3 on Baseball America's Hot Prospect list.
- Since Bailey was on a pitch-count, he came out of the game after six innings.
- Carlos Alvarado, who took over in the seventh, set the Stars down in order.
- Brock Till, replacing Alvarado, threw a hitless eighth inning.
- Shafer gave up just one hit, the homer to Crabbe, to finish the game.
Huntsville’s starting pitcher Corey Thurman was almost equal to Bailey. The Lookouts got to him for just a run on three hits over seven innings; he walked a batter and struck out eight. The Stars’ bullpen, however, was miserable.
Chattanooga had eight hits in the game, stranding seven base runners.
Javon Moran had his second consecutive three-hit game going 3-for-4, with one RBI; Miguel Perez went 2-for-4; Aaron Herr was 1-for-4, with three RBI; Rick Asadoorian was 1-for-3, he scored twice and had an RBI; Anderson Machado went 1-for-4.
In the fifth inning, Chattanooga got their first run off Thurman. Asadoorian led off with a walk and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Luis Bolivar. Perez reached base on an infield single with Asadoorian taking third. After Bailey fanned, Moran connected on a 2-2 pitch for a single to left plating Asadoorian. Looks 1 Stars 0
The Lookouts broke the game wide open in the eighth inning scoring six runs off reliever Chris Mabeus, who lasted just 1/3 of an inning. Chattanooga got six runs on four hits, four walks, a wild pitch, and a passed ball. Looks 7 Stars 0
Crabbe had the only home run in the game, a one-out ninth inning blast. Final Score: Lookouts 7 Stars 1
* * * * *
After finishing their series at Huntsville Wednesday, the Lookouts come home Thursday to play a five-game series against Jacksonville.
Each Lookouts game can be heard at 1310 AM radio or over the Internet at www.lookouts.com.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
This is great news as far as how Homer is advancing. He is 2-0 with a Zero Era in his 2 starts in AA.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/a...02/c101020.jsp
Look out, Bailey still perfect
Chattanooga starter's ERA still at 0.00 after Jacksonville shutout
By Christopher Heine / Special to MLB.com
Homer Bailey remained perfect at the Double-A level, combining with two relievers on a three-hitter as Chattanooga blanked visiting Jacksonville, 4-0, on Sunday.
Bailey (3-0) struck out nine, allowed two hits and issued two walks over five innings, keeping his ERA at 0.00 after three starts for the Lookouts (8-5). Since being promoted from Class A Advanced Sarasota in late June, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has fanned 22 batters over 17 scoreless frames.
In the second inning, Bailey gave up a one-out single to Jimmy Rohan and committed a throwing error on a dribbler hit by Gabriel Gutierrez, putting runners on second and third. The native of La Grange, Texas, the Cincinnati Reds' top prospect, defused his most serious threat of the day by fanning Jacksonville starting pitcher Adam Thomas and inducing Adam Greenberg to fly out.
Chattanooga reliever Carlos Alvarado struck out two while pitching perfect sixth and seventh frames and Jon Coutlangus blanked the Suns (6-7) for the final two innings.
Miguel Perez and Chris Dickerson smacked RBI doubles during the Lookouts' four-run second inning, while Joey Votto drove in two with a line-drive single.
Thomas (2-5) surrendered four runs on seven hits over five innings, striking out two and issuing five walks. Wesley Wright fanned six batters while holding Chattanooga scoreless for the final three frames.
Christopher Heine is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
Well his last 3 games prove that he isn't ready for Double A. ;) :D
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
I read on another site from a guy who has been to 2 of Homers AA games that he is tipping his change up by slowing down his arm speed and that he is still having problems with his curve. His fastball however is just way to much for guys in AA to handle between its speed, movement and location. Jayhawk Owens has even hinted at the fact that Homer needs to be working with his offspeed stuff more. I wish we could have someone at the games to chart the percentage of offspeed stuff he throws and whether its a ball or strike, but we dont....
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gallen5862
wears boots and a cowboy hat and spends his free time hunting in the woods back of his father's egg farm. "Right now it's wild boar season," he says. "I cut the tusks out and keep a collection in my room."
I always thought HB looked like Travis from Old Yeller. Now I know why...
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
I figure if next year Bailey has honed his breaking and offspeed pitches, he will probably gets the call mid-season as he should do well in the high minors. I expect then Homer to be "5th" starter type pitching regularly with some days off while the older guys(whatever the staff may be) handle most of the load, that way the Reds don't slam Bailey with 113 pitches a game or 211 innings like the Cubs did to Mark Prior lol(which I think seriously messed him up).
If not, Bailey will probably not make his debut to 2008. Though with Votto and Bailey, the Reds run may start next year, especially if Krivsky makes some solid moves to fill in the other holes in the bullpen and rotation.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
Homer Bailey Named Southern League Pitcher Of The Week
by Tim Evearitt
posted July 3, 2006
Homer Bailey was named by the Southern League as the Pitcher of the Week for June 26 - July 2.
Bailey made his debut with Chattanooga on June 22, and since then he has not allowed a run over 17 innings pitched.
The 20-year-old Texan tossed six no-hit innings against Huntsville Tuesday, and five shutout frames against Jacksonville Sunday. He struck out 15 batters over that 11-inning span, while allowing just two hits and four walks.
The 6-4 right hander was Cincinnati's top draft choice in 2004 (7th overall) and received a signing bonus of $2,300.000.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_88582.asp
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
Thanks for the update OBM. Congratulations Homer on your reward.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
Quote:
Originally Posted by dougdirt
I read on another site from a guy who has been to 2 of Homers AA games that he is tipping his change up by slowing down his arm speed and that he is still having problems with his curve. His fastball however is just way to much for guys in AA to handle between its speed, movement and location. Jayhawk Owens has even hinted at the fact that Homer needs to be working with his offspeed stuff more. I wish we could have someone at the games to chart the percentage of offspeed stuff he throws and whether its a ball or strike, but we dont....
Interesting observation. Another writer had quoted a scout earlier this season (when Bailey was still at Sarasota), saying Bailey was essentially playing around too much, wasn't getting ahead in the count, etc., and needed to go after hitters. So now he's aggressively pounding the zone with his fastball and we hear he's not using his offspeed stuff enough. :laugh:
Obviously, there has to be a balance. But it does give pause to guys (like me) who pore over minor-league stats -- sometimes, a developing player will use an approach that's sub-optimal in the present for the long-term good. And it affects the stat lines.
Re: Prospect Profile: David "Homer" Bailey
Quote:
Originally Posted by dougdirt
I read on another site from a guy who has been to 2 of Homers AA games that he is tipping his change up by slowing down his arm speed and that he is still having problems with his curve. His fastball however is just way to much for guys in AA to handle between its speed, movement and location. Jayhawk Owens has even hinted at the fact that Homer needs to be working with his offspeed stuff more. I wish we could have someone at the games to chart the percentage of offspeed stuff he throws and whether its a ball or strike, but we dont....
I might be able to go to see Homer's next start in Jackson TN. I need to know when it is... Does anyone know?