Brandon Bailey (baseball)
Brandon David Keith Bailey is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros.
Amateur career
Bailey attended Broomfield High School in Broomfield, Colorado, and he pitched for the school's baseball team. As a junior, he had a 10–0 win–loss record and a 1.02 earned run average and 107 strikeouts. During the summer between his junior and senior years, he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss his senior year.Bailey enrolled at Gonzaga University and played college baseball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. At Gonzaga, he minored in Native American studies. In 2015, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Professional career
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics selected Bailey in the sixth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with Oakland and spent his first professional season with both the AZL Athletics and the Vermont Lake Monsters, posting a combined 3–1 record and 2.93 ERA in 12 games between both teams.In 2017, Bailey spent time with the Beloit Snappers and the Stockton Ports, pitching to a 3–2 record and 3.26 ERA in 24 total games.
Houston Astros
After the 2017 season, the Athletics traded Bailey to the Astros for Ramón Laureano. In 2018, Bailey split the season between the Buies Creek Astros and the Corpus Christi Hooks, accumulating a 6–8 record with a 2.80 ERA in 121 innings. Bailey spent the 2019 season with Corpus Christi, going 4–5 with a 3.30 ERA over innings.On December 12, 2019, the Baltimore Orioles selected Bailey with the second selection of the 2019 Rule 5 draft. Bailey competed for a spot on Baltimore's Opening Day roster in spring training, but was returned to the Astros' organization on March 6. After Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended spring training and postponed the start of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey stayed in Tucson, Arizona and kept his arm warm by throwing with a local high school student. With expanded rosters due to COVID-19, he was a member of the Astros' Opening Day roster. On July 26, 2020, he made his MLB debut.
Cincinnati Reds
On November 20, 2020, Bailey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for cash considerations. On February 26, 2021, Bailey underwent Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the 2021 season. On March 29, Bailey was placed on the 60-day injured list.On November 30, Bailey was non-tendered by the Reds, making him a free agent.
On December 1, 2021, Bailey re-signed with the Reds. He did not appear in a game for the organization and elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.