Ed Bailey

Born: 4/15/1931 in Strawberry Plains, TN, USA

Died: 3/23/2007 in Knoxville, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-09-26 | Final Game: 1966-04-26

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Lonas Edgar Bailey

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Biography

Ed Bailey, born in 1931, was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1953 to 1966. Known for his power-hitting and solid defensive skills, Bailey played primarily as a catcher and established himself as a key contributor on several teams throughout his career. Over 1,212 games, he compiled 915 hits, 155 home runs, and 540 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .256. His ability to blend offensive prowess with defensive reliability made him a valuable asset in an era that began to see the transition from the deadball style of play to a more power-oriented game. Bailey was selected to the All-Star team six times, highlighting his status as one of the top players of his time. His career unfolded during a pivotal period in baseball history, marked by increased offensive output and the eventual integration of the sport, which transformed the league's landscape. With 17 stolen bases, he also demonstrated a surprising level of agility for a player in his position, adding a dimension to his game that was not commonly seen among catchers of his era. Ed Bailey's contributions to the game have left a lasting impact, and his achievements continue to be recognized by baseball enthusiasts and historians alike.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1212	3581	432	915	128	15	155	540	17	545	577	0.256	0.355	0.429	0.784	8263.8

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .355 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career SLG .429 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.784 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1953	CIN	NL	2	8	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	3	0.375	—	—	—	—	0.0
1954	CIN	NL	73	183	21	36	2	3	9	20	1	35	34	0.197	.261 (-25%)	.333 (-3%)	.390 (-1%)	.723 (-2%)	-11.3
1955	CIN	NL	21	39	3	8	1	1	1	4	0	4	10	0.205	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CIN	NL	118	383	59	115	8	2	28	75	2	52	50	0.300	.258 (+16%)	.331 (+16%)	.397 (+39%)	.728 (+28%)	2196.3
1957	CIN	NL	122	391	54	102	15	2	20	48	5	73	69	0.261	.257 (+1%)	.323 (+16%)	.391 (+18%)	.715 (+17%)	1542.3
1958	CIN	NL	112	360	39	90	23	1	11	59	2	47	61	0.250	.257 (-3%)	.324 (+4%)	.394 (+4%)	.719 (+4%)	320.5
1959	CIN	NL	121	379	43	100	13	0	12	40	2	62	53	0.264	.256 (+3%)	.323 (+14%)	.392 (avg)	.715 (+7%)	750.6
1960	CIN	NL	133	441	52	115	19	3	13	67	1	59	70	0.261	.255 (+2%)	.323 (+7%)	.387 (+5%)	.711 (+6%)	553.6
1961	CIN	NL	12	43	4	13	4	0	0	2	0	3	5	0.302	—	—	—	—	0.0
1961	SFG	NL	107	340	39	81	9	1	13	51	1	42	41	0.238	.258 (-8%)	.328 (-1%)	.399 (-3%)	.727 (-3%)	0.0
1962	SFG	NL	96	254	32	59	9	1	17	45	1	42	42	0.232	.257 (-10%)	.326 (+8%)	.393 (+21%)	.719 (+15%)	780.2
1963	SFG	NL	105	308	41	81	8	0	21	68	0	50	64	0.263	.246 (+7%)	.308 (+18%)	.371 (+33%)	.680 (+26%)	1583.5
1964	ATL	NL	95	271	30	71	10	1	5	34	2	34	39	0.262	.250 (+5%)	.312 (+10%)	.377 (-4%)	.690 (+2%)	189.5
1965	SFG	NL	24	28	1	3	0	0	0	3	0	6	7	0.107	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CHC	NL	66	150	13	38	6	0	5	23	0	34	28	0.253	.245 (+3%)	.310 (+24%)	.371 (+6%)	.682 (+14%)	0.0
1966	LAA	AL	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	14	1	1	0	0	1	2	0	3	0.071

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1962	WS	SFN	6	14	1	1	0	0	1	2	0	3	0.071

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	5	1	16	2	1	2
C	1064	983	5267	450	80	57
OF	1	1	1	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1953	CIN	C	2	0	6	0	0	0
1954	CIN	C	61	53	194	20	6	2
1955	CIN	C	11	9	42	8	2	3
1956	CIN	C	106	102	511	52	9	10
1957	CIN	C	115	109	542	41	5	5
1958	CIN	C	99	95	438	44	6	6
1959	CIN	C	117	110	549	64	6	6
1960	CIN	C	129	124	621	52	7	8
1961	CIN	C	12	12	54	5	2	0
1961	SFN	C	103	93	629	40	10	4
1961	SFN	OF	1	1	1	0	0	0
1962	SFN	C	75	69	419	25	6	3
1963	SFN	C	88	83	560	44	8	3
1964	ML1	C	80	74	416	28	8	3
1965	SFN	1B	2	1	12	2	1	1
1965	SFN	C	12	5	49	4	0	1
1965	CHN	1B	3	0	4	0	0	1
1965	CHN	C	54	45	237	23	5	3