I think the time has come to realize that Homer Bailey is not going to be the money pitcher that the Reds management hoped he would become.
In his major league career, all with the Reds, Bailey is 4-8 with a 7.01 ERA. This includes 18 appearances, each one as a starter. He has not yet seen the eighth inning of a game from the mound.
I am not out to denigrate Bailey or to maximize his shortcomings. Perhaps he is not doing what he would be best suited for.
Do you think he could be a reliever? I hope he can, because I don’t believe he will make it as a starter. Let’s take a look at how he has fared.
He came up for the first time June 8, 2007, and looked like he would be everything he had been hyped to be. His storyline looked like this: 5IP/5H/2ER/4BB/3K. That wasn’t bad at all, even with the fact that he threw 114 pitches in only half a game.
He beat Cliff Lee of the Indians that day, as the Reds won 4-3. So far, so good.
His second outing on June 15, gave us reason for pause. He was shellacked by the Los Angeles (or wherever they called home at the time) Angels giving up 5ER and 7H in just six innings, absorbing a 9-7 pounding.
He wasn’t tagged with the loss, Gary Majewski was.
The rest of 2007 he started seven more games, winning 3 and losing 2, with an ERA of 5.77. His season totals were 4-2 with an ERA of 5.76. 45IP/43H/29ER/28BB/28K/1.566WHIP.
In 2008, Homer started eight games and lost six of them against no wins. His ERA was 7.93 with 18 BB and 18K and a WHIP of 7.93.
We hear the same promising reports every spring, “Bailey just needs a little more time and he will be fine.” Personally, I don’t see that happening.
He started for the Reds Friday night at home against the Cleveland Indians. He looked pretty good in the first, third and fourth innings, however the second and fifth proved to be his undoing.
In the second he walked Shin-Soo Choo and then let Mark DeRosa leave the yard. In all he threw 33 pitches in the second inning and went to the dugout that inning trailing 4-1.
In the fifth inning, the wheels fell off the wagon. He walked the bases loaded with a Victor Martinez flyout sandwiched in the middle.
Two more runs scored, both accountable to Bailey, however the loss was pinned on David Weathers.
So, will we see more starts from the young man, or have they seen enough to determine that Homer Bailey will never be a quality starting pitcher for the Reds?
Before I would throw the towel in, I would give him a shot in the bullpen. After all, look what happened to Kerry Wood.
If that doesn’t work, I would try to make a deal for him while he still has enough promise to make someone else take a risk.
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