Phillies may be last chance for South Jersey's Bailey

CLEARWATER, Fla.

Andrew Bailey had no plans to play professional baseball when he left South Jersey in 2002. He said he was an average pitcher at Paul VI High School who "didn't really do anything too special."

Bailey, from Haddon Heights, attended Wagner College simply to extend his baseball life a few more seasons, experience New York City, and earn a degree. The small school in Staten Island is not exactly a baseball powerhouse. But Bailey managed to defy the odds. He left college with a blazing fastball and a professional contract.

The righthander found quick success in the major leagues, but injuries pushed his career to the brink. Bailey spent most of the last two seasons out of baseball because of a severe shoulder injury, one of the most daunting obstacles for a pitcher to overcome.

His winding journey reached Clearwater this month, as Bailey, 31, is competing this spring to make the Phillies, possibly as their closer. If Bailey is to regain the form that made him an all-star, it will happen for the team that he grew up rooting for at Veterans Stadium.

"I don't think the Phillies would have signed me if they didn't think that I could do it," Bailey said. "I haven't forgotten how to pitch or how to compete or how to get guys out. The shoulder ended up going, but it's fixed with a 100,000-mile tune up. We're good to go."

Bailey was set to pitch for Division III Rutgers-Camden until Wagner - a Division I program - swooped in the summer before his senior season. Wagner manager Joe Litterio liked Bailey's 6-foot-3 height and predicted he would add zip to his fastball.

Bailey started at Wagner as a freshman but did not find success until his sophomore year. Bailey was pitching in front of a dozen scouts as a junior. Bailey went to Wagner to just play baseball. Now he appeared headed to the majors. And then his career almost ended before it started. Bailey injured his elbow during a start that was being watched by 15 MLB scouts. The injury required Tommy John surgery. Bailey's senior year was in question.

Milwaukee still opted to draft Bailey, selecting him in the 16th round in 2005. Signing with the Brewers would have been a safe choice. His elbow recovery was uncertain. Bailey would at least have a contract. Instead, he returned to Wagner.

"You don't really know how you're going to bounce back from Tommy John. There's no guarantee," said Litterio, who is now the head coach at Rutgers. "To turn that down shows you how tough the kid is. His theory was '[Round] 16 is not good enough for me. I'm better than that.' He went back to school and proved it."

Litterio said Bailey rehabbed from Tommy John on his own. The coach would arrive at campus in the morning to find Bailey running alone on the field. The surgery sidelines most pitchers for roughly 12 months. Bailey was back on the mound in just eight months.

Bailey returned to pitch 12 games and compile the best year of his college career. His fastball spiked to 95 mph, and he struck out more than one batter per inning. Oakland drafted him in the sixth round in 2006 to prove Bailey correct. He was certainly better than a 16th-rounder.

Bailey reached the majors in 2009, pitched in that summer's All-Star Game, and finished as the American League's rookie of the year with a 1.84 ERA and 26 saves. Oakland traded him to Boston in 2011 when the Red Sox needed to replace Jonathan Papelbon.

But Bailey's time with the Red Sox was marred by injuries. He was on the disabled list in 2013, when the team won the World Series. A season later, he needed surgery to repair tears in his shoulder labrum and capsule. He did not pitch in the majors for more than two years. His career looked to be in peril.

In just his first four seasons, Bailey reached two All-Star Games, won a rookie of the year award, and received a World Series ring. What else is left to achieve?

"There's a lot," Bailey said. "I want to get back to being that type of pitcher and be on the field for a World Series championship. Just continue to play the game. I want my kids to enjoy what I do for a living. Bring them to the ballpark, let them play on the field. There's different things in life that keep things in perspective."

Bailey returned to the majors last September with the Yankees. He attacked his shoulder rehabilitation with the same vigor that he used to return to the mound as a college kid recovering from Tommy John surgery. The pitcher was nervous, and it felt like another major-league debut, Bailey said.

He pitched in 10 games over the season's final month and allowed five earned runs in 82/3 innings. His career record stands at 11-13 with 89 saves and an ERA of 2.74.

Bailey's fastball last season zipped in at around 93 mph, nearly as fast as it was when he was an all-star. His return was complete. And now the long shot from South Jersey is trying to stick.

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen philly.com/philliesblog