GENEVA, IL - Andrew Bailey, a Kane County Cougar from the 2007 season, was named American League Rookie of the Year this afternoon, receiving 88 points and 13 first-place votes to comfortably win over thought-of favorite Rangers infielder Elvis Andrus. Bailey, who blazed an impressively fast trail from Cougars pitcher to big league reliever, and to Major League All-Star, in less than two years' time, becomes the third Cougars alumnus to receive the award. Bailey joins fellow pitchers Huston Street ('05 AL ROY, Oakland) and Dontrelle Willis ('03 NL ROY, Florida)."It's kind of hard to believe still," Bailey told MLB.com shortly after the announcement. "It's crazy. I really tried not to think too much about it after the season because it was out of my hands. All you can do is put up your numbers and hope that's good enough. I guess this means it was. It's incredible. I'm still shaking."
Bailey, who signed autographs for fans at Elfstrom Stadium just three seasons ago, puts the finishing touches on an outstanding rookie campaign for the Cougars' parent club Oakland A's. Last spring, Bailey was a non-roster invitee to the A's spring training club after closing the '08 season as a member of the A's Double-A Midland RockHounds. Bailey impressed manager Bob Geren enough to break camp with the big league club and made his Major League debut in the first game of the season for the A's, pitching two scoreless innings against the Angels. Bailey's debut that night meant that the 102nd former Cougar had played in the Major Leagues.
The good news continued as Bailey made the most of his opportunity after shifting from a middle reliever into the closer's role in the A's bullpen by early June. In fact, Chicago-area baseball fans saw an early glimpse of the right-hander's late-inning dominance close to home during a mid-June visit to U.S. Cellular Field against the White Sox, as Bailey notched his third save of the season near where he played as a Cougar in 2007.
As the only Major League All-Star who was a rookie, Bailey represented the A's among the game's best players last July in St. Louis, sharing the bullpen with the Yankees' Mariano Rivera and getting special recognition before the game by President Barack Obama, who referred to Bailey as "the rookie" during a pre-game clubhouse visit. As the season wore on, Bailey became a dominant presence for Oakland, eventually saving 26 games in 30 chances - surpassing Street for the franchise rookie record in saves.
Bailey made his Cougars debut on May 6, 2007, having spent the early portion of that spring at the A's extended spring training complex in Arizona. In 11 games while wearing the Cougars uniform, Bailey started 10 of those and struck out 74 batters in 51 innings, posting a 1-4 record yet limiting batters to a.219 average and working at least six innings in five of his 10 starts.
By early July, Bailey was bound for a promotion to the Stockton Ports, the A's California League affiliate, and eventually pitched his way into a spot start for Triple-A Sacramento later that season.
The news of Bailey's award this afternoon caps off a stretch of ex-Cougars to receive Major League recognition this off-season, joining Gold Glover Adrian Gonzalez (2001 Cougar) and Silver Slugger Andre Ethier (2003 Cougar).
Kane County Cougars All-Time Major League Rookies of the Year
2009 American League ROY Andrew Bailey - as Cougar in '07: 1-4 record in 11 appearances, 3.35 ERA, 74 strikeouts in 51 IP
2005 American League ROY Huston Street - as Cougar in '04: 0-1 record in nine appearances, 1.69 ERA, 4 saves
2003 National League ROY Dontrelle Willis - as a Cougar in '02: 10-2 record in 19 starts, 1.83 ERA
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