Welby Sheldon “Buddy” Bailey, who worked for the Cubs as a minor league manager and coordinator from 2006 to 2024, has passed away at the age of 68.

As you can tell from that, Bailey was also a legend in Venezuelan baseball, leading Tigres de Aragua to six titles and nine appearances in the finals. He also managed Venezuela in the Caribbean World Series, leading to a title in 2009.

Bailey was taken in the 16th round of the 1979 MLB Draft as a catcher out of the University of Lynchburg. During Spring Training of 1983, he was pulled aside by then-Braves manager Joe Torre and told that the Braves needed a manager in rookie ball and that several people had recommended him for the job. He was also told that it was his only chance of staying in baseball.

Bailey managed in the Braves system fr

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