On May 5, 2005, he underwent Tommy John surgery, in which a ligament is transplanted into the injured arm. His recovery took about 10 months, but it was three months ahead of schedule.
"That was the toughest time of my life, when he had that surgery," said his father, Bill, who along with his wife, Lori, now lives in Cherry Hill. "The toughest night was when we found out, and we took him out to dinner because we didn't know what the future held."
Despite the injury, Andrew Bailey was selected in the 16th round of the 2005 major-league draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
He declined to sign, went back to Wagner, went through an arduous rehabilitation, and was pitching by the spring of 2006.
"You didn't have to push Andrew," said Joe Litterio, now in his 11th year as the Wagner head baseball coach. "He knew what was in front of him and made sure he did everything he had to in order to come back."
Hedging against future injury, Bailey also received his degree in business administration with a concentration in finance.
Bailey showed enough during the 2006 college season to be drafted by the A's in the sixth round, and 188th overall, that year. He signed for a bonus of $135,000 and began the difficult process of working his way through the minor leagues.
"The move to the bullpen changed everything and got me back to the mentality I had before double A," Bailey said. "I was trying to pick corners as a starter, and the move to the bullpen allowed me to be more aggressive."
That aggressive, bulldog demeanor on the field hasn't been evident off it.
"He has never given us any problems," Lori Bailey said. "With both of our kids, we have been blessed because they are really good people."
Those talking about him frequently mention how humble Bailey has remained.
"You just feel so good to see the success happen to such a great person," Litterio said.
Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com.
