Ed Bailey

Ed Bailey
Bailey in 1956.
Catcher
Born: (1931-04-15)April 15, 1931 Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
Died: March 23, 2007(2007-03-23) (aged 75) Knoxville, Tennessee
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 26, 1953, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
April 26, 1966, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Batting average	.256
Home runs	155
Runs batted in	540
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (1953–1961) San Francisco Giants (1961–1963) Milwaukee Braves (1964) San Francisco Giants (1965) Chicago Cubs (1965) California Angels (1966)
Career highlights and awards
6× All-Star (1956, 1957, 1960, 1960², 1961², 1963)

Lonas Edgar Bailey, Jr. (April 15, 1931 – March 23, 2007) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1953 through 1966. A six-time All-Star, Bailey was one of the top catchers in the National League in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Born in Strawberry Plains in Jefferson County, Tennessee, Bailey was contracted by the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1950 as an amateur free agent. He reached the Majors in 1953 and in 1955 he was given a chance as the Reds' starting catcher, replacing Andy Seminick. When his offensive production floundered, the Reds traded Seminick for catcher Smoky Burgess and Bailey was sent down to the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. With the help of some batting advice from Reds manager and former catcher Birdie Tebbetts, his hitting improved in the minor leagues and continued to improve in the Venezuelan Winter League.