Bailey Dees earned his first Triple-A victory Tuesday for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders against the Syracuse Mets.
He entered the game in relief of Ryan Yarbrough, who was making a rehab start, with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, a runner on first and the score tied at one. He ran into some tough luck as he allowed an infield single on a slow roller to the speedy Luisangel Acuña, then gave up a soft blooper to Jett Williams that dunked into left field for an RBI double that put the Mets
in front, 2-1. He then got Pablo Reyes to line out to center to end the inning.
Syracuse’s lead didn’t last long, just seven pitches. Bryan De La Cruz led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and Jeimer Candelario followed with a two-run home run that regained the lead for the RailRiders on their way to a 9-4 win. Since he was in the game when his team took the lead for good, Dees was credited with the victory.
“It doesn’t always go as planned when you’re out there,” Dees said. “But it’s about battling and keeping the same mindset pitch to pitch. The goal is just to help the team win, whether that’s one out, two innings, whatever they need.”
Since being promoted to the RailRiders on July 19, Dees has appeared in nine games out of the bullpen and has a 1-0 record with a 1.04 ERA. In 8.2 innings, he has given up two runs (one earned) and six hits with five walks and nine strikeouts. However, in his last five outings, he has not been charged with a run, covering 4.2 innings. That included striking out four of the five batters he faced in a relief appearance Aug. 22 at Buffalo.
Dees is back to being a reliever.
During his four-year career at Penn State (2018-21), he appeared in 43 games (33 starts) and had an 8-9 record with 176 strikeouts in 175.1 innings. But after the Yankees selected him in the 18th round of the 2021 Draft, they saw him as a reliever. In his first three pro seasons at four levels, all but one of his 79 appearances were out of the bullpen with 13 holds, six saves and 152 strikeouts in 122 innings.
Then, prior to last season, the Yankees approached him about transitioning to a starter. He appeared in 27 games and made 26 starts at Double-A Somerset, going 7-7 with a 4.25 ERA and fanning 145 in 137.2 innings.
“I was up for the challenge,” Dees said. “The goal was whatever they needed, whatever they wanted me to do. I want to be a guy who can produce for them in any capacity. So that was a fun challenge.
“I got a full year under my belt, a full spring training and part of this year. It was good. I really enjoyed being a starter. Going through the lineup multiple times was fun, really working on developing my pitches and becoming a more polished pitcher.”
His first 10 appearances this season were as a starter — one at Hudson Valley, nine at Somerset. But since early June, he has worked exclusively out of the bullpen. Overall, he is 7-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 games with 89 strikeouts in 77.2 innings.
“Coming back to the pen, I’ve enjoyed it. That’s where I started, so coming back has been fun,” Dees said. “You don’t have to think as much; you go in and compete. I think starting has helped me become a better pitcher coming back to the pen and pick back up in that role.”
He admits going from starter to reliever and from Double-A to Triple-A has been a bit of a roller coaster. But he is enjoying the ride and going with the flow.
“I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be, so I’m just trying to keep a good attitude, be a positive light with this team and help them win,” Dees said.
One of the strengths of this year’s RailRiders team is its bullpen. It has helped the team lead the International League second-half standings and post the league’s best overall record.
“Our pitching coaches, Cas (Gerardo Casadiego) and Spencer (Medick), have been phenomenal helping us with game-planning against lineups week to week,” Dees said. “Even when we’re warming up (in the bullpen), Spencer does a great job giving us an idea of what the hitters are going to be like when we get in there.
“Our mentality as a bullpen is just to put up zeroes, help this team win and push for the playoffs.”
While his focus for the remainder of the season will be to record outs, Dees also plans to keep an eye on his alma mater’s highly anticipated football season. The Nittany Lions host Nevada in their opener Saturday.
“I’m ready. We’ve got a good group this year,” Dees said. “I hope we can get over that Ohio State-Michigan hump. But I’m looking forward to watching them this year.”
