Former South Bend Cubs manager, minor league coaching legend Buddy Bailey passes away

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Buddy Bailey, a minor league baseball coaching legend who won a Midwest League championship with the South Bend Cubs, has passed away at the age of 68.

Bailey, who is third all-time in wins by a Minor League Baseball manager with 2,419, spent only one season as South Bend’s manager in 2019, but it was a momentous one.

He led South Bend to its first Midwest League championship as a Chicago Cubs affiliate, sweeping the postseason with a perfect 7-0 record.

“Buddy meant so much to us, not just as part of our organization, but as fans of baseball,” said South Bend Cubs Chairman and Owner Andrew Berlin in a news release. “Our first championship as a Cubs affiliate in 2019 doesn’t happen without Buddy. He had a feel for the game unlike any other. On a personal level, he quickly became a friend, a storyteller, a father to the players, a brother to colleagues, and a dear man that will be missed, beyond measure.”

Bailey spent the last 19 years of his 45-year baseball career as manager in the Chicago Cubs minor league system.

You can read more about Bailey and his accomplishments by clicking here.