Bailey

PAWTUCKET — Jeff Bailey knows exactly where Bryan Pritz is coming from as far as moving up the pecking order in minor-league baseball.

It wasn’t too long ago that Bailey, a 29-year-old PawSox first baseman, was in Pritz’s position — trying to make a name for himself with Pawtucket so he would be noticed by the parent Red Sox or another major-league ballclub.

Bailey waited 11 years before he got his first call-up to the majors. He began his career for the Gulf Coast Florida Marlins in 1997 and worked his way up through Single A, Double A and Triple A, finally being promoted to Boston for three games in 2007.

Now, when the Red Sox need a position player when someone gets hurt, Bailey is one of the first PawSox players to get the call.

That is no surprise to PawSox manager Ron Johnson. Bailey, who had never hit leadoff until this season, entered last night’s action ranked first in the International League in slugging percentage (.659) and runs scored (59), second in on-base percentage (.412) and extra-base hits (39), third in home runs (22) and seventh with a .313 batting average.

“Bails, I don’t even know what to say about him because he’s swung the bat well for quite an extended period of time,” Johnson said. “He’s really given himself an opportunity to drive the ball whenever he goes to the plate.”

Bailey was 3-for-4 last night with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored in Pawtucket’s 10-inning, 7-6 triumph over Richmond. Bailey walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to force in the winning run. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.

Pritz, 25, is trying to bring his game up to Bailey’s level. So far, Johnson has been impressed by everything Pritz, an outfielder, has accomplished in his short time with the PawSox.

Pritz, who has a seven-game hitting streak, is batting .462 (12-for-26) in his last seven games, with three doubles and two RBI. He was 2-for-5 last night.

“Pritz has earned his playing time,” Johnson said. “I’m very impressed with him right now.”

Pritz began the season on the disabled list after spending most of last season with Double-A Portland, where he hit .292 with 47 RBI, 22 doubles, 7 home runs and 3 triples.

But after outfielder Bobby Kielty went on the disabled list on April 20 because of a bone spur in his left hand that required surgery, the PawSox activated Pritz.

Pritz managed only three hits in 14 at-bats (.214 average) in six games in April before returning to the disabled list on May 3 because of a strained right shoulder.

“He got hurt diving for a ball in Syracuse,” Johnson said. “We had to put him back on the DL. But then Bobby Kielty got hurt (left oblique strain, June 9) and we got a chance to get him back out there, and you know what, this guy is earning his playing time. He’s going out and making something of an opportunity, and that’s very good to see… He’s getting big hits all the time and it’s getting a lot easier to write his name in the lineup. I’m real proud of Bryan Pritz.”

Pritz entered last night’s game batting .288 for the season, fifth on the team, and he had four RBI.

Pritz began his career with the Gulf Coast Red Sox in 2004 and made the leap to the PawSox in three seasons, appearing in five games for Pawtucket last year before earning a full-time job in Pawtucket this season.

Pritz rose through the ranks with a lot of hard work. He batted .267 with the Gulf Coast Red Sox before hitting .299 with Single-A Wilmington in 2005. His average dropped to .254 in 2006, but he was promoted to Double-A Portland during that season.

roblee@projo.com