After the Seattle Mariners selected Ruppert Jones from the Kansas City Royals with the first overall pick in the expansion draft, the Toronto Blue Jays made Bailor the second overall pick. Despite the fact that he did not have an everyday position, Bailor appeared in 122 games, and logged 523 plate appearances his rookie season in Toronto. He led the team in hits, (154) stolen bases (15), runs scored (62), and his .310 batting average set an expansion team record. He had ten assists from the outfield in just 537 innings, and was named to the Topps Rookie All-Star team at shortstop despite the fact that he only appeared in 53 games at short. On April 20, the New York Yankees' Sparky Lyle struck Bailor out for the first time in his major league career. Bailor had batted a record 51 times before striking out for the first time.