Jackie Bradley Jr. is coming up on 10 years of playing baseball in the majors.
But when he’s done playing baseball, he says he doesn’t want anything to do with the sport. That’s right, in an interview with the Boston Globe Today, Bradley stated “I have other things I want to do with my life.”
His longevity in the game alone is a significant accomplishment, and he still remains one of the best defenders in the outfield. When it’s all said and done, the 33-year-old will walk away from the game as a World Series champ, an all-star, and a Gold Glove winner. Not too many players will get to accomplish what Bradley has done.
But when asked what baseball memories he’ll tell his grandchildren one day,” Bradley’s answer would be shocking to some.
“Nothing,” he said. “I won’t talk about baseball once I’m done with it. I’m not bitter; I just have other interests. Baseball was fun but I liked it for what it was at the time.”
Jackie Bradley Jr. Giving MLB One Last Dance
Bradley did not know what the future would look like going into the 2023 season, but he is making the most of his time playing with the Kansas City Royals.
After he finishes helping to move along the KC rebuild, Bradley will most likely hang up his cleats to focus on his loved ones and possibly spending some time in another country.
“I want to enjoy my family, travel, play golf, and just relax,” Bradley said. “I have plenty of things I enjoy outside of this game.”
“Spain intrigues me,” he said. “I’d love to see my kids get that opportunity. I think living in a place where they learn a new language would be great. I wish I could have done that at their age.”
Bradley seems to already have one field off the diamond and into his golf shoes. And you can see that he and his family intend to join every minute of it. During his career, Bradley has played for four different teams, spending most of his career with the Boston Red Sox. That is where he won a World Series and was named the MVP of the ALCS. It was the peak of his career.
“Good times and some bad times. It’s all part of it,” Bradley said. “Everyone’s life is like that in whatever business you’re in. How it ended in Boston, that’s not something I think about.”
Bradley has had some rollercoaster moments in his career, dealing with injuries and also struggling at the plate at times. But he continues to go out there and play his heart out.
Now that he’s with Kansas City, Bradley wants to add value to a team that’s rebuilding.
“Helping out anyway I possibly can,” Bradley said. “I’m definitely enjoying it. Talking about my experiences and ultimately just being around the guys. It’s fun.
Through 36 games this season, Bradley has six RBI and has appeared in every position in the outfield with the Royals this season, seeing the most action in centerfield. Unsurprisingly, he has not committed an error and has three outfield assists. One thing that Bradley will always be known for is his defensive abilities.
And when his career is over, he will have no regrets from playing.
“Baseball doesn’t owe me anything,” Bradley said. “I had a great time and I still am. But when it’s over, I’ll have a lot of life to live.”
Greg Allen is back in the Bronx and playing for the New York Yankees, looking to make an impact on the team like he did a few years ago. On Friday, the Yankees acquired Allen from the Boston Red Sox for a minor league pitcher and cash considerations.
Greg Allen Will Begin Second Stint With Yankees. Mykell gives you the full story on What’s Poppin’ pic.twitter.com/gQgEKMFwos
While the Yankees acquired Allen, they designated fellow MLBbro Aaron Hicks to the minors. Hicks has struggled recently, and the Yankees needed to find another option to replace the veteran.
Allen is no stranger to the Yankees, as he played in 15 games with the team during the 2021 season. He hit .270 with two RBI and five stolen bases during his brief time with the team that season. Before joining the Yankees this season, Allen spent time with the Red Sox’s triple-A affiliate team in Worcester. He appeared in 37 games and hit .250 with two home runs, 15 RBI, and 23 stolen bases.
This brother is a game changer on the field and the Yankees know how much of a spark he can provide in the lineup. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was glad to have Allen back on the team.
“Switch-hitter, versatility, good at the role, can run,” Boone said about Allen in an article from the New York Post. “He’s very good at doing that as well. He’s played here before and has done a really nice job with us in the past. A chance to add a little bit of depth.”
We covered Allen back in 2021 when he first joined the Yankees. In his first appearance with the Yankees that season, he recorded a hit in his first at-bat and went on a five-game hitting streak.
New York is in a battle in the AL East where every team is over .500. Allen can certainly add value to this team just like he did in 2021. Allen possesses speed and can play the small ball, something the Yankees could take advantage of. He also will add value to the outfield, playing alongside MLBbro Aaron Judge.
Aaron Judge on Clarke Schmidt, being locked in at the plate, and Greg Allen returning to the Yankees. pic.twitter.com/y99g99GBIC
Last season Allen played in 46 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates and only hit .180 with two home runs and eight RBI. This season, Allen will look to be more productive at the plate and also look to wreak havoc on the base paths.
It’s not set in stone how long Allen could be with the Yankees this season, but if he can contribute like he did in 2021, he can find a home with the Yankees throughout the remainder of the season. Allen has the capability to become a mainstay on an MLB team, and the Yankees could be the right fit for the 30-year-old.
Is this the boost the Yankees need to allow them to get to the top of the standings in the division?
We’ll just have to wait and see if Allen can do what he’s done before. But this MLBbro will make sure that he makes the most of his opportunities out there on the field.
The St. Louis Cardinals put on a clinic against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, winning 18-1 against its division rival.
Black Jack Flaherty got the start and put together his best performance of the season. Flaherty went seven innings of scoreless baseball and finished with a season-high 10 strikeouts.
The brother was on point as the game progressed and his team was able to back him up at the plate.
This is the type of dominance that we’ve been wanting to see from Flaherty, and we know he can continue to have more outings like this throughout the season.
During the start of the game, Flaherty did find himself in a little jam. In the top of the first inning, Flaherty was working on the mound with the bases loaded and one out. But a ground ball double play helped him get out of the inning.
After that, the Cardinals erupted on the offensive end, and Flaherty was able to settle in and get into a groove.
“Shutdown inning,” Flaherty said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regarding what he wanted to accomplish after that first inning. “After they go out there and score three in the bottom of the first – that was something I had not done all year, which is incredibly frustrating. To put together a shutdown right there and then continue to roll after that.”
This performance from Flaherty is exactly what the Cardinals wanted to see and this could spark a positive turnaround for our MLBbro.
Can we expect more of this from Flaherty throughout the season?
Through nine starts this season, Flaherty has a 3-4 record with a 5.24 ERA and 49 strikeouts. In the start on Monday against the Brewers, it was Flaherty’s longest outing of the season, something to take note of especially as the season progresses.
If Flaherty can continue to have outings where he’s going anywhere from five to seven innings and is effective, he can have a similar if not better season than the one he had back in 2019.
In recent years, Flaherty has been dealing with numerous injuries that allowed him to miss significant time on the field.
Now with him being healthy, we are starting to see the 27-year-old on more of a consistent basis.
And to be honest, the sky’s the limit for Flaherty. If he can stay healthy, he can become one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.
As we’ve seen in the past, he has a live arm and does a good job with mixing his off-speed into his pitching sequences.
Though the Cardinals are currently in last place in the division, it’s a long season and St. Louis has the team to make a turnaround and compete for a top spot in the division.
You can never count out the Cardinals, and Flaherty will play a vital role on the mound for his team throughout the season. Don’t be surprised if you continue to see more performances like the one on Monday from him.
Smith is now a member of the Washington Nationals, looking to become a key player on a team that is rebuilding.
In his first season with the Nationals, Smith is getting settled in with his new ball club and looking to fulfill his role on the team.
The former 11th overall pick has two games where he’s recorded three hits and during the month of May he’s hitting well over .300
This is what the Nationals want to continue to see out of Smith.
Smith embraces time playing against former team
Smith has played his former team on two occasions so far this season. The first time came in April. It was a trip down memory lane for Smith when he went back to New York.
“I would just say that my time with the Mets was just some of the biggest memories of my life and something that I just have to forever be grateful for,” he said. “It made me, I feel like, the man I am today and helped me deal with adversity and just learn how to seek true happiness. So I think it made me all around just a better person being here.”
The Nationals took on the Mets again this past weekend and on Sunday, the teams resumed a game that was suspended and Smith went 2-for-4.
In his six seasons with the Mets, Smith hit .246 with 46 home runs and 179 RBI. The Mets were very high on Smith, but it seemed like he didn’t live up to the expectations the Mets set out for him to have.
His best season in New York was during the COVID shortened season in 2020 when he hit .316 with 10 homers through 50 games.
Though he may not have put up the numbers that he wanted to during his time in New York, he still played a key role during those six seasons.
Making the most out of a new opportunity
Smith is looking to make Washington D.C. his new home and with his experience and skill set, he certainly has what it takes to make an impact for the Nationals.
We've agreed to terms on a one-year contract with 1B Dominic Smith.
Through 36 games this season, he’s hitting over .260 with eight RBI and a home run. It’s early, so we could see those numbers increase as the season progresses.
But Smith is grateful to be playing for the Nationals and he wants to take full advantage of the opportunities he has.
“I feel like everything happens for a reason,” Smith said. “And I’m just very blessed and thankful just to still be here, still be in the big leagues and still have an opportunity to play and win ballgames. So I’m extremely happy.
I’m very thankful for the Washington Nationals organization for giving me the opportunity and a chance to come out here and play. I just want to help these young guys, help myself and the whole organization get back to where we were in 2019.”
This will be a big season for Smith as he has a chance to turn his career around and contribute to the Nationals’ eventual return to NL contenders.
When you get an opportunity that you can’t pass up on, you have to make the most of it. And that is what Jay Jackson is doing. For those who don’t know, Jackson was recently called up by the Toronto Blue Jays and made his 2023 debut on May 6 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He threw one inning, walking one batter and did not allow a run.
The 35-year-old has spent time in the big leagues before and now he’s looking to make an impact for Toronto and become an everyday pitcher out of the bullpen. Toronto has needed some help in the bullpen and Jackson is someone who has MLB experience and can add some much-needed help.
When he found out he would be joining the Blue Jays, Jackson was excited to get back to the big leagues.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Jackson told reporters Friday in an article from www.si.com. “So it’s just an amazing feeling.”
A big reason why Jackson was called up by Toronto was because of his impressive performance during Spring Training.
Jay Jackson’s 16-year pro career has taken him around the world to play baseball.
“Slider execution, striking guys out — he was really good,” manager John Schneider said of Jackson’s spring performance.
Before being called up, Jackson spent time with Toronto’s triple-A affiliate team in Buffalo. He appeared in nine games and had an 0-1 record with a 5.91 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Even though Jackson did not make the Opening Day roster, he continued to have respect for the organization and knew the decision wasn’t anything personal.
“The amount of love and respect and honesty [the Blue Jays] showed me, I wanted to be here just as much as they wanted me here,” he said.
Making a major league team can be an impossible task for some. There are players who have been in the minor leagues their whole career and are still waiting for that opportunity. So, for Jackson, he understands how difficult it is to make it on an MLB team. This is the MLBbro journeyman’s fifth team and he’s going to do everything he can to help Toronto become a team to beat in the AL East.
Jackson is no stranger to the Big Leagues.
Jackson first made his MLB debut back in 2015 with the San Diego Padres. It was toward the end of the season, so a lot of players were being called up to teams across the league. He appeared in six games and pitched in 4.1 innings striking out four batters and finished with a 6.23 ERA.
Four years later, Jackson had the opportunity to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers. His time in Milwaukee was the most action he had seen in his career.
During the 2019 season, he made 28 appearances on the mound, throwing 30.1 innings and also finished with a 1-0 record with two holds. He also had a 4.45 ERA and struck out a career high 47 batters.
In 2021 he made his first start of his career with the San Francisco Giants. That start came on September 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a quick outing for Jackson as he only went 0.1 innings giving up three earned runs. That season he did finish with a 2-1 record with a 3.74 ERA in 23 games. He proved that he could get MLB hitters out on a consistent basis.
Before this season, his last appearance in the league was in 2022, appearing in two games with the Atlanta Braves. So it’s safe to say that Jackson has bounced around the league a few times. And he also spent some time playing in Mexico and Japan.
But now, he’s focused on securing a permanent role with Toronto, who desperately needs to sure up the bullpen if they plan to contend with the Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and dangerous Red Sox all season. He certainly has the arm to do so. Now he has another opportunity to write another chapter in his MLB career.
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