In football you have the shutdown cornerback, who takes half the field and locks down the opposing team’s top receiving threat. In baseball you have the dominant closer, who comes in and shuts the door in the ninth inning to preserve a win.
With the play of Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, throughout his career on the defense, we’re dubbing him MLB’s shutdown outfielder. It’s a position that has never really been specifically identified until now.
Bradley possesses a great glove, elite range, speed, and of course very good arm-strength to make the throws necessary from the outfield, saving runs.
After spending a year with the Milwaukee Brewers., Bradley is back in the friendly confines of Boston’s Fenway Park, where it takes outfielders years to master the intricacies of the Green Monster.
And while he’s never had a big bat (he’s registered just 13 “dingers” the last two seasons), he stays with a job because his defense saves runs that his bat can’t drive in.
He’s straight up and down not in the MLB to hit. Yeah, you heard that right. JBJ could hit .052 and Red Sox manager Joey Cora would still feel confident in throwing him out there, so his defense can impact the game.
Bradley’s (.283) batting average in 2020 was the highest of his 10-year career. This season through three games he had no hits in seven plate appearances.
The former South Carolina Gamecocks outfielder is a natural centerfielder but has also dabbled in the all three outfield spots throughout his career. This season he’ll play right field for the BoSox. Bradley Jr., uses his elite speed, IQ, range and instincts to make catches that most would call otherworldly look ordinary. With manager Cora wanting to get back to the dominant defense the Red Sox displayed in winning the 2018 Fall Classic, bringing JBJ back was a no-brainer.
In Bradley’s year away from the team, Kike Hernandez became one of the top center fielders in the game, pushing JBJ to right field. Playing right field at Fenway Park is no easy feat, but if anyone can handle the transition it’s the defensive wiz JBJ.
Bradley Jr Was Traded Back To Boston While At A Wedding
After another year of great glove work, Bradley Jr was all but certain that he’d be spending another year in “Cream City”, but he was surprisingly traded back to the Red Sox. The trade occurred while JBJ was at former teammate and close friend Mookie Betts’ wedding. Bradley talked about how awkward it was.
“So here’s the real story. I actually come out of the wedding. So it’s during the reception now. It was Markus’ wedding actually. We weren’t allowed to have our phones. So there was a special, designated area to where you could have your phone. So I just happened to come out and call my wife. Five seconds after I hang up the phone, I get a call. He was like, it’s back to the Red Sox. And I was like, Wow. WoW I mean, I didn’t really have anything to say, I was kind of in shock. I was still actually present somewhere else.”
Bradley’s defense is second-to-none and that dynamic played a huge role in the Boston winning the World Series in 2018. When you watch him in the outfield you get Torii Hunter aka “SpiderMan”, vibes. Even though you don’t get the same stick, Bradley’s always capable of hitting a lick with a spectacular grab. He’s a shutdown outfielder. One of a kind because his defense is what makes him a pro.
MLBbro George Springer makes a gravity-defying grab in the bottom of the third inning against the NY Mets that rivals Billy Hamilton’s mudslide grab for “Web Gem of the Year.”
The 2021 season has been an up and down battle for Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. He’s had some moments at the dish, but they have been few and far between.
When it comes to hitting, he’s struggled a lot at the plate but the Brewers remained faithful that he would turn things around.
Well recently, Bradley Jr. has done just that. At the end of June, Bradley Jr. had hits in three out of four games to end the month and he carried that into the beginning of July.
The former All-Star had a five-game hitting streak that ended on July 5. During the hitting streak, he posted a .350 batting average with a double and three RBI.
One area that Bradley Jr. continues to excel in has been in the field. That’s a big reason why he continues to be in the lineup despite his lack of hitting this season.
Going into June, Bradley Jr. had a .160 batting average. He was able to raise that to .165 at the end of the month.
That’s progress right there and that’s something you want to see if you’re Bradley Jr. Our MLBbro has struggled since the start of the season offensively and that’s something he’s not used to.
It’s frustrating when you can’t find your rhythm at the plate and it could feel like you can’t do anything right at the plate.
The Brewers have had a first-hand look at Bradley’s struggles throughout the season, but the team knows that he has the ability to make those necessary changes as the season progresses.
“I thought he had some good ABs and hit some balls hard on the (last) road trip (to Colorado and Arizona),” president of baseball operations David Stearns told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But this is well below his career level of production. He’s certainly aware of that; he’s frustrated by it.”
“I don’t have a great answer for it. He’s working hard to get through it. There are years where it seems like every at-bat, a hitter is in a pitcher-advantage count. It feels like that with Jackie right now, like he’s walking into the batter’s box with two strikes. That’s a tough way to hit.
“There have been a lot of loud outs. He’s hitting it at a lot of defenders. That adds to the frustration.”
This has certainly been his worst season statistically at the plate. Through 78 games he’s batting .170 with a .289 slugging percentage.
At the start of the season, Bradley Jr. was hitting .150 at the end of May. You could only imagine what was going through his mind at that time. But the good thing is that he’s making progress. Bradley Jr. has hit in some timely clutch at-bats recently and that is a confidence booster for sure.
He had a two-hit performance on June 28 against the Chicago Cubs, that was a game he needed.
“With anybody, it’s always good to see balls fall,” Bradley said. “You don’t want to continuously hit balls hard but right at somebody. That’s just the way the game is. I’ll take the soft hits, too. I don’t have to always hit it hard. I was glad to see that fall, not only for myself but also, obviously, for the team and to contribute in a big moment like that.”
Despite his struggles, Bradley Jr. knows this is a mental game and he understands he can’t get so far in his head when he’s struggling at the plate.
“This is a game that requires a lot of physical performance but a lot of mental focus as well,” he said. “So, I’m trying to stay focused and stay in the present. You can’t change the past. Obviously, I’ve been horrible to this point and I have to get better.”
Our MLBbro will continue to work hard. It’s all he knows.
The 2021 season has not been going too well for Jackie Bradley Jr. at the plate. Bradley Jr. is in his first season with the Milwaukee Brewers and is batting a career-low .154 through 59 games.
Yes, you read that batting average right. In his last four games, he is 1-for-13.
This is something the Brewers did not see coming when they signed him in early March. The speedy outfielder came off an impressive COVID season in which he batted .283 through 55 games with 54 hits, seven home runs, and 22 RBI.
Despite his struggles at the plate, the Brewers are not giving up on Bradley Jr. whose stick was flaming in April. He had an eight-game hitting streak and had a hit in 11 of 12 games.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell recently talked about Bradley Jr.’s struggles at the plate, but he still has faith in the one-time All-Star.
“Jackie’s struggled offensively and he hasn’t been able to get out of it. I still think he’s helping us win because I still think he’s playing defense and playing a plus defense,” Counsell told MLB.com.
“We’ve seen it the last two weeks of playing against other teams, the differences a center fielder makes. Those are doubles and triples and runs, essentially, on plays that he makes. We’re also in a situation where, at this point, Jackie’s the best option.”
So even though his bat hasn’t come along recently, Bradley Jr. still is a valuable asset to the Brewers. Our MLBbro knows how to control the outfield and his defense is a plus to his overall game.
A positive thing to look at is Bradley Jr. is not letting his performance at the plate affect his overall game. It’s evident that Bradley Jr. has been in a slump and Counsell is certainly aware of that.
“But he’s struggling. He’s struggling offensively and we do need to be better offensively,” Counsell said. “He’s frustrated, there’s no question about it.
“He’s better than this, there’s no question about that. But we just haven’t been able to help him get going, and that’s frustrating on our end.”
No one enjoys a slump and for Bradley Jr., he will have to put the extra time in to get on the right side of the hitting spectrum. But the good thing is that his manager and team believe in him and that he can turn things around.
This brother is a good player and has had success in the league throughout his career.
As the season progresses, Bradley Jr. will continue to get opportunities to end his slump at the plate. When he’s seeing the ball well, Bradley Jr. is a problem at the plate. With his power and speed, he can be a nightmare to opposing pitchers and teams.
These next few months will be important for Bradley Jr. The Brewers know the potential he has at the plate and they will stay patient to see if the former Gold Glove winner can make an impact with his bat, too
Recent Comments