Boston Red Sox: Jackie Bradley Jr. American League All-Star Starter?
By Ryan Schultz
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is currently in line to start in the All-Star Game. It would be a well-deserved honor for the 26-year-old.
It wasn’t too long ago that Jackie Bradley Jr. was the hottest hitter in Major League Baseball as he fired his way through a 29-game hitting streak. The hit streak carried Bradley into the national spotlight, but it certainly wasn’t a fluke.
Bradley has been a great player his entire career, even dating back to his days in college with the University of South Carolina where he won a National Championship and was named Most Outstanding Player in the series. He is now one of the top vote-getting outfielders in the American League for the All-Star Game and slotted to be a starter.
Bradley’s dominance has certainly not come out of nowhere. He was the 40th pick overall by the Red Sox in 2011, and he quickly became one of the top prospects in a deep group of Red Sox minor leaguers. He was one of many players from that draft that all came up together and have started to dominate on the major league team.
Other players taken by the Red Sox in that draft include Mookie Betts, Travis Shaw and Blake Swihart. Bradley was praised for his defense, which overshadowed his offensive struggles throughout his rise through the minor leagues, and even in his short stint with the Red Sox in 2015.
Coming into the 2016 season the Red Sox were yet to see the offense that Jackie Bradley Jr. had demonstrated during his time in college with the Gamecocks, which they expected him to show during his professional career. He has since silenced any questions about his abilities at the plate. Despite projections having him continuing to be just an average to below average hitter (.264/.338/.445, 110 wRC+) going into the season, he has outplayed those expectations and established himself as a good hitter over 200 plate appearances into the season.
His current numbers are certainly “All-Star Game worthy,” even when compared to the top names in the league, which is refreshing and good to see from a fan vote. Fans may have become attracted to Bradley because of the hit streak, but they have hit the nail on the head with votes for him.
On a team full of hitting talent, both young and old, Bradley has managed to move himself into the upper group on the team. He is no longer the defense-first player that the Red Sox saw in 2015. Bradley has worked on the hitting aspect of his game, and he has risen to the elite group of hitters in the American League. Right now he has a slash line of .323/.400/.582 with nine home runs, 159 wRC+, and 2.2 fWAR. Not to mention that his defense remains as good as has always been advertised.
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Bradley currently offers the Red Sox the full package as he provides consistently great defense on one side of the ball and great hitting on the other side. One of the most shocking additions to Bradley’s game is his ability to hit for power. For a player playing half of his games at Fenway, it is important that he has the ability to hit the ball out of the park. Perhaps his recent improvement at the plate has been surprising to fans of the Red Sox and general MLB fans, but it shouldn’t be shocking that a player with such a winning and successful past is performing as well as he is.
Jackie Bradley Jr. shouldn’t surprise anyone as an American League All-Star starting outfielder. He has proven his worth is just as great at the plate as it has been in the field this season. His ability to put it all together this season has pushed him into the upper echelon of major league players.
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It is no longer ludicrous to include Bradley with names like Mookie Betts, Lorenzo Cain, Jose Bautista and Alex Gordon. Fans don’t get them all right, but they are definitely making the right choice by voting for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Full American League vote standings can be found on MLB.com, which shows the top five vote-getters at each position.