Arizona Diamondbacks Archie Bradley becoming face of Arizona sports
By David Hill
Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley is enjoying the offseason, as he is becoming the face of Arizona sports.
The Arizona Diamondbacks found the perfect bullpen weapon last year in Archie Bradley. After struggling as a starter over his first two seasons in the majors, he transitioned to the bullpen, taking on a role similar to that of Andrew Miller. The move proved to be a success, as Bradley was a multiple inning weapon, posting a 1.73 ERA and a 1.041 WHiP, striking out 79 batters in 73 innings.
Fresh off of that success, Bradley has been making the rounds this offseason. He was sighted on Saturday at an Arizona Coyotes game, participating in a game of human bowling. Naturally, he got a strike, showing that Mookie Betts is not the only excellent bowler in the game.
On Sunday, Bradley continued his tour of the Arizona sports landscape. Dressed up as Santa Claus, he was part of the Arizona State University’s Curtain of Distraction, attempting to throw off the Vanderbilt shooter. It is possible that the stunt worked, as the opposing player missed a free throw.
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It is not unusual for players to ingrain themselves in the sports landscape of their team. We often see other stars at games, cheering on those that they share the landscape with. Those players, usually the stars of those teams, end up becoming one of the faces of the city.
Right now, Bradley is on his way to becoming one of the faces of Arizona sports. It is not necessarily a role that one would expect of a setup man, particularly on a team with superstar Paul Goldschmidt on the roster. Yet, Bradley is beginning to emerge in that role, staying in Arizona during the offseason and supporting the local teams as best as he can.
Of course, by this time next year, Bradley could well be on his way to stardom. The Diamondbacks are looking for a closer, and based on his success in the bullpen next year, Bradley could be a great option for the role. Although the Diamondbacks added Brad Boxberger this offseason, Bradley could still compete for the closer role for 2018.
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Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley has toured the Arizona sports landscape over the past couple of days. He is well on his way to becoming one of the faces of the Diamondbacks as he continues to be in the public eye.