Jackie Bradley Jr - Earning a long term place
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| Photo Courtesy of ABC |
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer
Two things were very clear last night. One was Allen Webster is not ready for the majors, and the other was that Jackie Bradley Jr. is in the future plans of the Red Sox organization He hit a solo blast in the 11-8 win over the Seattle Mariners last night and played good defense as Jacoby Ellsbury's replacement. He'll probably go back to to AAA Pawtucket when Ellsbury comes back, but Ellsbury won't be here forever. I have my doubts that the Red Sox will make an attempt to resign him come free agency if he keeps this pace up. That's a long way off and they could surprise me by flashing the cash, but I think the organization will part ways with Ellsbury and make Bradley the regular center fielder next year, especially with Bradley's star on the rise.
Let's focus on last night for a second. Jackie Bradley Jr handled the pressure well, but his stellar performance also highlighted another thing about this season (other than him being the future) - the depth of the Red Sox this year. Somehow the Red Sox have managed to remain in first place in the AL East in spite of all the injuries and individual player struggles. In the past, the Sox would have collapsed by now, but that hasn't been the case. That's mainly due to all of these young players like Jackie Bradley, Jr. coming up the minor leagues and handling the pressure. It gives me a lot of hope for the future. It also makes me question whether going after a big name at the deadline because we'll most likely have to trade some of these guys away to win now. I do believe we can win now without breaking up the future of the organization. And Bradley is certainly a part of the future.
Tweet me @ConorJF1016 with your thoughts or leave a comment below.
Contributing Writer
Two things were very clear last night. One was Allen Webster is not ready for the majors, and the other was that Jackie Bradley Jr. is in the future plans of the Red Sox organization He hit a solo blast in the 11-8 win over the Seattle Mariners last night and played good defense as Jacoby Ellsbury's replacement. He'll probably go back to to AAA Pawtucket when Ellsbury comes back, but Ellsbury won't be here forever. I have my doubts that the Red Sox will make an attempt to resign him come free agency if he keeps this pace up. That's a long way off and they could surprise me by flashing the cash, but I think the organization will part ways with Ellsbury and make Bradley the regular center fielder next year, especially with Bradley's star on the rise.
Let's focus on last night for a second. Jackie Bradley Jr handled the pressure well, but his stellar performance also highlighted another thing about this season (other than him being the future) - the depth of the Red Sox this year. Somehow the Red Sox have managed to remain in first place in the AL East in spite of all the injuries and individual player struggles. In the past, the Sox would have collapsed by now, but that hasn't been the case. That's mainly due to all of these young players like Jackie Bradley, Jr. coming up the minor leagues and handling the pressure. It gives me a lot of hope for the future. It also makes me question whether going after a big name at the deadline because we'll most likely have to trade some of these guys away to win now. I do believe we can win now without breaking up the future of the organization. And Bradley is certainly a part of the future.
Tweet me @ConorJF1016 with your thoughts or leave a comment below.
