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★★★
If you bet on Jackie Bradley as the player who would post the highest number of total bases in a game this season, come on down! Nobody? Yeah, not really a surprise. Although Bradley, a former top-50 prospect in baseball, really flashed his full potential against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday to the tune of three doubles and two home runs (although one of those round-trippers came against catcher Jesus Sucre), the 25-year-old outfielder hasn’t exactly been a raving success story for the Red Sox farm system. In 2014, the Red Sox gave Bradley, one of the best fielding outfielders in baseball, nearly a full season as a starter; Bradley subsequently responded to the opportunity with a .198/.265/.266 line in 423 plate appearances.
Although Bradley came into Saturday’s game scorching hot at the plate, hitting .421 with a home run, two doubles and two triples in the last week, it wasn’t long ago that the outfielder was an afterthought stashed in Triple-A as writers speculated whether or not a change of scenery was in due order. Now, just a couple weeks later, many are of the mindset that the Red Sox should trot out an outfield trio of Bradley, Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo while moving Hanley Ramirez, one of the worst defensive outfielders in recent memory, to first base.
There’s no shot that Bradley will sustain these current Tony Gwynn levels of hitting at the plate, but Bradley’s former shine as a top prospect combined with his incredible defensive ability brings up how long a team’s leash on a former top prospect should be. General manager Ben Cherington decided to part ways with Will Middlebrooks during this past offseason, and seemingly made the right choice given the third baseman’s struggles with San Diego. The Rays parted ways with Wil Myers, who continues to deal with nagging injuries with the Padres. Whether or not Bradley will fall into this similar category remains to be seen, but given Bradley’s quick rise in stock at the moment, Cherington will have some tough decisions to make this offseason.
- Mike Moustakas represents a former top prospect whom his organization bet on to improve. The Royals' patience has paid off, as the Moose continues to break out in 2015.
- Johnny Cueto is good at throwing baseballs, and it looks as if the trade is really paying off the Royals. Cueto shut down the Los Angeles Angels, throwing eight innings of one-run baseball while scattering eight hits on no walks and four strikeouts.
- Tigers catcher James McCann stared at Alex Rios on Friday during a trip to the mound, and later accused the Royals outfielder of stealing signs.
- Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes did Yoenis Cespedes things when he made a ridiculous throw from center field to snipe Sean Rodriguez at third base. Cespedes also reflected on his move to New York City and his son Yoenis Jr., who lives in Cuba.
- The Orioles have made re-signing Chris Davis, a pending free agent, a priority. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, are considering a long-term offer to outfielder AJ Pollack, who is "absolutely" interested in staying in Arizona.
- Ichiro eclipsed Ty Cobb on the All-Time hits list when he collected his 4,191 career hit (including Japanese leagues) against the Cardinals. As Ichiro nears his 42nd birthday, we're nearing the time where we need to ponder the outfielder's resume for the Hall of Fame.
- Trevor Bauer represents a unique case in looking at the effect of science on a pitcher's ability to adjust and improve. Bauer, who has a TrackMan installed in his house, evaluates his spin rate, among other things, to grow on the mound.
- Carlos Gomez broke a bat over his leg, only it took him three tries to do it. Failing once at pulling a Bo Jackson already looks bad enough. Failing twice? Man, Gomez must have really hated his bat.
- The Curse of Ben Affleck is finally over. The Red Sox, with their 22-10 demolition of the Seattle Mariners won on the actor's birthday for the first time since 1997. Mo Vaughn, Troy O'Leary and Nomar Garciaparra anchored the Red Sox lineup the last time Affleck's hometown team won on his birthday.
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