It is time to figure out what Bobby Bradley is
The 2021 season will be a trying one, but the Cleveland Baseball Club can still figure out what they have in their 24-year old first base prospect.
The Cleveland Baseball Club is about to go through a transition period and that give them an opportunity to explore their options at first base. More specifically Bobby Bradley. Bradley has only a handful of appearances at the MLB level and did not appear during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.
During the past few seasons Bobby Bradley has not had a path due to the first base and DH positions being occupied. Carlos Santana has been Cleveland’s first basemen for seven of the past eight seasons. As far as the designated hitter position goes, Franmil Reyes has been the primary option since landing in Cleveland during the 2019 season. With Cleveland declining the Santana’s option and the possibility of Reyes moves to the outfield, there is a possible opening for Bradley. Of course that excludes any further additions through free agency or trades.
The issue that exists and will always exist with Bobby Bradley is simple, strikeouts. Bradley has struck out 28.2% of his plate appearances in the minor leagues, not necessarily an encouraging percentage. The tradeoff is that Bradley can hit for a ton of power, during his six minor league seasons he has 147 home runs and 125 doubles. The hope is that Bobby can cut down on the strikeouts while still hitting for power. Even if he has a low batting average, it is about driving the baseball and reaching via base on balls. If Bradley can accomplish this it will go a long way for the Cleveland Baseball Club.
The fact of the matter is that the Cleveland Baseball Club is more than likely not going to be a playoff team next season. They need to take this opportunity in what is going to be the post-Francisco Lindor era to figure out the future at the first base position. Is their future first baseman Bobby Bradley or someone else? That is just one thing that needs to be figured out during the 2021 season for the Cleveland Baseball Club.
