The Cleveland Indians finally called up first baseman Bobby Bradley and he did not dissapoint at the plate in his first career game.
The Cleveland Indians Twitter account is probably happy that Bobby Bradley is finally in the Major Leagues. Day after day fans would complain about Bradley still being in Columbus while other noteworthy players struggle mightily. Now that Bradley is in Cleveland those replies and comments will disappear until the next prized prospect is waiting his eventual call up.
Bobby Bradley was given the start at first base and was inserted in the seven spot in the lineup. In his first career at-bat Bradley would hit a game-tying ground rule double to left field. Jose Ramirez would score on the play and the Bobby Bradley era got off with a bang. Bradley would finish the day 1-3 with a double, walk and one strikeout.
Bobby Bradley’s first career game is essentially what the Indians will get production wise. Bradley will hit for power, walk a little bit and strike out, a lot. Bradley struck out 717 times in 607 games in the minors. This is nearly 1.2 times per game.
Bradley’s career slash line in the minors is .256/.344/.508 with an OPS os .851. This slash line was accompanied by 138 home runs, 119 doubles, 17 triples, 471 runs driven in and 283 walks. This is in addition to his incredibly high strikeout rate.
The key with Bobby Bradley will be patience. Bradley will hit for power and drive in runs. Bradley will also strike out a ton. The bright side is that players with Bradley’s stat line are the norm in this age of baseball. Cleveland will just have to follow the footprint of many other MLB teams in regards to how they handle Bobby Bradley and the ups and downs he will have at the plate.
