The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Bradley stays course toward MLB dream
Kevin Bradley has a lineage and love for the game to suggest he can linger in professional baseball.
Amid his first stretch of full-season pro ball in SingleA with the Captains, Bradley also hopes to show the lumber, glove and learning skills to reinforce it.
At this point — after three colleges, three surgeries and in turn a challenging road to Lake County — he has fortitude down pat.
“The whole journey through college was definitely different than I originally anticipated,” Bradley said, “and I think reflecting back on it, I was fortunate to meet a lot of good people.”
And author a good comeback tale in the process.
Bradley, a Princeton, N.J., native who turned 23 in January, has been steady since joining the Captains on June 6, hitting .368 with two doubles, three RBI and four walks. He walked and delivered an RBI single in the eighth as Lake County won, 7-3, June 15 over visiting Fort Wayne.
As the Captains concluded pregame warmups, Bradley was the last player to stay behind, getting extra infield instruction prior to a start at second base.
Bradley’s father, Scott, was a two-time All-American at North Carolina and 1981 third-round draftee of the Yankees. He spent nine seasons in the majors, primarily with the Mariners, and caught Randy Johnson’s first no-hitter in 1990. Scott Bradley recently concluded his 20th season as coach at Princeton, which he has guided to seven Ivy League titles and seven NCAA tournament berths.
“I am very, very fortunate to have such a great dad to begin with,” Bradley said. “From a baseball side of things, my dad always gave my brothers and I as much freedom to discover the game and enjoy the game and learn the game on our own.
“You have a lot of parents that are active in youth sports, and throughout my high school career and middle school career, whatever it may be, my dad would sit out in right field behind the fence — not in an intense way where you’ve got a guy pacing. He said he’s watched every game of his life from the dugout or on the field. He said he enjoyed the view and just wanted to give me some space.”
The family’s athletic prowess also extends to the pitch. Bradley’s uncle, Bob, is a former U.S. men’s national soccer team head NEWS-HERALD.COM. coach and was the first American to guide an English Premier League side last year at Swansea. Bradley’s cousin and Bob’s son, Michael, is a longtime USMNT standout midfielder with 16 goals in 131 caps, including a gorgeous strike as the U.S. earned a 1-1 draw at Mexico in World Cup qualifying last week.
Bradley was a high school standout at Hopewell Valley Central (N.J.) and was a two-time all-state honoree in New Jersey, recording a .354 average. He was drafted by the Rockies in the 36th round in 2012, but opted not to sign and went to Clemson, for which he played 37 games in 2013.
In 2014, Bradley elected to transfer to a junior college, the State College of Florida, but was bothered by shoulder pain. Eventually, when it was checked via MRI by a trainer at Princeton, it was discovered Bradley had a torn labrum.
Bradley’s labrum was repaired by noted surgeon Dr. David Altchek. When Bradley was cleared to resume throwing after the surgery, his first stop was to Princeton, where he played catch with his dad.
Oklahoma State stuck with its commitment to Bradley through his torn labrum surgery and rehab, and Bradley played in Stillwater in 2015, hitting .281 with 23 RBI in 36 games.
Bradley went undrafted but signed with the Indians in August 2015. Unfortunately, the torn labrum surgery was only his first, as he had to eventually undergo another labrum surgery the next year and thoracic outlet surgery in 2016.
“I had found out I needed my second labrum surgery while I was at Oklahoma State,” Bradley said. “I got the MRI results two or three days before the draft, so at that point, you’ve got to tell everyone you’re not a functional ballplayer.
“I was fortunate the Indians still decided to give me a chance when I signed as a free agent in August, because ultimately I was a double medical red flag. There were way more reasons not to sign me than to sign me. I’ve been very fortunate, and I’m enjoying the opportunity.”
In 2016 in the Arizona Fall League, Bradley struggled, with a triple and seven strikeouts in 15 at-bats as he continued his quest for full health. But he found it in time to join the Captains this month.
So far he has provided a boost for his team — and after his journey, for himself.