Sox’ Bradley Jr. focused on getting better
commodity in the eyes of Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. After hitting .121 (7-for58) with one home run in his first 24 MLB games last season, Bradley rebounded to hit .294 (48-for-163) over his final 50 games.
The lone PawSox player to participate in the 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game, Bradley ended up hitting .249 in 74 games with Boston while compiling a triple slash line of .335/.498/.832. He ended up leading Pawtucket in hitting (.305), homers (nine), on-base percentage (.382) and slugging (.472).
The Red Sox did take out an insurance policy on Bradley and for that matter Castillo when they signed 32-yearold Chris Young to serve as the team’s fourth outfielder. That said, a move of such nature lends credence to the front office’s comfort level with regards to heading into the new season with an outfield arrangement that features Bradley in center, Castillo in left and Betts in right.
An offseason resident of Naples, Fla, Bradley says that he’s been a frequent visitor to Fort Myers and JetBlue Park.
“After the new year is when I usually start to do baseball stuff,” he said. “(Living close to the Red Sox’ spring training complex) is one of the big perks. It’s allows the trainers to communicate to other people that things are going well and that I’m healthy. In order to have that line of communication, you have to have trust.”
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The news is encouraging regarding two 20-something Red Sox pitchers who saw their respective 2015 seasons short-circuited due to injuries. According to farm director Ben Crockett, lefty Brian Johnson “feels good and we expect him to be healthy for spring training.” Johnson had a strong 2015 for Pawtucket, going 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA over 18 starts and 96 innings. Originally selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game, Johnson instead went on to make his big-league debut on July 21 in Houston. Johnson, 23, missed the final two months with an elbow injury. … Asked about right-hander Brandon Workman, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June, Crockett said via email, “Workman has progressed well thus far. He has initiated his throwing program already and reports have been positive.” Akey member out of the bullpen for Boston’s 2013 World Series winner, Workman started the 2015 on Pawtucket’s roster but never got into a game. … Didn’t get to McCoy Friday night to see Bradley and PawSox pitching coach Bob Kipper? There’s a second opportunity to do as “PawSox Daylight Savings” runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free to the public.