South Carolina baseball legend Jackie Bradley, Jr. left the Gamecock baseball program after being drafted in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. To the surprise of no one, he went on to have a good MLB career, primarily with the Boston Red Sox. He was an MLB All-Star in 2016, won a World Series in 2018 (and was the ALCS MVP along the way), and won a Gold Glove that same season.
Unfortunately, just as was the case at South Carolina, injuries hampered him at times, and his career seemed destined for an early retirement as his 2020-2022 seasons saw the 2010 College World Series Most Valuable Player barely hanging on as his body was failing him. He was cut three times and traded another, and most thought his time as a professional ball player was over.
Times were hard for Bradley this offseason as his best offer to continue playing was a Minor League contract with the rebuilding Kansas City Royals. Still desiring to play the game he loves, Bradley took the deal and reported to spring training with very little chance of making the roster.
Fast forward a little over a month, and Jackie Bradley, Jr. looked more like JBJ, the nickname he earned when he was arguably the most talented outfielder in college baseball. For the spring, he hit for a .355 batting average, added a home run, and played superb defense in both CF and RF. The Royals had no choice but to keep the almost 33 year-old veteran on the Opening Day roster.
Bradley did not start the first game for the Royals, but after the offense struggled to get going, Bradley was tasked with helping turn things around as he got the nod to start in RF in game 3 against the Twins on Sunday. He didn’t light up the box score or lead his team to victory, but the previously counted-out Bradley did score a run, one of just four total runs the Royals have managed to send across the plate through three games.
No one knows what the rest of the season will hold for Bradley or what the rest of his career might look like. The one thing that is known, though, is that despite the opinion of many who underestimated him, he’s not done just yet.