Jackie Bradley Jr’s baseball career started in his teenage days after graduating from high school and before entering college. The center player’s college career has been exceptional with impressive averages in all categories. His contribution earned him the 2010 World Universities Series Most Outstanding Player award. Subsequently, Bradley was selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft as the 40th overall pick by the Boston Red Sox and made his professional MLB debut for the team in August 2011.
Biography of Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bradley was born on April 19, 1990 in Richmond, Virginia. Upon graduation from Prince George High School, he was named to the Virginia AAA All-State team in 2008.
At the University of South Carolina in 2009, Jackie finished his season with an average of .349 and 69 points in 63 appearances. He also hit 11 home runs, walking 34 times with 31 strikeouts.
In the following campaign, he had a 369 batting average, 13 home runs, while scoring 56 times in 67 appearances. He also went 10-29, earning CFS Most Outstanding Player of 2010. His college career came to an end in 2010 and paved the way for a successful professional career.
Professional career and statistics
The center joined the Red Sox in 2011 and hit .250 in his first 10 games while playing for the Lowell Spinners of Minor League Baseball. In 2012, he was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Red Sox for his efforts.
He entered 2013 at the No. 32 spot on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects list. After being an option for the Pawtucket Red Sox in April 2019, he was recalled on May 29, scoring his first career victory on June 4 in a game against the Texas Rangers. He returned to Pawtucket two more times that year between June 8 and September 7.
In 2013, Jackie Bradley Jr appeared in 37 games for the Boston Red Sox, hitting .189, 10 RBIs, 3 homers and 2 stolen bases. His team would go on to win the World Series in the final game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Bradley still has two stints with the Pawtuckets in 2014, although he was used regularly for the Red Sox between the two stints. His defensive game was outstanding, but he only hit .216 with just one goal for the Reds.
In 2015, Jackie claimed to be a full-time outfielder for the Reds with his record-breaking performance in the Red Sox’ 22-10 win over the Seattle Mariners. In 2016, Bradley Jr became the 4th Boston Red Sox player (tied with Johnny Damon) to sustain a hitting streak that lasted 29 consecutive games. This incredible run saw him raise his batting average from .22 to .350 and earn AL Player of the Month honors in May. He was also called up to the All-Star Game as a starter at the end of the season for the first time in his career.
In 2017, Jackie was placed on the 10 Day Disabled List twice. First for spraining his right knee, then for injuring his left thumb.
The family, wife and children of Jackie Bradley Jr.
The Red Sox defensive center was born to AlfredaHagans and Jacke Bradley Sr. His father, Bradley Sr. worked as a bus driver in Richmond to help raise Jackie. Jackie often speaks glowingly of his mother, especially when he goes into detail about how instrumental she was in his pursuit of baseball. The baseball player is married to a woman named Erin Helring, a Liberty University alumnus. The couple married on December 7, 2013 and welcomed their first child, a daughter named Emerson Claire Bradley, on June 2, 2016.
Height, Weight and Other Facts About Jackie Bradley Jr
- Jackie Bradley Jr goes by the same name with a famous black American soul singer, Jack Leroy “Jackie” Wilson, popular in the 1950s to 1970s. It turns out that Bradley Jr. and his father were named in honor of the iconic singer.
- Bradley Jr only married Erin in 2013, however, the couple have been together for a very long time. They both attended the same high school where they started dating.
- Jackie signs the signature “MS” in the dirt before each bat. He does it in honor of his best friend, Matt Sayer, who died following an accident. At Matt’s funeral, Jackie was mentioned as his only surviving brother, even though Matt is white and Jackie is African American.
- Bradley Jr stands at a respectable height of 1.78m (5ft 10in) and maintains a weight of 91kg (200.6lbs).