FORT MYERS, Fla. -- On the surface, it would have seemed like an innocuous spring training stolen base. It was much more.
Jackie Bradley Jr. swiped his first bag of the Grapefruit League season in the first inning of the Red Sox' 5-3 loss to the Yankees Saturday. It matched his spring training total for the past four years. The early jump on things isn't a coincidence.
Here was the confirmation from the outfielder after the game ...
Question: "Do you think you will be stealing more bases?"
JBJ: "I know"
Question: "Are you excited about that?"
JBJ: "I am. I'm excited about the opportunity"
Question: "Have you talked to Red Sox manager Alex Cora?"
JBJ: "Yes. He has already given me the green light."
Question: "You didn't have the green light before?"
JBJ: "Correct."
Question: "What did Cora say to you about it?"
JBJ: "He just said, 'I'm giving you the green light.' Simple as that."
Question: "You don't have a lot of spring training stolen bases, correct?"
JBJ: "I didn't want to do too much with tired legs and all that. But now it's all about getting the reps in, get that feeling with certain pitchers. I wan to work on it more."
While Bradley Jr. might not have been set free on the basepaths before, it wasn't due to a lack of success. In 35 career attempts, he has only been caught five times, having gone a combined 17-for-22 the past two seasons.
Now, with his newfound green light, he is intent on taking those numbers to a new level.
"Everything you do in this game is about repetition and consistency," Bradley Jr. said, "so you have to work on it in order to use it."
