Remember when there was talk of sending Jackie Bradley Jr. to the minor leagues? This is what the outfielder does, bring you to the brink of confidence in him before completely altering the conversation.
He has done it once again.
On May 24 Bradley Jr. bottomed out with a .174 batting average with a .528 OPS, striking out 45 times in his 42 games. Since then the outfielder has changed the conversation. At first, it was a trickle of success. But then came the last month, which has seen Alex Cora's No. 9 guy has hit .319 (dating back to June 24). The latest reminder? Sunday's Red Sox' 9-1 win over the Tigers in which the lefty hitter broke things open with a three-run homer. (For a complete recap of the Red Sox' latest win, click here.)
For the Red Sox, this has been a significant development.
In order for the Mookie Betts leadoff thing to truly work, it really helps if the guy hitting in front of him -- usually Bradley Jr. -- is doing something. That wasn't the case early on, hence the flurry of solo homers. Now, it's been a different dynamic. Half of Betts' last eight homers have come with runners on base, a dramatic difference from his first 14 home runs.
All of a sudden, the Red Sox No. 9 spot carries the fifth-best OPS in baseball, having scored the third-most runs. Bradley Jr. has been a big part of that.
Why Bradley Jr. goes through these extreme streaks remains a mystery and an obvious source of frustration. But there might be a difference this time around thanks to one notable analytic, one which Red Sox manager Alex Cora hasn't been shy in surfacing: Exit velocity.
On an average, Bradley Jr.'s exit velocity is the highest of his career, coming in at 92 mph this season compared to 88 mph a year ago. The number this year is 13th-best in the majors, compared to his ranking of 114 last season.
So why the initial downturn? Part of the problem has become in how teams have approached him, with the outfielder seeing shifts 52 percent of the time compared to 33 percent in 2017. But Bradley Jr. has countered that of late by driving the ball more, already totaling more extra-bases in July than any of his previous months. Sunday was a perfect example of the approach.
Oppo -- pic.twitter.com/9tIxcNUhnG
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 22, 2018There hasn't been a more dominant pitcher in baseball than Chris Sale of late, with Sunday's win offering another example. The starter only allowed two hits over six innings, striking out nine and not walking a batter. With his six scoreless innings, Sale leads the AL in ERA (2.13). He has allowed one run in his last 34 IP, not allowing a home run in his last 57.0 IP (the longest homerless streak of his career and the longest active streak in MLB).
