Jackie Bradley Jr.’s Hot Summer Gives Red Sox Hope For 2016

A season ago, Jackie Bradley Jr. was a 24-year-old center fielder with an excellent glove and a decidedly subpar bat. He finished 2014 below the Mendoza Line, with a .198 average in 127 games, and just one home run and 121 strikeouts. Flash forward to today, however, and Bradley Jr. sits at .312, with eight home runs in just 49 appearances. He’s been the driving force behind the Red Sox recent improvement. Boston has won 8 of 11, after spending much of the season deep in the AL East basement.

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Bradley Jr.’s explosion in offensive productivity certainly comes as a surprise. There was hope that the young outfielder would improve his abilities at the plate, but he’s made a bigger leap than anyone could have reasonably expected. After spending much of the early season in the minor leagues, Bradley Jr. has been an everyday outfielder since July 29th, taking full advantage of a number of injuries to other players.

He started this stretch 1 for 19, but has gone 39 for 92 (.424) since August 6th, and has 13 RBIs in his last 10 games. This run also includes a historic performance, which came on August 15th against Seattle. Bradley Jr. went 5 for 6 that day, with three doubles and two home runs. He became the first Red Sox player in history to total five extra-base hits in one game, and the youngest major leaguer ever to do it, joining a list that includes just seven other players.

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Bradley Jr.’s performance over the past month rightfully gives the Red Sox some hope heading into next season. He’s part of a promising young outfield, along with Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo, but Boston must add pitching if they plan to be competitive next year. Although their record has been less than stellar all season, they were 57-69 before this run, the Red Sox are actually third in the entire league in runs scored, behind only the division’s top two teams, Toronto and New York.

Their pitching staff’s ERA, however, ranks 26th in the MLB, at 4.48. Bradley Jr. could replicate his success at the plate through all of 2016 and it won’t get Boston over the top without the addition of a couple quality arms. Still, his surprising success should be a source of optimism. The sample size of games remains relatively small, but it does appear Bradley Jr. has made a tremendous leap as a hitter. Add that to his already fantastic defense and Boston may have found itself a franchise cornerstone moving forward.

Next: David Ortiz Has A Lot On The Line In Season's Final Month