Daily Archives: December 18, 2011
Interview with J.R. Bradley: Diamondbacks Pitching Prospect
Sunday December 18, 2011
Jonathan Hacohen: Today on MLB reports we are proud to feature James Ray (J.R.) Bradley: 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks draftee. J.R. was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 draft. He recently completed his 2nd season in the Dbacks organization, with his most recent season completed with the South Bend Silver Hawks (A-Ball). At 19-years of age, J.R. has a strong future ahead with the Dbacks. As a high draft selection, J.R. was clearly valued highly by the Dbacks. As he continues his progression through the organizational ladder, J.R. looks to continue to develop as he progresses to Arizona one day.
Featured on MLB reports, I proudly present my interview with Dbacks Pitching Prospect J.R. Bradley:
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MLB reports: Welcome to the Reports J.R. Bradley. Starting off: Who was your favorite baseball player growing up, that you most idolized and patterned your game after?
J.R. Bradley: Growing up, I always liked Roger Clemens and Jon Garland. Liking Garland came from within the White Sox because Jon Adkins was playing for them. He’s from WV (West Virginia) and has helped me through baseball since I was younger.
MLB reports: Which current MLB star do you most admire and why?
J.R. Bradley: Roy Halladay. Just the way he competes and handles himself.
MLB reports: What are your proudest accomplishments in baseball?
J.R. Bradley: Being drafted for sure. But we went to the states all 4 years in high school and won it twice.
MLB reports: What are your goals going into the 2012 season?
J.R. Bradley: Just go out and get better, and make all my scheduled starts.
MLB reports: Were you surprised when you were drafted in the 2nd round- did you have any expectations on the draft and who would draft you?
J.R. Bradley: I wasn’t too surprised I went to the Dbacks. I was hearing rounds 2-4 from everyone and was on the phone with Oakland when I found out.
MLB reports: What do you consider your greatest baseball skill(s)?
J.R. Bradley: I’ve always been a guy who threw strikes. Now it’s a matter of throwing quality strikes, which is something I aim to improve this year. Knocking on wood, I’ve always been pretty durable. I think it’s important to throw innings and make all my starts.
MLB reports: What facets of your game do you most wish to improve upon?
J.R. Bradley: Fastball command and getting ahead of hitters early in the count. Also consistency with my slider
MLB reports: How do strikeouts and walks figure into your game?
J.R. Bradley: When I walk guys I get hurt, because I pitch to contact and try to get ground ball outs. Strikeouts I think will come when I tighten up my breaking balls. Once I do that, it will be easier to put guys away.
MLB reports: Long term do you see yourself as a starter or reliever?
J.R. Bradley: Starter for sure.
MLB reports: What do you need to do in order to be successful in this game?
J.R. Bradley: I think a positive mindset. Baseball is a game of failure already. No need to beat yourself up.
MLB reports: If you had to look into a crystal ball, when do you see your expected time of arrival in the big leagues?
J.R. Bradley: Man… I’m just focusing on next season!
MLB reports: Has pro ball been everything you expected it to be thus far?
J.R. Bradley: Yes, for the most part. I didn’t realize how important it was to have a routine.
MLB reports: What do you do for fun when you are not playing baseball?
J.R. Bradley: Just hang out. During the season we’re at the stadium so much. In the offseason, I’ve just been working out and playing some basketball.
MLB reports: Do you have a favorite pre-game meal?
J.R. Bradley: No, I don’t really have a favorite pregame meal.
MLB reports: Final Thoughts?
J.R. Bradley: Thanks for everything man, really enjoyed it. Now just looking forward to getting out there!
Thank you again to J.R. Bradley for taking the time to join us today on MLB reports. We highly encourage our readers to post at the bottom of the article any questions and/or comments that you may have for J.R. You can also find J.R. Bradley on Twitter (@JR_Brad)
Jonathan Hacohen is the Lead Baseball Columnist & Editor for MLB reports: You can follow Jonathan on Twitter (@JHacohen)
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My 2012 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot
Sunday December 18th, 2011
Sam Evans: 2012 brings several new candidates to the MLB Hall of Fame ballot. One thing that really annoys me about the current voting process is that it can take up to fifteen years for a player to be elected. So instead of saying that a player should/could be elected in the future, I’d rather they be elected right away.
For any Hall of Famer, I think they need to have at least ten seasons where they were one of the best players at their respective position. Also, if there is indisputable evidence of them using steroids, then I won’t vote for them.Without futher ado, let’s get to the players:
Mark McGwire: My vote is a no. Given his steroid use, I can’t bring myself to support one of the most dominant hitters of the 1990’s.
Barry Larkin: Larkin is a yes for me. From 1988 to 2000, he was the best shortstop in all of baseball. Yes, even better than Cal Ripken Jr. Larkin was a twelve time All-Star and he won the 1995 NL MVP award. In 2011, he received 62.1% of the BBWAA votes. He only needs about 13% more of the votes to make it this year, and it would be pretty surprising if he didn’t get in this time.
Jack Morris: Jack Morris is not a Hall of Famer. Jack Morris did show America that a starting pitcher can win clutch games for his team all by himself. In Game 7 of the 1991 World Series against the Braves, Morris threw a ten inning shutout. This probably was the greatest World Series performance of all-time. However, when you look at his overall numbers, they’re just not that impressive. A career ERA of 3.90 and only 39.3 career WAR are just not enough for the Hall of Fame. Morris will always be remembered for his great clutch performances, but he doesn’t deserve to be a Hall of Famer. 2012 will be his twelfth year of eligibility, and he actually has a decent chance to make it. In 2010, he received his highest percentage of votes to-date, with 53.5%.
Edgar Martinez: My vote is a yes. Without Edgar, who knows if we’d still have the DH? You can read more about Edgar and the Hall of Fame in my previous article here.
Jeff Bagwell: This is a very easy yes for me. Bagwell collected an 83.9 WAR in his career. That is more than Derek Jeter and Reggie Jackson. Bagwell was an extremely consistent player, who won a ROY and MVP award. As of right now, Jeff Bagwell is the best player who played his whole career in the state of Texas. In his first year of eligibility, “Bagpipes” received 41.7% of the voters votes. He will definitely make it in the next couple of years.
Bernie Williams: Bernie Williams is a hesitant yes for me. I have only liked two Yankees players in my history of fandom. Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. Williams played the game every day like there was nowhere in the world he would rather be. Williams played about league-average defense, yet won four Gold Gloves due to his stature as a Yankee. Williams won four World Series and is now a superstar Jazz musician. However, the athleticism of Williams never translated into him being a great center fielder. Williams was solid at what ground he did cover, but he never really covered as much space as a center fielder should. Williams had a disappointing -109 TZ (total zone; a stat used to find how much ground a player covers) over the course of his career. However, Williams should be a Hall of Famer because of his loyalty to his team and helping break the Puerto Rican-American barriers. Williams was never the best player at his position, let alone his team, but he was a shining star in an era in which we needed one. This will be Williams’ first year of eligibility.
Bill Mueller: No chance I would vote for Mueller. Bill Mueller only played eleven seasons and he never even made an All-Star team. Every Hall of Famer should have at least fifteen years to their resume. Mueller was a decent player and he helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004, but he was not a Hall of Fame type player.
Larry Walker and Fred McGriff: Walker is a yes for me, and McGriff is a no. You can read more about these players in my previous article here.
2012 should be an interesting year for Cooperstown. There are probably three players that could be elected this year and they all deserve it. Lost in all of the comparisons of players from different era’s, we often forget how good all of these players were. Instead of criticizing people’s opinions on who deserves a vote, we should just appreciate all of the players’ individual greatness for what they are.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer, Sam Evans. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Sam on Twitter***
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