Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. plays the game with a lot of style. But on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, he showed he can make a great catch even when his flair fails him.
In the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles, a towering Matt Wieters pop-up sent both Bradley and Dustin Pedroia in hot pursuit. Looking to avoid collision, Bradley elected to fall to his backside, while still making the catch.
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Bradley’s offensive production has certainly leveled off as the season has progressed. The 26-year-old closed the first half of the season with .296 batting average, but has hit just .241 in the second half, dropping his season average to .274.
What has remained constant, though, is Bradley’s Gold Glove-caliber play in center field.
Bradley ranks ninth in fielding-percentage (.991) and his 12 assists are tied for third-most in the league among qualifying AL outfielders.
