Jackie Bradley Jr. has career week for Red Sox

Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has waited during most of his MLB career for the “one good week” he believed would get him going. That week finally came last week as the former South Carolina star broke out of his offensive slump with Boston in historic fashion.

After hitting .121 with one home run and four RBIs in the first 24 games of the season with the Red Sox, Bradley Jr. had one of the most productive weeks of his baseball career from Aug. 9-15.

During the five-game stretch, the 25-year-old hit .591 (13-for-22) with three home runs and 13 RBIs. Bradley Jr. raised his batting average to .247 after entering August hitting .125, and he is hopeful that he has turned the corner and is ready to become a consistent presence in the Red Sox lineup.

“A lot of the veterans always say even when you’re going through tough times you’re only one good week away,” Bradley Jr. told The State. “One great week puts you back in a spot that you probably wanted to be in. You just keep thinking that all you want to have is one good week. One good week and eventually you’ll put together some quality games.”

While Bradley Jr. performed well in the five-game stretch, he had a career game Aug. 15 against the Mariners. With Seattle ace Felix Hernandez starting, Bradley Jr. went 5-for-6 with two home runs, three doubles, five runs and seven RBIs in Boston’s win.

He became the youngest player and one of three players ever to record two home runs, five extra-base hits, five runs and seven RBIs in a game. In addition, the five extra-base hits in one game tied an MLB record.

Bradley Jr. had no idea he was rewriting the record book as the game was going on.

“I didn’t know any of that until afterwards when the media was telling me,” he said. “It was very special, a special game. Obviously that’s one of the best games I’ve ever had in my life.”

Bradley Jr. has gone back-and-forth between Boston’s AAA team Pawtucket and the Red Sox since making his major league debut in 2013. He hit .189 in the majors as a rookie and .198 last season but could not put together enough quality at bats to earn a permanent roster spot in Boston.

Still, the Red Sox continue to give Bradley Jr. opportunities to perform at the major league level, thanks in part to his defense. He consistently makes tough plays look easy and has earned the reputation of being one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball.

Now that his hitting has started to improve, Greenville Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko believes Bradley Jr. can blossom into a special player.

“The talk when he was first promoted was he’s got this great defensive ability and it was whether or not the hitting would come around at the major league level,” said Jarinko, whose team is a minor league affiliate of the Red Sox. “If he can stay at this level and continue to produce like this he’ll easily be one of the best overall, all-around outfielders in the game. His defense is what everyone has always talked about and if his hitting could come around at the major league level he’d be very successful.”

While Bradley Jr. is proud of his defense, he knows that in order to stay in the lineup in Boston he has to perform well both at the plate and in the field.

“I take pride in all parts of my game, not just my defense,” he said. “You’ve got to take pride in both sides of baseball. There’s two different sides of it unless you’re a DH, which I am not. I’ve got to be able to take care of business offensively and defensively.”

Going back-and-forth between AAA and the majors would seem to be stressful on the surface, but Bradley Jr. has taken everything in stride. He said he doesn’t let promotions or demotions define who he is.

“I try not to let it affect me. You have to put things in perspective. There are other things to worry about than a game,” he said. “Obviously I do this for a way of living, for a job, but everything happens in due time. I’ve been very patient. You’ve just got to continue to work at it. It’s not something that I’m going to give up on. I’m going to always work every single day to get better.”

Bradley Jr. also believes that his former team, the Gamecocks, will be better beginning next season. He said South Carolina has the talent and coaching to turn things around in a hurry.

“That’s one of the best schools in the country. They play in an amazing conference and they’re coached by one of the best in the game in Chad Holbrook,” Bradley Jr. said. “They’ve got the talent to be successful day in and day out and I’m sure they’re going to have a great season.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Jackie Bradley Jr. has career week for Red Sox."