Should Jackie Bradley Jr be traded?

[mvp 78]

Very good analysis. When you watch JD at the plate and compare him to Bradley the difference is striking. Remy during one of the broadcasts asked the production crew to put them on the screen side by side but I don't think that ever happened. JD's head follows the ball all the way to contact; Bradley does not. Like you said, he isn't going to change, partly because he has had too much practice repeating bad habits and partly because he is resistant to coaching. For the past week he is batting .300 with an OPS over .800, but I don't see that lasting for long. His swing has too many mechanical flaws.

 

He's gone on 30 day tears every year since 2015. He's probably due for another sooner than later.

[Maxbialystock]

JBJ has been a disaster this year, and I'm glad the Sox DFA'd him.

 

Well, I almost said that and am glad I did not. Cora gambled on him and, for now, has won. Good for Cora and for all the other JBJ boosters. I did think that was a remarkable catch yesterday in a spot where most outfielders would not have attempted what JBJ in fact did. I still think, as good as he is in the field, JBJ has to hit decently to stay in the lineup.

 

What I have liked in the past about Beni, Bradley, and Betts is that overall they are a pretty good outfield in the field and at the plate.

[moonslav59]

I'm not an expert on swings, but I don't notice much difference in JBJ's swing when he's hot or cold.

[mvp 78]

882 OPS since May 20th.

 

When he has his hot streaks, his HR total usually climbs. Hasn't happened so far.

[jad]

I'm not an expert on swings, but I don't notice much difference in JBJ's swing when he's hot or cold.

 

I agree. But the one subtlety I do notice, given my expert eyes and experience, is that when he's on a hot streak, he tends to get a much higher % of hits than he does when he's not. (Let me know if you need any more insights into his game.)

[Maxbialystock]

I agree. But the one subtlety I do notice, given my expert eyes and experience, is that when he's on a hot streak, he tends to get a much higher % of hits than he does when he's not. (Let me know if you need any more insights into his game.)

 

I have noticed that, amazingly enough. He also tends to make contact with the ball more and for some reason opposing fielders don't catch as many of the balls he hits. Bill James doesn't pick up on this kind of stuff.

[oldtimer]

I'm not an expert on swings, but I don't notice much difference in JBJ's swing when he's hot or cold.

 

When JBJ is going badly there are a couple of things he does which hurts his solid contact rate. The first is he pulls his head up instead of watching the ball to the bat (hitting 101), the other he tends to take a long looping swing which means less time in the contact zone. Williams used to preach to swing in the plain of the ball as it dropped to mximize the probability of solid contact. He has been getting coaching and perhaps he has realized he is on a short leash (make changes and improve or we can't keep playing you). I noticed a difference with less movement of his head and maybe a slightly flatter swing. Could be I am just seeing what I hope to see or that he has really made as couple of meaningful changes. I have never doubted that JBJ wants to do whatever it takes to get going, it just seemed like he was lost. Having him hitting better would be a godsend for the team.

[jung]

When JBJ is going badly there are a couple of things he does which hurts his solid contact rate. The first is he pulls his head up instead of watching the ball to the bat (hitting 101), the other he tends to take a long looping swing which means less time in the contact zone. Williams used to preach to swing in the plain of the ball as it dropped to mximize the probability of solid contact. He has been getting coaching and perhaps he has realized he is on a short leash (make changes and improve or we can't keep playing you). I noticed a difference with less movement of his head and maybe a slightly flatter swing. Could be I am just seeing what I hope to see or that he has really made as couple of meaningful changes. I have never doubted that JBJ wants to do whatever it takes to get going, it just seemed like he was lost. Having him hitting better would be a godsend for the team.

 

You could tell that through this last really bad period, JBJ simply could not see the baseball to the strike zone. He was losing it way out in front of the strike zone. As a result fouling off a straight as a rail FB became a challenge.

 

Still and all, at age 28 he is producing a .235 BA and a .715 OPS for a career and that is due to how much is going on in his swing all the time and how seldom he is capable of keeping all of that noise and busyness in his swing guided toward actually hitting the darn baseball. If he had actually resolved the base issues with his hitting he would not be working on a .235/.715 at age 28 with 1887 ML AB's under his belt and producing a .184/.516 in his 6th year in the majors on 147 AB's.

 

And yes, you are right, not only is JBJ's lower body noisy and his upper body noisy and his head all over the place, but there are times when he can't keep his hands inside and his swing gets big! .235/.715 after this long a time is not some accident or fate.

[cp176]

I agree. But the one subtlety I do notice, given my expert eyes and experience, is that when he's on a hot streak, he tends to get a much higher % of hits than he does when he's not. (Let me know if you need any more insights into his game.)

 

I like this!

[moonslav59]

I agree. But the one subtlety I do notice, given my expert eyes and experience, is that when he's on a hot streak, he tends to get a much higher % of hits than he does when he's not. (Let me know if you need any more insights into his game.)

 

He still has a long swing, when he's in a hot streak.

[kenmeister]

I’m done with JBJ.

 

That's me from May 12th. What a difference about 3 weeks makes. This team looks so much better with a JBJ who can be counted on for one big hit and at least one big defensive play a night.

[Slasher9]

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 29-13. .690 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 8-4. .666 winning %

[moonslav59]

That's me from May 12th. What a difference about 3 weeks makes. This team looks so much better with a JBJ who can be counted on for one big hit and at least one big defensive play a night.

 

JBJ always looks bad on offense for long stretches every year. He also has a hot streak(s) every year, except his first one.

 

This should be expected. I'm not sure why so many thought this year would be different.

[mvp 78]

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 29-13. .690 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 8-4. .666 winning %

 

On 5/23 it was:

 

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 26-11. .702 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 7-4. .636 winning %

 

Sox are 3-2 with JBJ since this issue was first addressed. Sox are 1-0 when he sits. He's choking under the pressure!

[Maxbialystock]

Red Sox record with JBj starting: 29-13. .690 winning %

Red Sox record without JBj starting: 8-4. .666 winning %

 

if the Sox win tonight, they will b 5-2 without Mookie in the lineup.

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

For what it's worth, in JBJ's last seven games when he's batted, he is hitting .304 (7 for 23) with three doubles, one triple and a .882 OPS. With his average as low as it's been, it's going to take awhile for it to become respectable, but maybe he finally has turned the corner with his hitting.

 

He also hit one right on the screws that was right at the outfielder.

[a700hitter]

if the Sox win tonight, they will b 5-2 without Mookie in the lineup.

Who needs him!

[Slasher9]

Who needs him!

 

Lol. This is kind of great. Everyone is stepping up. Gotta love a team like that.

No reason to rush him back.

[moonslav59]

He also hit one right on the screws that was right at the outfielder.

 

Yes, he's hitting the ball harder even in his outs.

[Elktonnick]

He still has a long swing, when he's in a hot streak.

 

I beg to differ. He has shortened his swing recently. It is quite noticeable. As Jerry Remy often says "He kept his hands inside the baseball"

[S5Dewey]

I beg to differ. He has shortened his swing recently. It is quite noticeable. As Jerry Remy often says "He kept his hands inside the baseball"

 

It's hard to tell given the fact that we don't get all camera angles. My take on it is between what Moon and Elk said. IMO his swing is now shorter on the inside pitches but it still gets a little loopy on pitches on the outside part of the plate. Last night he even had a good swing or three on pitches on the outside. That's called progress and I like it.

[moonslav59]

I beg to differ. He has shortened his swing recently. It is quite noticeable. As Jerry Remy often says "He kept his hands inside the baseball"

 

I'm still seeing a very long swing.

 

Like I said, I'm not an expert on swing analysis, but I really don't see a shortened swing.

[S5Dewey]

They showed a replay of one of JBJ's hits last night on a pitch near the center of the plate and I liked the arm/wrist action in his swing. The thing that concerned me was his shoulders. They don't appear to be stable, making a good hitting "platform". There are still a few more moving parts in the swing than I like due to the shoulder motion but I'm seeing improvement.

[Bellhorn04]

If our hitting coach would just read Talksox, JBJ would be a .300 hitter.

[a700hitter]

If our hitting coach would just read Talksox, JBJ would be a .300 hitter.

And if our 3B coaches were members, we would have less guys thrown out at the plate.

[Elktonnick]

The coaches and Bradley all know what his problems are. The problem is in the execution. " During the swing, the back elbow should come close to the rib cage and the barrel of the bat should stay above the hands. With a high back elbow, the elbow has to travel a much greater distance and at a much faster rate of speed. When this happens, the barrel of the bat will drop below the hands, the front elbow will rise, and you will have a long swing. If this goes on for very long, you have created a habit - a very bad habit."

 

When Bradley is going bad it is clearly noticeable that JBJ's elbow was well away from his rib cage. The last week or so he began to steadily correct this. It happened when he hit an inside pitch about five games ago. More recently one notices his elbow closer to his body.

[jung]

If our hitting coach would just read Talksox, JBJ would be a .300 hitter.

 

For a week

[jung]

I should also point out that JBJ's .235BA is not far from what we always said would be fine by us, a .250 and maybe a .750-.775 OPS.

 

Crash was right and he is right. The dif between .235 and .250 is a dying quail, an infield hit, a seeing eye per week at most. But JBJ cannot go up there and just swing at air AB after AB or he will not get hat dying quail or infield hit per week.

 

He is what he is. His swing has too many moving parts and he simply cannot either control them nor does he even make much of an effort to recognize what is happening to them enough to change his career slash profile.

 

JBJ thinks his swing is not changing and he refuses to modify it when in fact its changing all the time. He let that torso mess of his get so out of hand in 2014 that he was literally turning himself into a corkscrew in the batters box.

 

While dropping his front shoulder is getting it out of the way of his head thus preventing him from tilting his head to the point where he can't even see the ball into the strike zone, he will go too far with that eventually...bet the mortgage on it and he will be turning his whole upper body into the strike zone before too long. Christ Catchers will be complaining that he is blocking their effort to catch the ball.

 

Sorry to sound sarcastic. But I have simply watched too many JBJ AB's and he is now too much of an old dog. He's not going to change. He would have to completely rebuild his swing to a much quieter swing and then we would have to graft JD's head onto JBJ's body so that JBJ thought about hitting the way JD thinks about hitting.

 

JD does not care what his swing feels like. He cares what his swing looks like. If it looks right, the feel will come. If as a hitter, you depend on feel, you might feel great and have the worst swing anybody ever saw. If we can't tell that is what JBJ has been doing for 6 years at least, we have just not been watching.

[mvp 78]

Hi K% isn't even much higher than normal. I think the hits will start falling eventually. I just don't know if his BABIP decrease is due to something besides luck.

 

Also, is JBJ's average 235? That's career, right? If some people think a 750 OPS is acceptable for him then the problem is that his career OPS is only 713. Last year he was 725. Is that acceptable?

[jung]

Hi K% isn't even much higher than normal. I think the hits will start falling eventually. I just don't know if his BABIP decrease is due to something besides luck.

 

Also, is JBJ's average 235? That's career, right? If some people think a 750 OPS is acceptable for him then the problem is that his career OPS is only 713. Last year he was 725. Is that acceptable?

 

I would like to see his OPS higher. But his career BA means he is constantly threatening the Mendoza line. Just hit me .250 and crawl up to a .750 OPS and I will take that. Even just the .250...I will take that on a team that is really depending on its rotation and a strong 1-6 in the batting order. The rotation pays the bills around here if you want to talk about wins then defense supports the rotation that is paying the bills. Not much sense in pinning for better hitting out of 7-9 when 1-6 is really where the runs are going to come from.

 

Actually if anything I would prefer our Catchers be better receivers and defenders as catchers than they have shown so far this year than worry about how much hitting Vaz or Sandy are or are not doing. They need to improve their defense and they need to be not more than decent bat handlers at the plate. That is what irks me about bench guys and guys down in the order not being able to handle the bat. Move the ball to the opposite field. Get me a fly ball when I need it. Get me a bunt when I need it and I will take the hit you give one out of every 4-5 AB's. That is really all those guys should be able to do.