Milton Bradley (baseball player)
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| Oakland Athletics — No. 22 | |
| Right Fielder | |
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| July 19, 2000 for the Montreal Expos | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
|
| Batting average | .270 |
| RBI | 285 |
| Home runs | 68 |
| Former teams | |
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Milton Obelle Bradley (born April 15, 1978 in Harbor City, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics.
He was drafted from high school in the second round of the 1996 draft by the Montréal Expos. He is 6'0" and weighs 205 pounds. He is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed. His first Major League Baseball game was on July 19, 2000 for the Montreal Expos. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians on July 31, 2001 for Zach Day. Days before the start of the 2004 season he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for prospects Franklin Gutierrez and Andrew Brown, following an altercation with Indians manager Eric Wedge. In 2004 he earned a salary of $1,730,000. He was a regular member of the lineup for the Dodgers in 2004, where he posted a batting average of .265. On December 13, 2005, Bradley was traded to the Oakland Athletics along with infielder Antonio Pérez for outfielder Andre Ethier, who at the time was a minor league prospect. He has a career batting average of .269 with 54 home runs and 233 RBI in 534 career games over six Major League seasons. However, Bradley is frequently criticized in regards to his defensive skills for failing to execute the fundamentals of baseball. Bradley is also known for his disregard for his body in diving for balls hit in front of him in the outfield, occasionally robbing players of base hits in spectacular fashion.
Since the 2002 season, his first full season in the majors, Bradley has had an increasingly larger role in the offense for his teams. He improved his on-base percentage to .421 in 2003 before it dropped off in 2004. He performed well in the 2005 season, which was injury-plagued once again. He has logged over 500 at bats in a season only once, in 2004.
[edit] Controversial moments
Bradley's career has also been mired by legal troubles and several notable on-field incidents.
- In June 2004, after being ejected from a game against Milwaukee by umpire Terry Craft, Bradley left his batting glove, bat, and helmet in the batter's box and threw a bag of baseballs from the dugout on to the field.
- In September 2004, reacting from a fan throwing a plastic beer bottle on the field during a home game against the Colorado Rockies, Bradley threw it from the field violently into the front row. Major League Baseball suspended him for five games.
- In October 2004, during a media session for the National League Divisional Series, he called African American Los Angeles Times Reporter Jason Reid an Uncle Tom and "sellout" during a media session in the Dodgers club house after Reid asked a question about how St. Louis Cardinals fans had treated him. However Bradley later apologized to Reid for making the remark and Reid accepted the apology.
- In December 2004, he served three days in jail related to a November incident. Bradley was a passenger in a car that had been stopped for a traffic violation. Bradley exited the vehicle and began arguing with the police. After being asked to return to the vehicle, Bradley refused, and was arrested. He refused to sign the citation and was charged with obstructing official business.
- On January 10, 2006, he filed for divorce from his wife of 11 months, Monique Bradley.
- In 2005, Bradley accused teammate Jeff Kent of discriminating against African Americans after he was criticized by the infielder for not hustling. Kent has denied the charge.
- On October 4, 2006, during the middle of the 4th inning of the 2006 American League Division Series, Bradley threw his water bottle onto a shelf in the dugout. The water bottle knocked over a cup of coffee which landed on the A's starting pitcher of the evening, Esteban Loaiza. The next inning an argument ensued between Bradley and the A's batting coach, Gerald Perry, regarding this minor incident. However, during the next game Perry and Bradley embraced after the latter hit a home run and Bradley and Loaiza were seen joking about the situation.
[edit] Community work
Bradley has made an effort to have an active role in the community. He founded "Bradley's Youth" while still with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a program for kids to get a chance to meet Bradley before games.
