Jed Bradley traded to Braves for PTBNL/cash; Latest: Bradley outrighted off Braves' 40-man

[dacbrewers]

A few years back Caleb Theilbar was released and made it to the majors with the Twins...another lefty.

[TheCrew07]

Back on topic, I'm taking a bit of heat on the initial Bradley Twitter take (see subsequent replies), maybe why I don't have many "hot" takes .

 

Another reason why we try and accentuate the positive around here within this forum, I suppose. If we can't question the Brewers' PD on Bradley's non-development and subsequent success (even if we can review the actual numbers a bunch of ways to indicate it's not that glaring a failure), then it's almost like the PD system is Teflon, which shouldn't be the case within our discussions either.

 

We don't want to come down too hard on the young men we follow, so if we question the development staff, it can still come across as unfair to the player. A double-edged sword in terms of having legitimate but fair discussions.

 

No Jim, I think you stated your opinion clearly and without malice, many people are going to jump to the defense of the organization simply because of their fandom or because they have formed relationships with people in those roles. Objectively I'm not sure how anyone could make a compelling argument in a positive manner in regards to the organization's track record developing pitchers, especially the LH pitchers they've let go and have gone on to success elsewhere.

 

I've been on the other side of the fence with this kind of thing and it can be incredibly difficult for people on the inside to accept that they could have done better, or see the issues from a different perspective, especially when there are plenty of people in your ear telling you that you did the best you could. Even if that's true all of us can always do better... and that doesn't mean that your best is good enough for the position you're in.

 

This is a difficult concept to explain, but more often than not distance is the issue. Too far away and you don't have enough information to form a well educated opinion and too close you can be too wrapped up in the details to see the truth, there's a sweet spot there where distance and information gives perspective.

 

However, this is the curse of honestly commenting on situations, it's one of the reasons it's so hard to get Link Reporters, sooner or later everyone gets tired of constantly defending their opinion against a flood of excuses or combative posts. Either you quit helping or you quit offering subjective opinions, MH keeps it positive and most everyone else has walked away.

[homer]

Bradley's 2016 AA stint for the Braves was nearly identical to his 2015 AA stint for the Brewers from a rate perspective. We shall see if his improvement is real or a mirage. Maybe a change of scenery was good for him or maybe his luck just turned around. We shall see...

[Mass Haas]

I would tend to think that this has more to do with a change of scenery for Bradley than a miracle working training staff with Atlanta.

 

CWH, I respectfully would say that's just too simplistic.

 

The term "change of scenery" is used most often to describe a swap of veterans, or at least the movement of one. Players who have accomplished something at some point in their pro careers, have fallen on hard times in terms of production, and hope to find it elsewhere. That's not Bradley's case.

 

As part of the previously linked Twitter conversation, I stated "Change of scenery has always implied new staff, new voices, new ideas; doesn't just mean new physical location."

 

This isn't about me tooting the horn for LHP Anthony Banda, either, which I've certainly done. Banda had already turned a significant improvement while with the Timber Rattlers (kudos, Brewers scouting and development), and along with Mitch Haniger, provided value for a legitimate return. Let's also note that I was never sour on the Haniger loss, and have been merely updating everyone on his recent excellent minor league exploits, which, sure enough, have led to a big league stint.

 

Back to Bradley.

 

Obviously this is speculation, but in two scenarios, and I lean towards the latter:

 

The Braves, in particular during Bradley's AA stints against their Mississippi team, saw something in Bradley and also saw a flaw they felt they could address or correction they could make, and reached out to Milwaukee.

 

The Brewers, on the verge of having to release Bradley (don't say we couldn't all see it coming, and soon), basically send out an email blast to 29 other clubs inviting interest. Trading Bradley, a 15th overall pick, even if for a token sum, would allow the Brewers to save face to some extent. The Braves also noted the home state connection and took the flier.

[jerichoholicninja]

He sucked for however long he was here and put up half a good year in the minors. I fail to see what all the fuss is about.

[DHonks]

Is he the new Kelly Wunsch?

[CheezWizHed]

The term "change of scenery" is used most often to describe a swap of veterans, or at least the movement of one. Players who have accomplished something at some point in their pro careers, have fallen on hard times in terms of production, and hope to find it elsewhere. That's not Bradley's case. As part of the previously linked Twitter conversation, I stated "Change of scenery has always implied new staff, new voices, new ideas; doesn't just mean new physical location."

 

I wasn't inferring that we don't have a player development issue. I just don't think Jed's performance this year can be pinned on it.

 

Anthony Banda: I don't think he fits this discussion at all. He was a lightly heralded player (due to low draft status) that was succeeding in our organization and some GM has the brains to grab him as part of a trade prior to he really broke-out. This is Lind for Freddy Peralta in reverse. So he falls under a failure to identify talent and not a failure to develop talent.

 

Mitch Haniger: Here is your poster child for poor player development. Started well, but ground to a stand-still in our AA teams. He was traded away and performed exactly as he did here initially. But then, after time and coaching, suddenly showed improvement and made the MLB team.

 

Jed Bradley: Similar to Mitch in that he started out ok, but ground to a halt in our organization. However in contrast to Mitch needing some time before he turned things around, Jed has pitched in 18 games for Atlanta and is suddenly a 2 ERA starting pitcher. What possibly could player development done to immediately turn him around? Even in the 3 months since we traded him in the middle of a season, it would be very difficult to make any major changes. Perhaps a tweak (e.g. pitch from other side of rubber, identify he is tipping a pitch, etc..) could be done right away, but not something that can be really attributed to teaching him how to pitch.

 

More likely, I see a southern boy from Georgia Tech being drafted by the Brewers. Then things don't go as well as planned. He starts well, but then struggles. Eventually to the point where you are "banished" to the bullpen. Things improve slightly, but then again end up poorly. I'm sure by this time, there are frustrations on both Jed's and the Brewer's side.

 

Now he gets a trade to Atlanta...his home town team. A fresh start, a move back into a starting role... that is a LOT of mental relief that can be had from a change of scenery. And with such a quick turn-around, I'd attribute it to the fresh start far more than Atlanta coaching. If Atlanta coaches did anything, they probably just told him to stop thinking and go out and throw it. There just isn't enough time passed for any coaching to really take effect.

 

But again, I'm not saying the Brewer's shouldn't be looking at their development processes or people. I'm just saying that I don't see Jed's turnaround these last 3 months as evidence of that directly.

 

Also FYI, I wasn't making any references to the Twitter-verse. I have not seen what you posted, nor any of the comments. Just making my own observation on Jed's bounce-back.

[Boomer5]

Banda and Haniger are irrelevant to this discussion. Yes they were traded but they were traded for a very real asset in Parra who became Davies who is our best pitcher.

 

On the other hand, Bradley was not developed by our staff and Stearns didnt recognize what he was and dumped him for pennies on the dollar.

 

I guess we can brush it off to "stuff happens" but there is no way this can be spun as a plus for an organization that must be smarter than most of the league if they want to have sustained success.

[dacbrewers]

Having aggressive assignments does not answer the development question at BC by a long shot. You have guys like Coulter who were a mess there and figured it out, ironically, at a higher level. A pitcher like Ponce has not been good and that's not an aggressive assignment for him. Rijo is below the Mendoza line. We can make excuses until we are blue in the face. Some of Medeiros' peers (high school arms taken in the first round in 2014) like Sheffield and Kopech are far surpassing Medeiros at the same level. Diplan and Peralta may have moved up young, but they arguably did what they needed to get up to high A.

 

You can look case by case and find excuses, but it's a fair question to analyze the group as a whole. No one here is trying to fire anyone, but you can look at a particular coach and see how they got through to a body of players. If they all foundered, despite having some high picks to work with, then you have your answer to that particular coach/instructor.

 

There is very little media on these issues (other than a guy like Charlie Greene being commended), so it's tough for us to analyze it, but I am sure that Stearns and Flanagan are studying it. The analysis should not be limited to BC by a long shot. I grant you that. The pitchers at AAA have a tough draw but many of them went bananas to the downside. There is a way to attack it there as even Jacob Barnes pointed out, and it has not been handled well there at all. Nottingham and Phillips lost momentum at AA. Some of the Wisconsin and Helena guys have been slow learners.

Still don't think Coulter has figured it out as much as the other teams have figured out how to get him out since his callup to AA. Over the last 10 games his batting average is .189

[TigerUppercut]

Banda and Haniger are irrelevant to this discussion. Yes they were traded but they were traded for a very real asset in Parra who became Davies who is our best pitcher.

 

On the other hand, Bradley was not developed by our staff and Stearns didnt recognize what he was and dumped him for pennies on the dollar.

 

I guess we can brush it off to "stuff happens" but there is no way this can be spun as a plus for an organization that must be smarter than most of the league if they want to have sustained success.

 

What exactly are we saying that Bradley is? You're acting as if he's a difference maker based on the last sentence of your post.

[Mass Haas]

What exactly are we saying that Bradley is? You're acting as if he's a difference maker based on the last sentence of your post.

 

Nobody, including myself who kicked off the discussion, thinks this is Boston giving up on future Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell.

 

Everybody who is in the camp that this is no big deal shrugs it off because it's highly unlikely that Bradley will do much in the major leagues.

 

And he probably won't. They also all seem to point to the first half of 2015 when comparing recent numbers, rather than the more relevant first half of 2016.

 

That's fine.

 

But for many of us who painstakingly struggled with trying to put Bradley's performances in middling starts and in insignificant relief appearances for four and a half years into relevance, while balancing the fact he was the 15th pick overall, bouncing up and down (and down) from level to level within the organization, might be frustrated to see three recent consecutive starts that look like these.

 

(And yes, he walked ten in 12 innings over his next two starts...)

 

But as noted by others, no big deal, the Brewers did the best they could with Bradley. Good for those coaches for trying. Yay, Brewers!

[Mass Haas]

Bradley began his career as a starter for the Brewers before moving to the bullpen in 2015. He said he welcomed the move back to starting and credited pitching coaches Dennis Lewallyn (Mississippi) and Mike Alvarez (Gwinnett) with helping him improve. “I just try to keep things simple, attack the strike zone,” Bradley said. “Be the best I can be on any given day and not give hitters too much credit.”

 

Yes, that's cliché-ish and generic, just passing it along (from this link).

 

***

 

My bad on saying "home state" earlier - Jed's a Huntsville, Alabama native, as has been well-documented here over the years; the "home" part refers to Georgia Tech.

[battlekow]

More likely, I see a southern boy from Georgia Tech being drafted by the Brewers. Then things don't go as well as planned. He starts well, but then struggles. Eventually to the point where you are "banished" to the bullpen. Things improve slightly, but then again end up poorly. I'm sure by this time, there are frustrations on both Jed's and the Brewer's side.

 

Now he gets a trade to Atlanta...his home town team. A fresh start, a move back into a starting role... that is a LOT of mental relief that can be had from a change of scenery. And with such a quick turn-around, I'd attribute it to the fresh start far more than Atlanta coaching. If Atlanta coaches did anything, they probably just told him to stop thinking and go out and throw it. There just isn't enough time passed for any coaching to really take effect.

I mean, as MH said, he's from Huntsville. He literally pitched for Huntsville in 2014 and spent the majority of his 2014-16 Brewers tenure in the state of Alabama. His entire Brewers minor league career was spent, with the exception of his short stint in Colorado Springs last year, within 2 states and 10 hours of his hometown.

[Noche]

Bradley began his career as a starter for the Brewers before moving to the bullpen in 2015. He said he welcomed the move back to starting and credited pitching coaches Dennis Lewallyn (Mississippi) and Mike Alvarez (Gwinnett) with helping him improve. “I just try to keep things simple, attack the strike zone,” Bradley said. “Be the best I can be on any given day and not give hitters too much credit.”

 

Yes, that's cliché-ish and generic, just passing it along (from this link).

 

***

 

My bad on saying "home state" earlier - Jed's a Huntsville, Alabama native, as has been well-documented here over the years; the "home" part refers to Georgia Tech.

 

"Throw strikes Jed and don't be scared out there!"

 

"Now ya tell me!"

[CheezWizHed]

I mean, as MH said, he's from Huntsville. He literally pitched for Huntsville in 2014 and spent the majority of his 2014-16 Brewers tenure in the state of Alabama. His entire Brewers minor league career was spent, with the exception of his short stint in Colorado Springs last year, within 2 states and 10 hours of his hometown.

 

[sarcasm]Yep. Its all clear now. I'm wrong. The Atlanta staff must of fixed (in mere days after the trade) all the damage Brewer coaching did in the years we had him.[/sarcasm]

 

I'm sure the Atlanta staff did give him a different way to look at things. But I'm also sure the chance to start over (while starting again) with new bosses and new teammates gives a pretty big mental uplift.

 

That is the essence of a "change of scenary"

[reillymcshane]

Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but wasn't this the exact kind of player Bradley was in college? Wasn't he inconsistent then? Just curious.

[Boomer5]

Jed made his MLB debut. 12 pitch inning. 9 strikes. 1 K. 1 Win.

[Mass Haas]

Jed made his MLB debut. 12 pitch inning. 9 strikes. 1 K. 1 Win.

 

VIDEO: K'd 1st batter on three pitches, bottom of the 9th in a 4-4 game

 

Freddy Galvis was next, he was retired in the 1-2-3 inning but not before yanking a potential walk-off home-run foul by a foot or two.

 

Bradley's reaction: "I thought I had a minor coronary."

 

Game of inches determines the result of his big league debut.

[Greenleaf1]

Orioles claimed Bradley off waivers from the Braves.

 

Kind of settles the debate a little about whether or not he actually figured it out in Atlanta. If a rebuilding team doesn't even want to hold onto him....

[adambr2]

Yeah, that's true. I'm surprised the Braves just let him walk like that.

[balsamlaker]

Makes me feel a little better. Even with the great minor league stats for Atlanta, they were not impressed enough to keep him on the 40-man.

[LouisEly]

Orioles claimed Bradley off waivers from the Braves.

 

Kind of settles the debate a little about whether or not he actually figured it out in Atlanta. If a rebuilding team doesn't even want to hold onto him....

He was claimed by a playoff team though.

[trwi7]

Orioles claimed Bradley off waivers from the Braves.

 

Kind of settles the debate a little about whether or not he actually figured it out in Atlanta. If a rebuilding team doesn't even want to hold onto him....

He was claimed by a playoff team though.

 

Showalter is going to use him over Britton.

[DHonks]

Seeing himnin Sept, his velocity seemed down 2-4 mph from last year

[Fear The Chorizo]

Orioles claimed Bradley off waivers from the Braves.

 

Kind of settles the debate a little about whether or not he actually figured it out in Atlanta. If a rebuilding team doesn't even want to hold onto him....

He was claimed by a playoff team though.

 

with how the waiver process works, doesn't that mean that every non-playoff team passed on him, along with every team in the NL, meaning a vast majority of MLB teams didn't want to bother giving him a 40-man roster spot?