BOSTON — With a voice as gentle as an evening breeze and barely more audible, Jackie Bradley Jr. speaks softly. The problem was, for much of the last three seasons, so had his bat.
Bradley has been a superb outfielder, one of the best in baseball, and the promise he showed in the Boston Red Sox system was a reason the team did not bust its budget two years ago to retain center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. But then every time the Red Sox gave him an opportunity, he showed them he could not hit major league pitching — until now.