Milton Bradley: Baseball’s Tortured Soul

Walk into any sports bar in American and utter the words ‘Milton Bradley’ and the first thing you’ll probably hear is, ‘he’s a jerk’, and that’s only if the crowd is on their best manners. Chances are you’ll be met with a much more colorful phrase, but what’s lost in this assessment is his ability as a true five-tool player. Unfortunately, his reputation precedes his ability, often times overshadowing it. Thus is the life of baseball’s tortured soul.

Bradley’s a fighter, it’s what makes him a great baseball player, yet it also causes him to go after umpires, announcers, or even fans when he feels slighted. Bradley knows who he is. He’s well aware that he’s his own worst enemy, and that the fans, umpires, and media hate him, he just doesn’t care. That’s what makes him so fascinating. As much as people hate him, they can’t help but watch him. He embodies all the characteristics of a great post-modern figure. Tragic events following him at every turn as he flames out and self-destructs each time he arrives on the cusp of greatness, forever his own worst enemy.

Last year he looked like he was finally ready to break out of his trap after being dealt from the Athletics to the Padres, by hitting an incident free .313/.414/.590 with 11 homers and 30 RBI after joining the club on July 7. The deal was the turning point in San Diego’s season, as Bradley’s arrival had them poised to capture the NL West crown.

Staying true to form, Bradley self-destructed on September 22, taking the Padres down with him. As the story goes, after Bradley hit a single into the outfield, he started jawing with Umpire Mike Winters at first base. The situation quickly escalated and Winters to called him a “bleeping piece of s***.” Bradley lost it and had to be restrained from attacking Winters. As Bud Black was pulling him away from the scene Bradley twisted his knee and tore his ACL.

The incident wasn’t entirely Bradley’s fault. Winters shouldn’t have said what he said even though Bradley provoked the umpires twice earlier in the game, his team shouldn’t have tried to carry him off the field, but at the end of the day, Bradley should have kept his emotions in check. Winters ended up being suspended for five games by Major League Baseball, but Bradley was the real loser in this situation. The Padres ended up finishing the final week of the season 4-3, and then lost a one game playoff with the Rockies for the NL West crown, causing him to miss the playoffs for the second time due to a suspension. The other coming in 2004 during an incident in which he threw a bottle at a fan while with the Dodgers.

“There was nothing I did to get sent out of the game,” Bradley said. “It just so happened I got hurt. I got kicked out of the game. I come back the next day, everything’s beautiful. And we make the playoffs. We only had to win one game.”

For Bradley the worst of it, at least on a personal level, was that the incident only reinforced his reputation as a loose cannon, which is why he was only able to command $5.25 million as a free agent.

“Say Hello to the Bad Guy,” Bradley explained earlier this year during a press conference during a moment of introspection, “That’s going to be my song - Jay-Z, on the ‘American Gangster’ soundtrack. I’m the angry guy. I’m the bad guy. I’m fighting through it.”

Bradley isn’t exactly working to put his demons to rest, but for now it seems that he has them in check. There was a recent incident where he tried to go after Royals announcer Ryan Laefebvre after hearing the broadcaster make a derogatory remark about him on air. Lefebvre had complimented Josh Hamilton for taking responsibility for his mistakes and then added, “it doesn’t appear Milton Bradley has done the same thing in his life.” After hearing the remarks, Bradley became incensed and had to be restrained by Rangers manager Ron Washington and GM Jon Daniels before he could charge the booth.

“All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had, that’s it,’ Bradley explained after the incident. “I love all you guys… I’m strong, but I’m not that strong.”

At 30 years-old, chances are he’s never going to change, but he may finally realize what’s at stake now. As crazy as he may be, he’s an ever better ball player, yet no one seems to notice. When speaking about him someone is more likely to mention his name in conjunction with Elijah Dukes than they are with the game’s elite hitters. Bradley belongs in both categories, but his talent and accomplishments shouldn’t be lost in the shadow of his temper.

You’d never know that Bradley’s current line of .329/.451/.630 places him atop of the American League leader board in each category. Or that with 15 homers (fourth overall) and 46 RBI (seventh) he’s in reach of a triple crown. He’d have to increase his RBI production considerably as he’s 27 off the pace Hamilton has set, but it’s not completely out of reach.

Bradley’s a legitimate talent, and a legitimate time bomb. The question is: will he ever keep himself in check long enough to realize his potential? Maybe more importantly, can he stay healthy? He’s only once played in more than 101 games in season.

“You take my last five years, and put those numbers and put them over a 162-game season, I’m pretty damn good. Let’s be honest-I’m a five-tool guy here. There is no risk. You pay me $5 million as a five-tool guy, I’m underpaid. What other five-tool guys are there? Jimmy Rollins? Carlos Beltran? Look what they’re making. Look what I’m making. So I’m a steal, I’m a bargain, in my words.”

A five-tool player? Yes. No risk? I’d like to disagree here. At least until he can prove otherwise, but even if he does, who will take notice?