Milton Bradley (baseball)
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Milton Obelle Bradley, Jr. (born April 15, 1978) is an American former professional
Born in
After becoming a free agent, Bradley signed with the Chicago Cubs in January 2009, who traded him in December of that year to the Seattle Mariners. In Seattle, Bradley batted .205 in 2010 and .218 in 2011 before he was released by the club. He has a career
In 2013, Bradley was convicted by a jury of nine counts of physically attacking and threatening his wife including four counts of spousal battery, two counts of criminal threats, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of vandalism and one count of brandishing a deadly weapon, and was sentenced to 32 months in prison.
Early life
Bradley was born on April 15, 1978, in Harbor City, California.
Bradley played baseball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and was a teammate of
Major League Baseball career
Montreal Expos (1996–2001)
Bradley began his professional baseball career with the
Finishing 76–66, the Senators played the
For the 2001 Expos, Bradley played 67 games, including one on April 26 in which he
In Milton Bradley we are getting a top-of-the-order, middle-of-the-diamond player we feel will have a major impact at the major-league level in the near future.[18]
Cleveland Indians (2001–2003)
After the deal, Bradley was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and reported to the team on August 2.[19] In addition to the 30 games he played for the Bisons, he also played 10 games for the major league Indians.[8][20]
On April 15, 2002, he was placed on the
Bradley spent the 2003 campaign with the Indians. Despite being placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right hamstring and missing the final six weeks of the season with a lower back injury, he led the team in stolen bases, with 17.[25][26] On August 30, while on the DL with a back injury, he was ticketed for speeding in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. After being stopped, he refused the ticket and sped away.[27] He pleaded not guilty to speeding and fleeing charges on September 12, but was sentenced to a three-day jail term. The ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court of Ohio in December 2004.[28]
On November 19, 2003 he signed a one-year, $1.73 million contract with the Indians for the Indians to avoid
Los Angeles Dodgers (2004–2005)
When we traded for Milton, I think we knew everything that came along with it. We knew the past, we don't necessarily think that everything's going to be completely different because he came to a different place. That's fine. I would take nine Milton Bradleys if I could get them.
— Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta[31]
In his first game with the Dodgers, playing
During the offseason, Bradley went through anger management counseling.[38] In a game against the San Francisco Giants on April 12, 2005, he drove in two runs with a single to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, the winning run then scoring on Jason Ellison's error in the same play.[39][40] On August 25, 2005, after hitting .290 with 38 RBIs in 75 games, he was put on the 15-day DL with a torn patellar tendon and anterior cruciate ligament which rendered him inactive for the remainder of the season.[41] On December 13, 2005, the Dodgers traded him to the Oakland Athletics along with infielder Antonio Pérez for outfielder prospect Andre Ethier.[42]
Oakland Athletics (2006–2007)
In his first season with the Oakland Athletics, Bradley posted a .276 batting average with 14 home runs and 52
On June 21, 2007, the Athletics
San Diego Padres (2007)
Bradley started his tenure with the Padres on the 15-day DL, but came off it on July 7; in July, he batted .364 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 18 games.[34] On September 23, 2007, however, he tore his right
Winters was suspended for the remainder of the season and also spent the postseason on the restricted list for the incident, after MLB determined that he had indeed directed obscene language toward Bradley. Bradley was not suspended, MLB finding no need for such discipline since he did not make physical contact with Winters.[51]
Texas Rangers (2008)
After the 2007 season, Bradley agreed to a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers. He announced in early January 2008 that he expected to be healthy and ready to play in the season opener.
According to The Dallas Morning News Bradley attempted to confront Kansas City Royals television announcer Ryan Lefebvre in the press box following a June 2008 game for what he believed were unfair comments made on the air. As the Rangers' designated hitter, Bradley watched the broadcast when he was not batting and took offense to a comparison Lefebvre made between him and Josh Hamilton.[55] Manager Ron Washington and general manager Jon Daniels chased after him and stopped him before he got to Lefebvre, at which point he returned to the clubhouse in tears and said:
All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had, that's it. I love all you guys. … I'm strong, but I'm not that strong.[55]
He was quoted by Rangers radio broadcasters as saying that he never intended to physically harm Lefebvre but did want to speak to him; Daniels said he was upset that someone he didn't know was judging him.[55]
Chicago Cubs (2009)
On January 8, 2009, Bradley signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.[56] He was issued a two-game suspension for making contact with umpire Larry Vanover while arguing a strike call on April 16, which was reduced to one game on appeal.[57] During an interleague game against the Minnesota Twins on June 12, he caught a routine fly ball in right field and threw it into the stands, believing it was the third out of the inning when there were only two outs, with runners on third and first base.[58][59] The umpire allowed the runner on third to score as a sacrifice fly, and allowed the runner on first to advance to third (two bases are awarded to each runner at the time of throw when a wild throw goes out of bounds).[59]
Later that month, Cub manager Lou Piniella told Bradley to leave the dugout and go home after he "went after" a Gatorade cooler in frustration after flying out in another interleague game, against the Chicago White Sox. Piniella and Bradley later confronted each other in the locker room and exchanged words.[60] Piniella later apologized to Bradley, and reinserted him back into the lineup during the team's next start.[61]
On September 20, 2009, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry suspended Bradley for the remainder of the season after Bradley, in an interview with the Daily Herald, stated the team lacked a "positive environment", that there were "too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly" and that "[y]ou understand why [the Cubs] haven't won in 100 years here".[62] In response, Hendry stated he would not "tolerate [Bradley] not being able to answer questions from the media respectably."[63] Bradley later apologized to the Cubs organization for his remarks.[64] For the Cubs, Bradley hit .257 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs[8] before being traded to the Seattle Mariners for Carlos Silva and cash on December 18, 2009.[65]
Seattle Mariners (2010–2011)
Bradley was part of a flurry of offseason moves by the Mariners in hopes of returning to the playoffs, having not reached the postseason since 2001.
On May 9, 2011, the Mariners designated Bradley for assignment after starting the 2011 season hitting .218 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 28 games. Reportedly, the Mariners lost patience with Bradley due to his performance in a series against the White Sox. In the first game, he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the eighth inning, preventing the Mariners from putting in a pinch-runner due to not having enough available players. In the second game, he was booed for not hustling after several balls hit his way. In the final game, he made a poor throw that led to two White Sox runs.[72] The Mariners released Bradley on May 16.[73]
Personal life
In August 2003, Bradley was stopped in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio for speeding and drove away before signing for his ticket. In February 2004, he was sentenced to serve three days in jail, pay a $250 fine and complete 40 hours of community service.[74]
In 2003, Bradley met his future wife, Monique Williams, a community relations intern for the Indians, while with the team.
In January 2013, Bradley was charged with several crimes stemming from five different domestic incidents which occurred in 2011 and 2012.
A Los Angeles appellate court rejected Bradley's appeal on January 21, 2015.[75] Sports Illustrated reported in May 2015 that following another unsuccessful appeal, Bradley was ordered to begin serving the 32-month sentence for his 2013 convictions, with the hearing judge stating that Bradley's request for leniency was "breathtaking, frankly, in how callous" it was.[82] In early 2016, Bradley's request to have his jail sentence reduced was denied by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.[83]
By April 2018, Bradley, according to Sports Illustrated, had been married to his second wife, Rachel, for two and a half years.[84] In April 2018, Bradley was charged with spousal battery and taken into custody on bail of $175,000 for allegedly assaulting his wife during a January 2018 incident, at which time Bradley was on probation for his earlier domestic violence conviction.[85] In June 2018 Bradley pleaded no contest to domestic battery, was sentenced to 36 months of probation, and was required to complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling.[86]
References
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- ^ "Former MLB outfielder Milton Bradley charged with domestic abuse". USA Today. Associated Press. January 11, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
- ^ "A's Bradley Files for Divorce". Associated Press. January 12, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ^ "Milton Bradley charged in LA with domestic abuse". Associated Press. January 11, 2013. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015.
- ^ McKnight, Michael (May 15, 2015). "Ex-MLB outfielder Milton Bradley to Start Serving 32-month Jail Sentence". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ McKnight, Michael (January 7, 2016). "Judge denies request by ex-MLB OF Milton Bradley for reduced jail time". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ McKnight, Michael; Wertheim, L. Jon (April 9, 2018). "Ex-MLB outfielder Milton Bradley Charged With Spousal Battery". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Milton Bradley Handcuffed In Court at Domestic Violence Hearing". TMZ. April 10, 2018. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Milton Bradley Convicted in Dom. Violence Case". TMZ. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)