(#88)
Chadwick Lee Bradford, a side-winding right-handed pitcher from Byram, Mississippi, came to Hinds as a freshman in the fall of 1993. He was the workhorse for the Eagles for the next two seasons.
He led Hinds to post-season play in both seasons, including the Region 23 and District Championships and back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division II World Series at USA Stadium in Millington, Tennessee and an appearance in the MACJC State Tournament in 1995.
Chad was drafted in the 34th round of the MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox in June, 1994, but returned for his sophomore season at Hinds.
And what a season it was.
He started 17 games during the 1995 season and completed 15 on his way to setting a Hinds single season record 125 innings pitched, 13 wins, and 117 strikeouts. The sidewinder broke 5 of his opponent’s aluminum bats during that season.
After the ’95 season, he signed to play for Hill Denson‘s University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles during his junior year.
Although not drafted in 1995, he was drafted again by the White Sox in the summer of 1996, this time in the 13th round and this time he signed, but not until he asked his high school coach what he should do. “Chad,” Coach Bill ‘Moose’ Perry asked. “How bad do you want to play pro baseball?” “It’s all I ever dreamed of.” “Then you’re a fool not to take their money.” (From Moneyball, Chapter 10)
Chad made his major league debut on August 1, 1998 against the Texas Rangers in Arlington in front of 45,000+ fans. “I couldn’t feel my legs” he said. In his rookie season, he pitched 30.2 innings in 29 appearances with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.23.
Bradford was traded to the Oakland A’s on December 7, 2020, a date that will live in infamy, for catcher Miguel Olivo. He made the club coming out of spring training for the first time in 2002 and played a role on a team that won a record 20 consecutive games, known as “The Streak” by the A’s, which inspired the best-selling novel, Moneyball, which also became a movie.
Among his teammates that year were starting pitchers Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and reliever Billy Koch. “I saw Koch throw a ball out of the Oakland Coliseum from the dugout. He also threw a ball that hit the roof in the Metrodome. He had the worst body on the team. He had a beer gut and smoked cigs… but he threw 100 mph,” Bradford recalled.
Other teammates included Jermaine Dye, Eric Chavez, David Justice, Miguel Tijada “who carried us towards the end with walk-off hits,” and Scott Hatteburg who hit a walk-off home run to beat the Kansas City Royals, 12-11, to set the American League record (at that time) of 20 straight wins. The A’s manager was Art Howe.
“The Streak” led Chad to figure prominently in Micheal Lewis‘ best selling novel, Moneyball. Chapter 10, “The Anatomy of an Undervalued Pitcher” tells his baseball story. In 2011, the book was made into a movie of the same title. Bradford is played by actor Casey Bond in the movie.
Ironically, the players were supposed to play themselves in the movie, until the star Brad Pitt and the director had a riff and the new director wanted only actors. “So we were out,” said Chad. “Some of my teammates were already in LA ready to film when that happened.”
So much for an Oscar winning performance. (I personally thought it would be better with the players playing themselves).
Chad was traded to the Boston Red Sox during the 2005 season and became a free agent for the first time in December of that year.
He pitched effectively for the New York Mets during the 2006 season, but became a free agent again after the season.
Bradford then signed a three-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles which guaranteed a salary of 10.5 million dollars.
He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2008 season. That year, the Rays won the American League pennant and played the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
In his career, Chad played for 6 teams in 12 seasons. He pitched 515.2 innings in 561 games and had a record of 36-28, with 11 saves.
He also pitched in 24 post-season games in 7 seasons; once with the White Sox, 3 times with the A’s, and once each with the Red Sox, Mets, and Rays.
He pitched 23.1 post-season innings, allowing 18 hits, 1 run (earned), walked 6 and struck out 13. His post-season ERA was 0.39. That lone run was scored after Chad had left the game…on a wild pitch.
For reference, the Hall-of-Fame reliever Mariano Rivera of the Yankees had a post-season ERA of 0.70, and he’s the greatest reliever of all-time.
He played on 2 teams that each played “game sevens” and also played in the World Series; 2006 NLCS -Mets vs. Cardinals (lost) and ALCS – 2008 Rays vs. Red Sox (won and advanced to World Series). “Best dog pile I was ever a part of. There’s nothing like a Game 7.”
Some other great teammates through the years were: White Sox- Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas (HOF) and Albert Belle; Red Sox- Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz (HOF), Jason Veritek, and Kevin Millar (Bradford’s best teammate ever); Mets- Pedro Martinez (HOF), Tom Glavine (HOF), Billy Wagner; Rays- David Price and Evan Longoria. His favorite Hinds teammate was Efrain Morales. 🙂
Chad talked about the great teammates he had in Oakland and that it was very fun to be a part of the Moneyball years. “We didn’t realize how good we were and didn’t even know we had a streak going until ‘like win number 10.’ Young guys just having fun.”
He called the playoffs “a different animal. Throw the stats out the window and go out there and battle. Be in the moment and get after it.”
The toughest hitters he faced included David Justice, Carl Everett (LHHs) and Manny Ramirez. He gave up Manny’s 500th home run on 5/31/08. “Very tough out.” Brett Boone (current Yankees manager’s brother) “Singled me to death. Always found a hole.” But he owned Ivan “Pudge” Rodriquez (HOF); 1 for 21 in his career against Bradford. “He couldn’t hit me.”
Chad said his best year was “either 2002 or 2008, ‘personally’ 2002.” Note: The Mets loved him but wouldn’t offer a 3-year deal in free agency. The Orioles did. He had pitched for the Mets in the 2006 NLDS against the Dodgers and the NLCS against the Cardinals. He played in 7 postseason games that year, pitching 6.2 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 0 runs, and stuck out 2. They loved him, but it was not a 3-year contract kind of love.
In retirement, he coached his oldest son Keller in high school (Central Hinds Academy) and junior college (Hinds). Keller now coaches at USM. He spends time with his daughter Lanie and wife Jen. He also coaches his youngest son, Walker with his travel team and is the head baseball coach at Central Hinds. He deer hunts as much as possible.
Chad said that “Baseball is a fraternity at every level, high school to the majors. The relationships never end and really never change. Teammates can pick up right where they left off, even 20-30 years later.”
Bradford is and has always been a class act. What a great life, both family and career! He has always been very nice to me. He called me when I was on a recruiting trip with my son, Josh, in Southwest Louisiana and invited us to his ML debut in Arlington in 1998. We drove overnight to Dallas and got there early on a Sunday morning. And with no hotel rooms available at that time of the day, we spent most of the day investigating the JFK assassination at Dealey Plaza.
When Josh graduated from Clinton High School in 2008 and wanted to go on a senior trip with some family members and friends to the old Yankee Stadium for the last time, Chad, who played with Baltimore, got us 27 tickets to see the Orioles and Yankees play a three game series.
And who is ultimately responsible for the “sidearm pitcher adventure” that turned into a “submarining major league production?” Coach Bill “Moose” Perry. Read Chapter 10 of Moneyball for the rest of the story. You’ll enjoy it. And thank God Coach Perry was not in the movie! It would have been rated “R” (Language and Violence). 🙂
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 