Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Archie Bradley impresses in spring debut
Mar 4, 2014, 3:18 AM | Updated: 5:06 am
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ top prospect impressed in his 2014 spring training debut.
Pitcher Archie Bradley tossed three innings, striking out six and allowing one hit without a run on while throwing 30 pitches Monday against the Colorado Rockies. Bradley’s strikeout victims included big-league regulars Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado.
The 21-year-old right-hander flashed a fastball in the mid- to upper-90s, according to the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro, and struck out the first two hitters he faced on six combined pitches. The D-backs led 1-0 when Bradley departed the game and eventually held on for a 5-0 win, allowing just three hits.
Best pitching prospect in baseball. “@nickpiecoro: Archie Bradley was 92-96 mph in the first inning. Threw a 8 of 11 pitches for strikes.”
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) March 4, 2014
The Rockies’ SB Nation site also seemed impressed with Bradley’s spring debut.
Archie Bradley looks terrific. Not looking forward to seeing this guy for a bunch of years to come.
— Purple Row (@PurpleRow) March 4, 2014
Bradley is coming off of a dominant 2013 season, in which he had a combined 1.84 ERA between High-A Visalia and Double-A Mobile. He compiled a 14-5 record with 162 strikeouts in 152 innings.
The lone knock on Bradley has been his control, though that’s improved each year of his career. He walked 84 batters in 136 innings during his first full professional season, and that number fell to 69 in 162 innings last season. Bradley walked two on Monday, both in a second inning that saw the Rockies leave the bases loaded.
