Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game.
As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring Breakout showcase between Orioles and Yankees prospects at Ed Smith Stadium -- aired live across the country on MLB Network -- he let out all of his emotions. He screamed loudly in celebration, putting a challenging week behind him in the process.
That hustle play was made for Isaiah Hood, Bradfield’s former teammate during his high school travel ball days in South Florida who died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 25 on Tuesday.
“For me to come out here, it’s meant a lot to me, personally,” said Bradfield, Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who was born in Pembroke Pines, Fla. “To be able to give my mom a hug and see how emotional she is, see my sister still come out here, and I guess just play for my friend. It was tougher than I expected, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I hope he’s resting up there. It’s just been a tough week for everybody that I’ve been around -- for my family, friends, his family. Playing with a heavy heart.”
Hood was a fellow baseball player who graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in 2019. He remained in Bradfield’s mind throughout Saturday night.
“A very quiet kid. Once you got him in a comfortable setting, he really opened up,” Bradfield said. “He’s a great friend, great person, great big brother, great son, all the way around. There’s a lot of people, including myself, including my family, who are hurting right now. Just made the past couple of days very tough. Trying to stay busy, keep my mind in good spirits. But at the end of the day, it’s a loss of life that can’t be replaced. It’s just hard. It’s very tragic and hard all the way around.”
Bradfield put on the type of performance during the Orioles’ 5-4 win that he was sure would have made his friend proud.
In the bottom of the first, Bradfield slapped a leadoff single to left-center field. He moved from first to third on an errant pickoff throw by New York right-hander Carlos Lagrange, showing off the 80-grade speed that helped make him the O’s first-round Draft pick in 2023.
“That guy runs way too much. He's way too fast,” top Orioles prospect Samuel Basallo said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “It’s really impressive what he's able to do.”
Then, Lagrange uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Bradfield to take off. The 23-year-old bolted home, dove headfirst and gave max effort in trying to score -- which he did successfully, touching the plate before moving his arms in a safe motion in unison with the home-plate umpire.
It was a run more meaningful than most scored by Bradfield over two professional seasons.
“I’m trying to be focused out there, and my energy in that moment, sliding across home plate specifically, just maybe some emotion comes out of me, and that’s normal,” said Bradfield, who finished 2-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored. “It’s life. Bad things happen, and you’ve got to pick yourself up and keep moving forward.”
Baseball can help the healing process, which has frequently been proven throughout the sport’s long history. Bradfield felt that way after playing alongside the friends he’s made in the Orioles’ farm system, many of whom put on impressive Spring Breakout performances of their own.
Bradfield started in left field and shared the outfield with two fellow primary center fielders -- Vance Honeycutt (Baltimore’s No. 5 prospect) in center and Jud Fabian (No. 23) in right.
Honeycutt (the O’s first-round Draft pick in 2024) hit an inside-the-park homer in the fourth for his first home run since joining the organization. Fabian made an impressive jumping catch in the sixth.
The exhibition ended in walk-off fashion, with Leandro Arias (the Orioles’ No. 20 prospect) hitting a game-winning two-out RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth.
After Bradfield celebrated with all of Baltimore’s talented youngsters who stormed the field, he took a moment to be with his family. Then, he joined up with four of his former Vanderbilt University teammates -- O’s righty Patrick Reilly and Yankees prospects Spencer Jones, Bryce Cunningham and Greysen Carter -- for a group picture at home plate.
Bradfield also reminded Jones that he won their bet and that Jones must now buy Bradfield dinner in the near future.
“I’m definitely going to pick somewhere nice,” Bradfield said.
At the end of the night, it was important to Bradfield to spend some additional time with people who are close to him. He was eventually the final player to leave the field, after signing autographs for every kid that came up to the netting.
More reminders of what the sport means to Bradfield as he continued to mourn the loss of his close friend Hood.
“Us guys who play together -- whether we came across each other years in advance or whatever it may be -- when you step in that locker room,” Bradfield said, “it’s a special bond that you never forget.”
Columbus Clingstones Welcome Aflac as Cornerstone Partner
COLUMBUS, Ga., — The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, are thrilled to welcome Aflac as a cornerstone partner ahead of the minor league baseball team’s highly anticipated inaugural season. A Fortune 500 company and a leading provider of supplemental health insurance in the U.S., Aflac is
Columbus Clingstones Announce Promotional Schedule for Inaugural Season at Synovus Park
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Clingstones announced today the Promotional Schedule for their highly anticipated inaugural season. A promotion-packed schedule of 69 home games at Synovus Park will feature giveaways, theme nights, special appearances, fireworks shows, and weekly promotions to deliver a fresh yet familiar experience for fans all season.
Columbus Clingstones Enter Into Flagship Media Partnership With PMB Broadcasting
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Clingstones today announced a media partnership with PMB Broadcasting, confirming that all 138 Clingstones inaugural season games, home and road, will be broadcast on Sports Visions Radio 92.1 FM, part of the PMB Broadcasting family of stations. “We are honored to be the flagship media
Clingstones Announce Public Address Announcer Tryouts on March 16
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Clingstones announced today that the club will host closed tryouts to select their first-ever Public Address Announcer. The tryouts will take place on March 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field on the campus of Columbus State University.
Clingstones Announce Fuzzy's Kids Club presented by Chick-fil-A
Columbus, GA - The Columbus Clingstones and Chick-fil-A have teamed up to introduce a new program for the burgeoning team’s youngest fans: Fuzzy’s Kids Club presented by Chick-fil-A! Children ages 5-12 can join this exclusive club, which allows them free admission to all Sunday games and several other special perks.
Clingstones Announce Inaugural 2025 Season Coaching Staff
Columbus, GA - In conjunction with the Atlanta Braves, the Columbus Clingstones today announced the team’s coaching staff for the Inaugural 2025 season at Synovus Park. Cody Gabella will become the first manager in Clingstones history. Entering his fourth season as a manager in the Braves system, last season Gabella
Columbus Clingstones Announce Fuzzy as Official Name of Mascot
Columbus, GA (November 20, 2024) – The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, are excited to announce Fuzzy as the new name of its first team mascot. Outfitted with a Clingstones jersey, friendly smile and vibrant peach color, the cheerful mascot embodies the team’s pride with a
Columbus Clingstones Launch 'Crown the Clingstone' Contest
Columbus, GA (October 29, 2024) – The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, are excited to announce the ‘Crown the Clingstone’ contest, asking fans to help choose the name of the team’s cheerful mascot ahead of its inaugural 2025 season. Inspired by Minor League Baseball’s rich tradition
Clingstones announce game times for 2025 season
Columbus, GA – The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, have announced their game times for the Inaugural 2025 season. The Clingstones will play 69 home games at Synovus Park beginning with the Opening Day on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:05 pm against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos,
Inaugural Opening Night for Columbus Professional Baseball set for April 15, 2025, at Synovus Park
In conjunction with Minor League Baseball, the Columbus Professional Baseball Club has announced their home game schedule for the inaugural 2025 Southern League season. The Atlanta Braves Double-A franchise is scheduled to begin their 2025 campaign on the road before opening night at Synovus Park on Tuesday, April 15, 2025,
Columbus celebrates the next century of affiliated baseball, inks naming rights deal with Synovus
Columbus, GA – Synovus, a financial services leader rooted in Columbus, has signed a multiyear partnership with Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), the owner and operator of select Minor League clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball, to become the official naming rights partner for Columbus’ soon-to-be-renovated ballpark. A consortium of public-private
M-Braves announce move to Columbus, Georgia
The Mississippi Braves, Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate, announced Tuesday that they will relocate to Columbus, Ga., following the 2024 season. The Southern League franchise, commonly referred to as the M-Braves, have played at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., since 2005. Previously owned by the Atlanta Braves, the M-Braves were purchased by
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from June
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The June edition features a doubles deluge, oppositional surnames, way too many walks and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch if
Hackenberg stacks up MiLB season-high 16 K's
Fresh off the All-Star break, Drue Hackenberg showed off his Sunday best. The Braves' No. 9 prospect struck out 16 -- the most K's in any Minor League Baseball game this season -- over seven innings in Double-A Mississippi's 5-1 win over Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Hackenberg bested the
M-Braves offer safe haven for Miss Rankin County
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. For David Kerr, working in Minor League Baseball means keeping the following mantra in mind:
Road trip: All roads lead Ben to Rome
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. The following ballpark road trip recap is presented by Wyndham, proud sponsor of Minor League
Waldrep strikes out 11 in return to Gwinnett
Two batters into the first Triple-A start of the season for Hurston Waldrep, it looked like it would be a day to forget. Five innings later, that could not have been further from the truth. The Braves' No. 2 prospect, who made one start at Triple-A Gwinnett last September, fanned
M-Braves' new dynamic duo twirls pair of gems
If Wednesday night's Mississippi doubleheader is any indication, the future on the Braves' hill looks scary good. As in the opposition should be scared. Two of Atlanta's top three prospects, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach, dominated their respective starts en route to the Double-A Braves' sweep of visiting Biloxi at
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from May
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the month of May, features reptile cameos, offensive explosions, oppositional surnames and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from the past month
After a multi-season hiatus, Crooked Numbers returns with a heaping portion of Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the start of the season through the end of April, has a disproportionate number of items from the Triple-A level. As for why that is, who knows? Maybe