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.”
Dust Devils Announce 2025 Promotional Schedule
Fan Favorites and Historic Firsts Highlight 2025 Fun at Gesa Stadium PASCO, WASH. (March 21, 2025) - Affordable family fun returns to Gesa Stadium Friday, April 4th as the Tri-City Dust Devils embark on their 2025 baseball season! Make plans now to join in all the fun during 66 home
Dust Devils Announce 2025 Coaching Staff
Dann Bilardello, longtime MiLB manager, takes the reins. PASCO, WASH. (February 14, 2025) - The Tri-City Dust Devils, proud High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, are excited to welcome the club’s coaching staff for the 2025 season. Dann Bilardello will take over the helm as manager following previous managing
Dust Devils' Michael Angel Wins Head Groundskeeper of the Year
Today, Minor League Baseball announced that Michael Angel, longtime Head Groundskeeper of the Tri-City Dust Devils, has won the 2024 Head Groundskeeper of the Year Award for the Northwest League. Michael has served in his role with the Dust Devils since 2003, making the upcoming 2025 season his 22nd consecutive
Dust Devils Unveil 2025 Season Schedule
After another record-breaking season, your Tri-City Dust Devils cannot wait to invite friends, fans, and community members back to the ballpark next spring. In anticipation, we’re thrilled to announce our 2025 Season Schedule! Mark your calendars for Opening Day on Friday, April 4th, 2025! Kicking off the new season with
Sonny D's Grand Slam Delights Dust Devil Fans in Shutout of Emeralds
1B Sonny DiChiara's 1st inning grand slam set the tone for a terrific Tuesday night at Gesa Stadium, where four Tri-City Dust Devils (19-30 2H) pitchers combined to shut out the Eugene Emeralds (21-28 2H) by a score of 5-0 in front of 1,431 fans gathered on a Senior Night
Magnificent Seven-Run First Takes Tri-City to Blowout of Spokane
Both the Tri-City Dust Devils (16-23 2H) and the Spokane Indians (26-13 2H) had identical golden opportunities to score in their first at-bats Thursday night, and the home nine cashed in their chance with seven runs on the way to a 13-2 rout of their visitors in front of 2,077
Well, Well, Well…How the Turntables: Indians Blank Dust Devils
A night after the Tri-City Dust Devils (15-23 2H) shut out the Spokane Indians (26-12 2H), the visitors returned the favor with a 7-0 win over their hosts Wednesday night at Gesa Stadium that evened the series at a game apiece. The low-scoring nature of Tuesday’s series opener carried over
Fantastic Four: Tri-City Pitchers Shut Out Spokane
Starter Jorge Marcheco and three relievers from the Tri-City Dust Devils (15-22 2H) bullpen shut out the league-leading Spokane Indians (25-12 2H) Tuesday night, backing up a pair of midgame unearned runs for a 2-0 win at Gesa Stadium that opened a six-game series. Marcheco, innings and pitch limited since
Dust Devils Clobber Canadians for Series Split
A Tri-City Dust Devils (14-22 2H) offense shut out for 13 weekend innings erupted for 14 unanswered runs Sunday afternoon, turning another low-scoring ballgame into a 15-3 rout of the Vancouver Canadians (21-15 2H) at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium that earned the squad a series split. A two-out
Tri-City Blanked in British Columbia
Three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning helped the Vancouver Canadians (21-14 2H) to a 4-0 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils (13-22 2H) Saturday night at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, giving Vancouver a three games to two lead in the final series between the two
Bonus Baseball Better to Dust Devils in Win over Canadians
Playing their third extra-inning game in a week and second in less than 24 hours the Tri-City Dust Devils (13-21 2H) turned the tables on the Vancouver Canadians (20-14 2H) Friday afternoon, getting their runner across in the top of the 10th inning and shutting the door in the bottom
Tri-City Forces Extras, Falls to Vancouver
On an otherwise high-scoring Thursday in the Northwest League the Tri-City Dust Devils (12-21 2H) and Vancouver Canadians (20-13 2H) played a taut, low-scoring ballgame that Vancouver took 3-2 in ten innings at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. Tri-City gave itself chances to score throughout the night, chipping away
Dust Devils Dig In, Hold On to Beat Canadians
At a place recently inhospitable to Tri-City Dust Devils (12-20 2H) victories the visitors grabbed the lead and held off another late charge from the Vancouver Canadians (19-13 2H) Wednesday night, taking a 5-4 win at Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium and bringing this week’s series all square at
Vancouver Vexes Tri-City Again
Both starter Houston Harding and the bullpen offered strong performances on the mound for the Tri-City Dust Devils (11-20 2H) Tuesday night, but the Vancouver Canadians (19-12 2H) cooled off bats on a muggy night to take a 2-0 win in the series opener of a six-game start Tuesday night
Rooster Tails Speed Past AquaSox to Split Series
A stellar bullpen performance backing up early runs powered the Tri-City Dust Devils (11-19 2H) to a 4-1 win over the Everett AquaSox (13-17 2H) Sunday night at Gesa Stadium, causing a third split between the two teams in as many series in the 2024 season. Held to one hit
Columbia River Offense Stays in Pits
A Tri-City Dust Devils (10-19 2H) offense experiencing one of its best stretches of the year was shut down by the visiting Everett AquaSox (13-16 2H) Saturday night, netting only one hit in a 6-0 loss to the visitors at Gesa Stadium. Playing as the Columbia River Rooster Tails on
Werner’s Walk-Off: Rooster Tails Rally in Extras to Beat AquaSox
A tightly played game in the first nine innings gave way to a wild finish Friday night at Gesa Stadium, where Werner Blakely’s walk-off two-out double in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (10-18 2H) a 5-4 win over the Everett AquaSox (12-16 2H) to
Bah, Humbug: Tri-City Builds Big Lead but Falls Short
The Tri-City Dust Devils (9-18 2H) hung six early stockings by the chimney with care on a Christmas in July Thursday night, but the Everett AquaSox (12-15 2H) filled them with lumps of coal as they sleighed past the home nine for a 9-6 win at Gesa Stadium. With both
Crazy Eighth Dooms Dust Devils
Six outs away from a third straight win the Tri-City Dust Devils (9-17 2H) had an 8th inning go sideways on them, with errors and walks assisting the Everett AquaSox (11-15 2H) to six runs on the way to a 9-4 win at Gesa Stadium that evened the teams’ six-game
First Inning Four-Spot Sends Tri-City Past Everett
Four hits in a row to start their night at the plate turned into four early runs Tuesday night for the Tri-City Dust Devils (9-16 2H), who led wire-to-wire in a 5-2 win over the Everett AquaSox (10-15 2H) that opened the week’s six-game series at Gesa Stadium. The visitors
Viñeros Vex Eugene, Take Three-Gamer
The Tri-City Dust Devils (8-16 2H) ratcheted up the offense and repelled a late charge from the Eugene Emeralds (11-13 2H) Sunday night, taking down the visitors 6-3 at Gesa Stadium to grab a series win coming out of the All-Star Break. Playing as Viñeros de Tri-City, the home nine
Emeralds Slug Way to Even Series with Dust Devils
Another big swing by the reigning Northwest League Player of the Week 3B Chad Stevens gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (7-16 2H) an early lead Saturday night, but Eugene Emeralds (11-12 2H) outfielder Rodolfo Nolasco’s two home runs pushed the visitors to a 5-3 win in front of 2,322 at
Tri-City Eviscerates Eugene in Post-Break Return
The suddenly roaring offense of the Tri-City Dust Devils (7-15 2H) returned from baseball’s All-Star break rested and still red-hot Friday night, bashing the ball around and out of the park in a 12-1 thrashing of the Eugene Emeralds (10-12 2H) in front of 2,165 gathered at Gesa Stadium. Trailing
Sweet Seventeen: Dust Devils Demolish Spokane
A dam holding back the offense of the Tri-City Dust Devils (2-13 2H) burst open Saturday evening, with the visitors setting season-highs in runs, hits and home runs in a 17-6 thrashing of the Spokane Indians (11-4 2H) at Avista Stadium. Tri-City’s onslaught began in the top of the 1st
Tri-City Dents Scoreboard, Falls to Indians
2B Will McGillis’s first home run of 2024 gave the Tri-City Dust Devils (1-13 2H) a glimmer of offensive hope Friday night, but the Spokane Indians (11-3 2H) used their patented 5th inning blitz to down the visitors by a score of 9-3 at Avista Stadium. McGillis, coming back recently