Mark Bradley (baseball)

Mark Allen Bradley (born December 3, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.

Mark Bradley
Outfielder
Born: (1956-12-03) December 3, 1956
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 3, 1981, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1983, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Batting average.204
At bats113
Hits23
Teams

The Elizabethtown High School graduate was originally an infielder when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. He batted .283 with seventy home runs and 442 runs batted in over seven seasons in the Dodgers' farm system when he received a September call up in 1981. His only hit in six at bats was a double off the Houston Astros' Billy Smith.[1]

Back in triple A for 1982, he batted .317 with twelve home runs and 101 RBIs for the Pacific Coast League's Albuquerque Dukes. Receiving a second September call up that year, he was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Bradley's name came up several times at the Winter meetings that year. At one point, he and pitchers Burt Hooton and Dave Stewart and minor league pitcher Orel Hershiser were traded to the Texas Rangers for catcher Jim Sundberg, but Sundberg vetoed the deal.[2]

In Spring training 1983, Bradley was hitting .353 when he was traded to the injury riddled New York Mets for two minor league pitchers.[3]

He was 0-for his first-8 at bats as a Met before getting his first hit on May 10. He went 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and a run in a 5-4 extra innings loss to the Astros.[4]

He hit his first major league home run as a pinch hitter on June 2 off Fernando Valenzuela to send that game to extra innings.[5] The Mets lost in fourteen innings, giving them a record of 16-30, and prompting manager George Bamberger to resign after the game. "I've probably suffered enough."[6] He saw more limited playing time under new manager Frank Howard. In his only full season in the majors, Bradley batted .202 with three home runs and five RBIs.

On February 22, 1984, he was released by the Mets. He batted .242 with one home run and sixteen RBIs for the California League's San Jose Bees that season before retiring.

References
  1. "Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Houston Astros 2". Baseball-Reference.com. October 3, 1981.
  2. "Most Deal Fail at Baseball's Winter Meeting". Ocala Star-Banner. December 12, 1982. p. D8.
  3. Durso, Joseph (March 30, 1983). "Mets Get Bradley, Outfielder, in Trade". The New York Times.
  4. "Houston Astros 5, New York Mets 4". Baseball-Reference.com. May 10, 1983.
  5. "Los Angeles Dodgers 5, New York Mets 4". Baseball-Reference.com. June 2, 1983.
  6. Durso, Joseph (June 4, 1983). "Bamberger Quits as Manager; Howard Named". The New York Times. p. 11.
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