MLB Draft Preview: Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS (Video) | The Golden Sombrero Baseball Blog | MLB, Fantasy, College & High School Baseball News

MLB Draft Preview: Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS (Video)

Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com: With a smooth delivery, Bradley shows a plus fastball at times, but sits around 90-92 mph. He throws a curve and a slider, and commands the ball fairly well. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he’s got the build and projectability that scouts love.

Nathan Rode, Baseball America: Bradley stands about 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Scouts love his frame and the projection it oozes. He works with a fastball that gets up to 95-96 mph. He also throws a knuckle-curve and is working on improving a circle changeup.

John Sickels, Minorleagueball.com: Rated a likely first-rounder pre-season and still does. Has football leverage since he’s a great quarterback, too. Athletic, mid-90s fastball, good breaking ball, reasonable level of polish for a young power pitcher, competitive makeup. Would be a top ten guy in a thinner class and might still get there.

Dee Clark, The Golden Sombrero: Bradley might be the most well-known member of this year’s draft class due to his success on the football field as well as the baseball field.  Even though his fastball velocity and breaking ball sharpness have been down a little this spring compared to where they were toward the end of the summer, he will still go inside the first 20 picks.

Because of his commitment to Oklahoma as a two-sport student-athlete, it will take a large chunk of change to sign Bradley.  I was able to see him from the opposing dugout in August, and his fastball was routinely in the mid-90s with excellent two-plane action and some inside run.  It finished explosively, and he held his velocity for around 80 pitches.  More impressive was his breaking ball, which displayed tremendous depth considering the pace at which it was thrown.  He routinely was in the mid-80s early in the game with his bender, and no high school hitters had a chance against it.  He flashed an average changeup, but there was little reason to throw it much since our lineup was predominantly right-handed hitters.

If Bradley can get back to the level at which he was throwing toward the end of last summer, there is a very realistic chance that he could be the first prep pitcher off of the board.  Currently, I see him behind fellow Oklahoman Dylan Bundy and probably South Carolina’s Taylor Gurerrieri, although it is close.  Bradley has the best build of the three and terrific athleticism for a prep arm.  He’s frontline, and should zoom through the Minors considering the polish of his secondary stuff and ability to command a plus fastball that can still add a few ticks.


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