Chadwick Lee Bradford (born September 14, 1974) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) on the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and Tampa Bay Rays between 1998 and 2009.
Bradford was a submarine-style pitcher and his fastball was only in the mid 80-mph range. He figured prominently in the Michael Lewis book Moneyball, which in 2011 was made into the film of the same title. Bradford is played by actor Casey Bond in the film.
Early life
Bradford was born in Byram, Mississippi. His father had suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, so that he could only throw underhand when playing catch with his son. Author Michael Lewis speculates that memories of his father's throwing motion may have contributed to the development of Bradford's pitching style.
Bradford went to Byram High School. Unlike most players who become major leaguers, he had not exhibited outstanding athletic talent through the early years of high school. But his high school coach suggested he try sidearm pitching after learning some tips about the approach from a professional player. This technique brought him enough success to get a spot on the teams of Hinds Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Professional career
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox selected Bradford in the 34th round (957th overall) of the 1994 MLB draft, but he elected to stay in college through 1996. The White Sox—the only major league team that had even scouted him—re-drafted him in the 13th round (377th overall) of the 1996 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut on August 1, at the age of 23. In 29 games, Bradford was 2–1 with a 3.23 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.
thumb|Bradford with the [[Baltimore Orioles]]
In , Bradford made only three appearances in the majors while spending most of the season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. From to , Bradford was a specialty reliever for the Athletics, having success against right-handed hitters. Bradford was a part of the A's 20 consecutive game winning streak in 2002. His ERA stayed around 3.00 for his career until 2004, when mounting back pain forced him on to the disabled list.
Boston Red Sox
On July 13, , the Boston Red Sox acquired Bradford from Oakland in a trade for outfielder Jay Payton. Bradford, on the disabled list since undergoing lower back surgery March 7, was activated after the All-Star break. In 31 appearances with Boston, Bradford went 2–1 and had a 3.86 ERA with a 1.414 WHIP in innings. He had a very solid year in as a right-handed specialist out of the bullpen, going 4–2 with a 2.90 ERA in 70 games. On May 31, 2008, Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run off of Bradford.
Tampa Bay Rays
On August 7, 2008, Bradford was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later. With a lot of postseason experience under his belt, Bradford shone in the 2008 playoffs and played a big part in Tampa Bay's World Series run. Bradford pitched in the 2008 World Series, allowing only one hit in two innings for Tampa Bay.
In 24 career postseason games, Bradford posted a 0.39 ERA, allowing just one run.
Bradford's son, Keller, is now a college baseball coach at Liberty University after pitching for two years at the NCAA Division I level, including at Southern Miss.