We’re right in the thick of spring training now, which means it’s about that time of year where Red Sox Nation falls in love with a prospect. What’s not to love about a hot new prospect? They offer hope, a seemingly unlimited ceiling, and the chance to get in on the ground floor of the next superstar. Unfortunately the road to superstardom is littered with the corpses of thousands of failed prospects, while only a relatively minor amount ever even come close to fulfilling the hype.
This year’s sexy prospect for the Sox is center fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., who practically owns the 2014 starting center field position, even before former similarly hyped-up prospect Jacoby Ellsbury can even leave town. Bradley has everything you could want from a center fielder and leadoff hitter, youth, speed, defense, and great on base skills, but he still has only two years of professional ball under his belt, so Sox fans would be best advised to pump the brakes a bit on the hype train.
The Sox have maintained that they will not break camp with Bradley on the big league club, which is a wise move, despite the protests from some in the nation. He’s been playing wonderfully throughout spring training, but a little bit of Triple-A seasoning couldn’t hurt, and the inconsistent playing time he would receive with the Sox could slow his progression a bit. Unless Ellsbury goes down for a large portion of time, calling Bradley up before September would be unwise. Even counting him for 2014, while not a stretch, is still being optimistic.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Jackie as much as the next Sox fan, but I also know Boston fans can get carried away with young talent, even ones with more modest credentials than Bradley. Bradley, along with shortstop prospect Xander Boagaerts, certainly represent a bright future for the Sox, but I think this season will be best kept to the veterans, unless the Sox fall out of the playoff race and want to give the kids a few tire kicks. So table your Jackie Bradley, Jr. excitement a bit for right now, but dust it off if you ever get too down on the Sox, because the future is bright.
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