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Jackie Bradley, Jr. |
In the midst of this
"Feel-Good Finish" to the 2015 season, a troubling trend emerged in September. Specifically, the fall-off in offensive production by
Jackie Bradley, Jr. After hitting .354 in August, JBJ's average sunk to a dismal .222 in September. The widespread consensus
had been that his new hitting prowess (and his obvious defensive superiority) would make Bradley a cinch to start in the 2016 Red Sox outfield. But the old strikeout issue has come back—
Bradley wiffed 29 times in 27 September games. To be fair, 1B
Travis Shaw had the
exact same negative strikeout stats (29 Ks in 27 games), but he may
also have a questionable role in 2016. These issues—
and a lot more—will vex new Sox CEO
Dave Dombrowski over the winter. Given his past predilection to deal away young prospects, you never know what these
September Swoons will portend.