Jackie Bradley shares his Legion Baseball experience

Heading into the 2016 season, optimism was high for fourth-year Boston Red Sox centerfielder Jackie Bradley who was ready for a breakout season. And through the season’s first 31 games, Bradley hasn’t disappointed.

Bradley is hitting .303, is second on the Red Sox in RBIs (21), and is tied for third in home runs (four). He’s scored 16 runs, stole two bases, is fielding at a .986 percentage and is seventh in putouts (70) in Major League Baseball.

But before Bradley was making his mark in the majors, he was playing American Legion Baseball for Post 146 in Hopewell, Va., from 2006-2008. The bonds he formed then are as strong as ever.

“The experiences and the people that I got to meet – second to none,” Bradley said. “A lot of the coaches, I still stay in contact with to this day. It’s just a bond and the relationships that we formed over the years. The coaches that I had … those were the guys who I’ve known for years. The relationships that formed over the years – they’re still intact. (They) still come see me.”

Bradley said playing Legion Baseball gave him a leg up in working toward his dream of playing in the big leagues. “At that particular time, it was another form of baseball (during the high-school offseason) that you could get some more ball in,” he said. “It was exciting. At the time I played for Post 146 … it was definitely a high level of competition.

“It was the opportunity to continuously play the game. As a baseball player in the northern part of our country, not many people get the opportunity to constantly play all year-round. It’s almost like an advantage to continuously be playing … refining your skills to try to get better. The more opportunity you get to play the game, hopefully the better you get.”