Archie Bradley

Archie N. Bradley (born August 10, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.

He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, and Miami Marlins.

Born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Bradley played baseball and football at Muskogee High School and Broken Arrow Senior High School.

In his senior season, he pitched Broken Arrow to a state championship, and was named All-State Player of the Year by The Oklahoman.

Bradley was born on August 10, 1992, in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

One of five children born to Charles and Pam Bradley, he began playing baseball at the age of four, and started playing gridiron football in elementary school.

He was a hyperactive child, and his mother, the local school principal, would place him in classes with teachers that she believed could handle his excess energy.

After spending two years at Muskogee High School, Bradley transferred to Broken Arrow Senior High School for his junior and senior year.

In his senior season, Bradley had a 12–1 win–loss record, an earned run average (ERA) of 0.29, a strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9) ratio of 17.29, and 137 strikeouts.

He also led Broken Arrow in home runs, and had a .395 batting average.

Along with baseball, Bradley excelled in football, participating in the 2010 Elite 11 quarterback competition.

At this competition, Bradley was voted "Most Likely to be a Pro Athlete" by CFB counselors.

The Diamondbacks selected Bradley out of high school seventh overall in the 2011 MLB Draft, and he began his first full professional season with the Class A South Bend Silver Hawks.

Bradley helped lead Broken Arrow to a 36–1 record in 2011, and struck out 14 batters in Broken Arrow's 4–0 shutout state championship victory over Owasso High School.

At the end of the year, Bradley was named The Oklahoman 's All-State Player of the Year.

The Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Bradley seventh overall in the 2011 MLB Draft.

His friend and Owasso pitching rival Dylan Bundy was selected by the Baltimore Orioles fourth overall, making 2011 the first year that two Oklahoma high school students were drafted in the first round since 1973.

At the time, Bradley had already committed to play baseball and football at the University of Oklahoma, and waited until the August 16 deadline to officially sign a $5 million, five-year contract with the Diamondbacks.

Bradley spent the remainder of the 2011 season with the Missoula PaddleHeads of the Pioneer League, at that time the Rookie Advanced minor-league affiliate of the Diamondbacks.

He appeared in two games for Missoula, including one start, and pitched four strikeouts against seven batters.

Additionally, he pitched "about 15 innings" in the Arizona Instructional League.

Bradley started the 2012 season with the Single–A South Bend Silver Hawks, taking the loss in his professional debut on April 6 after giving up one run in five innings of work to the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

His first win came on April 12, giving up one run in six innings of a 3–1 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Bradley spent the entire season at South Bend, accumulating a 12–6 record and a 3.84 ERA in 27 starts and 136 innings of work.

His 152-season strikeouts were second in the Midwest League, but he led the league in walks with 82.

Bradley continued to rise through the Diamondbacks' farm system in 2013 and 2014, but general manager Kevin Towers resisted a push from Bradley's agent to send the pitcher to MLB early, arguing that it would be too much pressure on the young pitcher to ask him to help the Diamondbacks' starting rotation.

Starting 2013 with the High–A Visalia Rawhide, Bradley was named the California League Player of the Week for the week ending April 14, after striking out nine in 5 2⁄3 shutout innings against the San Jose Giants.

He was promoted to the Double-A Mobile BayBears on May 1, after only five starts with Visalia, and took the win the following day in a 3–1 victory over the Huntsville Stars.

Bradley pitched in all six innings of the game, which ended early due to inclement weather.

He was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending August 4 after pitching the first nine-inning complete game of his career in a 5–1 rout of the Jackson Generals.

The following week, he pitched the final inning in a combined no-hitter against Huntsville.

Between Visalia and Mobile, Bradley finished the 2013 season with a 14–5 record, a 1.84 ERA, and 162 strikeouts in 152 innings.

After attending spring training with the Diamondbacks, Bradley was assigned to the Triple-A Reno Aces at the beginning of the 2014 season.

After a 2015 debut in which he outpitched reigning Cy Young Award champion Clayton Kershaw, Bradley's first major league season was derailed by injuries: first a sinus fracture from being hit with a line drive, followed by shoulder tendinitis.

He worked back through the minors on rehab assignments and returned to the starting rotation in 2016.

The following season, amidst a strong group of starting pitchers, the Diamondbacks moved Bradley to the bullpen.

He served as the setup man until mid-2019, when he became the team's closer.

At the 2020 trade deadline, Bradley was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Josh VanMeter and Stuart Fairchild.

He was one of four Reds players released into free agency at the conclusion of the season, and signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Phillies in 2021.

Despite rumors that he would take over from Héctor Neris as the Phillies' closer, Bradley was assigned to the setup position to start the season.