Seattle Mariners: Milton Bradley gets a chance to play for Eric Wedge
The Seattle Mariners recently made their move for a manager in the American League and it comes at a time when spring training is set to start in the coming days. The struggle for a playoff slot will begin in April but the offseason
has been cut short with training procedures and plans. The clubs are looking at a chance to prove their mettle this time and with time on their side, anything is possible. The winter break is yet to close down and that can create a lot of opportunity for teams
like the Mariners.
The club made low budget signings over the offseason period and the primary reason was that funds were limited. Now with a general relay on time, the free agency is almost empty and teams are almost done spending. The mediocre
clubs in the region have the chance to sign on veterans. However, things are not cast in stone yet as many teams are looking for additions from the Minor League.
One man in particular is being given a shot at the Major Leagues and he’s a returning veteran who’s been associated with Eric Wedge before. Milton Bradley will be returning to the team if he’s able to prove his ability to make
it to the top. General Manager Jack Zduriencik iterated that stance in a pre-spring training media gathering. Milton has been in the media news for all the wrong reasons recently.
A felony charge was placed against the player in a strange case that dealt with an alleged threat against a woman at his home. Zduriencik was more than willing to talk of the issue as he viewed the situation as a legal issue. The
problem would not be related to baseball unless the player was performing badly on the pitch because of it.
Trouble for Milton doesn’t end there as he and Wedge have been at the opposite end on issues, dating back to 2004. Both were part of the Cleveland Indians ball club and while the relationship was work related, the two men crossed
paths on various occasions. The result effect translated into Milton being transferred away from his former club.
"I've got the luxury of knowing Milton from before," Wedge said. "His issues are well documented, but he's part of this ballclub. And we're paying him a lot of money to be part of this ballclub. When he's healthy and his head is
on straight, he's a pretty good player. He's made some mistakes, but one of my jobs is to manage people. There's not an asterisk beside it that says just manage everybody that does everything right and the perfect situations. Anybody can manage that. It's
my job to get the most out of Milton Bradley."
Milton had a lacklustre effect on the game last season and it seems right that Jack is giving him another chance to prove his critics wrong. The spring training period will be an identifier of whether the left fielder is ready
to start the new campaign in the 25-man roster.
The outfielder will be securing a tough job in the outfield as he will be commissioned to take care of the pitchers and the infielders on the pitch. His last year statistics looked weak, to say the least. His batting average was
.205. He managed to drive in 29 runs but was rather ineffective in the on base percentage stats. He totalled only 28 runs on his own, including 8 home runs. According to his 2010 record, he struck out in every game he played.
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