Taj Bradley Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	104
ERA	5.625
WHIP	1.394
BB/9	3.375
SO/9	11.163

Full name Taj Ali Bradley
Born 03/20/2001 in Los Angeles, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Redan
Debut 04/12/2023
Drafted in the 5th round (150th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 (signed for $747,500).

View Draft Report

A Georgia pop-up player, Bradley is tremendously young for the 2018 class. Born in March 2001, Bradley oozes upside in part because of his youth, as well as his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, physicality and athleticism. One of the more raw pitchers in the class, Bradley has played a lot of outfield but is newer to the mound, where he has a higher upside in pro ball. He throws in the low 90s and gets up to 93 mph at times, but his curveball is presently below-average and certainly a work in progress. A South Carolina commit, Bradley has been crosschecked regularly this spring and also pitched in a prominent late spring showcase with several Georgia players, including Ethan Hankins. A team will have to dream on his secondaries and overall polish, but Bradley is young enough to get more leeway and has exciting potential that could prevent him from getting to the Gamecocks.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 55/High

Track Record: A high school outfielder with a strong arm, Bradley immediately became a prospect when he tried pitching as a senior. A 17-year-old at the time of the 2017 draft, Bradley moved slowly with the Rays initially, but since the pandemic he has moved from Low-A to Triple-A in two seasons. Bradley's 1.76 ERA was the lowest among qualifiers in the minor leagues in 2021. He was battling for a repeat ERA crown in 2022 with a 1.70 mark in 16 starts for Double-A Montgomery, but he struggled at times after a promotion to Triple-A Durham.

Scouting Report: Bradley's fastball and cutter/slider give him a pair of big league-ready pitches. His nearly plus-plus 94-96 mph fastball will touch 97-98 and has plenty of life. He throws a plus cutter/slider that is thrown with a cutter grip and a fastball mentality, but he has the ability to make it bigger and sweepier or tighter and harder. It's not a strikeout pitch as much as it is one that hitters struggle to barrel. Bradley's ability to throw both of these pitches for strikes gives hitters problems. When Bradley is on, hitters are usually behind in counts. The question has long been whether he develop a third pitch to go with them. So far, he's struggled to find the confidence in either his curveball or a changeup. He's tried a variety of changeup grips but has returned to a splitter that will flash average. He needs to use it more to develop his feel for it. His 76-78 mph, below-average curveball could be an early-count surprise pitch to steal a strike, but he struggles to land it in the zone.

The Future: Bradley's late-season struggles in Triple-A are likely useful for his long-term development. His intelligence and athleticism make him likely to develop into a mid-rotation starter after some further development at Durham.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Cutter: 60. Control: 60
Track Record: Bradley mostly played the outfield in his youth and was relatively new to pitching when the Rays drafted him in the fifth round in 2018 and signed him for $747,500 to forgo a South Carolina commitment. His youth, physicality and athleticism made him one of the more intriguing pitchers in the class despite his inexperience, and that potential came to fruition in 2021. In his full-season debut, Bradley led the entire minors in ERA (1.83) and ranked in the top 10 in opponent’s batting average (.180) and WHIP (0.93) as he moved from Low-A to High-A.

Scouting Report: Bradley keeps getting stronger while retaining the athleticism that was so enticing coming out of high school. His fastball now sits in the mid 90s and touches 96-97. In addition to adding 3-5 mph of velocity, Bradley has begun to master a slider that pairs better with his fastball than his curveball did. His slider now regularly flashes plus and he’s shown he can both throw it for strikes and get hitters to chase it out of the zone. Bradley’s changeup has further to go, but it will flash average at its best. He is an advanced strike-thrower with good tempo to his delivery and an easy arm action that yields above-average control. He’s starting to show the ability to self-diagnose when he loses his release point.

The Future: Bradley appears to be the next in the long line of successful Rays homegrown pitchers. He should spend much of 2022 at Double-A and has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter.
TRACK RECORD: The Rays take a patient approach with high school pitchers. They had even more reason to do so with Bradley, since he was young for his draft class. Instead of getting his first shot at full-season ball in 2020, his third pro season, Bradley instead had to wait for instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Bradley was primarily an outfielder for most of his time in high school, and now that he's focused on pitching, his velocity has steadily climbed. He sat in the low 90s in his draft year and ticked that up to 92-94 mph in 2019. In shorter stints at instructs in 2020 he sat 94-97 mph on his best days. His plus fastball has some life, giving it swing-and-miss potential. His breaking ball keeps getting tighter. His breaking ball and his changeup are average at best, but he knows how to spot them, and he reads swings well. Bradley's intelligence and feel give him a solid chance to continue to get better.

THE FUTURE: Bradley's lack of a plus secondary pitch makes it hard to project him as more than a No. 4 starter. For someone who has come far in a short time, he may continue to exceed projection.
TRACK RECORD: Taken in the 2018 draft, Bradley is younger than nine of the first 10 prep pitchers drafted in 2019. The Rays took a chance on his upside and have understandably moved him along slowly.

SCOUTING REPORT: A two-way player in high school who was primarily an outfielder until late in his prep career, Bradley's athleticism and upside is obvious to scouts. He has a clean arm action. His 91-94 mph fastball has excellent running life and he's sharpened his once loopy curveball into a tighter, more promising pitch that could be plus eventually. There's a lot of development still ahead for Bradley as he's still relatively new to pitching, but he's extremely intelligent and has demonstrated that he's a sponge at soaking up instruction.

THE FUTURE: Bradley will jump to Bowling Green next year as one of the younger pitchers in the Midwest League. He has the athleticism, projectability and stuff to develop into a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.

Draft Prospects

A Georgia pop-up player, Bradley is tremendously young for the 2018 class. Born in March 2001, Bradley oozes upside in part because of his youth, as well as his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, physicality and athleticism. One of the more raw pitchers in the class, Bradley has played a lot of outfield but is newer to the mound, where he has a higher upside in pro ball. He throws in the low 90s and gets up to 93 mph at times, but his curveball is presently below-average and certainly a work in progress. A South Carolina commit, Bradley has been crosschecked regularly this spring and also pitched in a prominent late spring showcase with several Georgia players, including Ethan Hankins. A team will have to dream on his secondaries and overall polish, but Bradley is young enough to get more leeway and has exciting potential that could prevent him from getting to the Gamecocks.

Minor League Top Prospects

Drafted in the fifth round in 2018 out of high school in the Atlanta area, Bradley spent his first two seasons in Rookie ball before working at home during the canceled 2020 season. Working remotely, Bradley improved his fastball velocity to sitting in the mid 90s and topping out at 98 mph with life after topping out at 93 in his draft season. Armed with his improved fastball this season, Bradley overpowered Low-A hitters en route to a promotion to High-A in early August. Bradley struck out 10.9 per nine innings in Low-A and showed a tighter breaking ball, a more consistent delivery and maturity beyond his years on the mound. Bradley rounds out his arsenal with a changeup, and he throws all three pitches for strikes.

Top 100 Rankings

Scouting Reports

BA Grade/Risk: 55/High

Track Record: A high school outfielder with a strong arm, Bradley immediately became a prospect when he tried pitching as a senior. A 17-year-old at the time of the 2017 draft, Bradley moved slowly with the Rays initially, but since the pandemic he has moved from Low-A to Triple-A in two seasons. Bradley's 1.76 ERA was the lowest among qualifiers in the minor leagues in 2021. He was battling for a repeat ERA crown in 2022 with a 1.70 mark in 16 starts for Double-A Montgomery, but he struggled at times after a promotion to Triple-A Durham.

Scouting Report: Bradley's fastball and cutter/slider give him a pair of big league-ready pitches. His nearly plus-plus 94-96 mph fastball will touch 97-98 and has plenty of life. He throws a plus cutter/slider that is thrown with a cutter grip and a fastball mentality, but he has the ability to make it bigger and sweepier or tighter and harder. It's not a strikeout pitch as much as it is one that hitters struggle to barrel. Bradley's ability to throw both of these pitches for strikes gives hitters problems. When Bradley is on, hitters are usually behind in counts. The question has long been whether he develop a third pitch to go with them. So far, he's struggled to find the confidence in either his curveball or a changeup. He's tried a variety of changeup grips but has returned to a splitter that will flash average. He needs to use it more to develop his feel for it. His 76-78 mph, below-average curveball could be an early-count surprise pitch to steal a strike, but he struggles to land it in the zone.

The Future: Bradley's late-season struggles in Triple-A are likely useful for his long-term development. His intelligence and athleticism make him likely to develop into a mid-rotation starter after some further development at Durham.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Cutter: 60. Control: 60
BA Grade/Risk: 55/High

Track Record: A high school outfielder with a strong arm, Bradley immediately became a prospect when he tried pitching as a senior. A 17-year-old at the time of the 2017 draft, Bradley moved slowly with the Rays initially, but since the pandemic he has moved from Low-A to Triple-A in two seasons. Bradley's 1.76 ERA was the lowest among qualifiers in the minor leagues in 2021. He was battling for a repeat ERA crown in 2022 with a 1.70 mark in 16 starts for Double-A Montgomery, but he struggled at times after a promotion to Triple-A Durham.

Scouting Report: Bradley's fastball and cutter/slider give him a pair of big league-ready pitches. His nearly plus-plus 94-96 mph fastball will touch 97-98 and has plenty of life. He throws a plus cutter/slider that is thrown with a cutter grip and a fastball mentality, but he has the ability to make it bigger and sweepier or tighter and harder. It's not a strikeout pitch as much as it is one that hitters struggle to barrel. Bradley's ability to throw both of these pitches for strikes gives hitters problems. When Bradley is on, hitters are usually behind in counts. The question has long been whether he develop a third pitch to go with them. So far, he's struggled to find the confidence in either his curveball or a changeup. He's tried a variety of changeup grips but has returned to a splitter that will flash average. He needs to use it more to develop his feel for it. His 76-78 mph, below-average curveball could be an early-count surprise pitch to steal a strike, but he struggles to land it in the zone.

The Future: Bradley's late-season struggles in Triple-A are likely useful for his long-term development. His intelligence and athleticism make him likely to develop into a mid-rotation starter after some further development at Durham.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 45. Cutter: 60. Control: 60
BA Grade: 60/High

Track Record: When the Rays drafted Bradley in 2018, they knew they were getting an extremely young pitcher (he had just turned 17) with a brief track record on the mound, but one whose best was yet to come. The former outfielder has managed to exceed those lofty expectations and turn into one of the steals of the 2018 draft. In 2021, Bradley led the minors in ERA (1.83) and ranked in the top 10 in opponent&#39s batting average (.180) and WHIP (0.93).

Scouting Report: Bradley keeps getting stronger while retaining the athleticism that was so enticing coming out of high school. His fastball has gotten firmer and firmer. He now sits in the mid-90s and touches 96-97. In addition to adding 3-5 mph of velocity, Bradley has begun to master a slider that better pairs with his fastball than his curveball did. He still has the curve in his arsenal, but the slider now regularly flashes plus and he&#39s shown he can throw it for strikes in the strike zone and get hitters to chase it out of the zone. His changeup has further to go, but it will flash average at its best. Bradley is an advanced strike-thrower. He has a good tempo to his delivery, an easy arm action and he&#39s starting to show the ability to self-diagnose when he loses his release point.

The Future: The Rays have as much success as anyone in developing starting pitchers. Bradley appears to be the next in the long line. He should spend much of 2022 at Double-A. Considering the Rays&#39 tendency to move pitchers slowly, a late 2023 arrival to St. Pete seems most likely.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Curveball: 40. Changeup: 50. Control: 55.
Track Record: Bradley mostly played the outfield in his youth and was relatively new to pitching when the Rays drafted him in the fifth round in 2018 and signed him for $747,500 to forgo a South Carolina commitment. His youth, physicality and athleticism made him one of the more intriguing pitchers in the class despite his inexperience, and that potential came to fruition in 2021. In his full-season debut, Bradley led the entire minors in ERA (1.83) and ranked in the top 10 in opponent’s batting average (.180) and WHIP (0.93) as he moved from Low-A to High-A.

Scouting Report: Bradley keeps getting stronger while retaining the athleticism that was so enticing coming out of high school. His fastball now sits in the mid 90s and touches 96-97. In addition to adding 3-5 mph of velocity, Bradley has begun to master a slider that pairs better with his fastball than his curveball did. His slider now regularly flashes plus and he’s shown he can both throw it for strikes and get hitters to chase it out of the zone. Bradley’s changeup has further to go, but it will flash average at its best. He is an advanced strike-thrower with good tempo to his delivery and an easy arm action that yields above-average control. He’s starting to show the ability to self-diagnose when he loses his release point.

The Future: Bradley appears to be the next in the long line of successful Rays homegrown pitchers. He should spend much of 2022 at Double-A and has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter.
Drafted in the fifth round in 2018 out of high school in the Atlanta area, Bradley spent his first two seasons in Rookie ball before working at home during the canceled 2020 season. Working remotely, Bradley improved his fastball velocity to sitting in the mid 90s and topping out at 98 mph with life after topping out at 93 in his draft season. Armed with his improved fastball this season, Bradley overpowered Low-A hitters en route to a promotion to High-A in early August. Bradley struck out 10.9 per nine innings in Low-A and showed a tighter breaking ball, a more consistent delivery and maturity beyond his years on the mound. Bradley rounds out his arsenal with a changeup, and he throws all three pitches for strikes.
TRACK RECORD: The Rays take a patient approach with high school pitchers. They had even more reason to do so with Bradley, since he was young for his draft class. Instead of getting his first shot at full-season ball in 2020, his third pro season, Bradley instead had to wait for instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Bradley was primarily an outfielder for most of his time in high school, and now that he's focused on pitching, his velocity has steadily climbed. He sat in the low 90s in his draft year and ticked that up to 92-94 mph in 2019. In shorter stints at instructs in 2020 he sat 94-97 mph on his best days. His plus fastball has some life, giving it swing-and-miss potential. His breaking ball keeps getting tighter. His breaking ball and his changeup are average at best, but he knows how to spot them, and he reads swings well. Bradley's intelligence and feel give him a solid chance to continue to get better.

THE FUTURE: Bradley's lack of a plus secondary pitch makes it hard to project him as more than a No. 4 starter. For someone who has come far in a short time, he may continue to exceed projection.
TRACK RECORD: The Rays take a patient approach with high school pitchers. They had even more reason to do so with Bradley, since he was young for his draft class. Instead of getting his first shot at full-season ball in 2020, his third pro season, Bradley instead had to wait for instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Bradley was primarily an outfielder for most of his time in high school, and now that he's focused on pitching, his velocity has steadily climbed. He sat in the low 90s in his draft year and ticked that up to 92-94 mph in 2019. In shorter stints at instructs in 2020 he sat 94-97 mph on his best days. His plus fastball has some life, giving it swing-and-miss potential. His breaking ball keeps getting tighter. His breaking ball and his changeup are average at best, but he knows how to spot them, and he reads swings well. Bradley's intelligence and feel give him a solid chance to continue to get better.

THE FUTURE: Bradley's lack of a plus secondary pitch makes it hard to project him as more than a No. 4 starter. For someone who has come far in a short time, he may continue to exceed projection.
TRACK RECORD: The Rays take a patient approach with high school pitchers. They had even more reason to do so with Bradley, since he was young for his draft class. Instead of getting his first shot at full-season ball in 2020, his third pro season, Bradley instead had to wait for instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Bradley was primarily an outfielder for most of his time in high school, and now that he's focused on pitching, his velocity has steadily climbed. He sat in the low 90s in his draft year and ticked that up to 92-94 mph in 2019. In shorter stints at instructs in 2020 he sat 94-97 mph on his best days. His plus fastball has some life, giving it swing-and-miss potential. His breaking ball keeps getting tighter. His breaking ball and his changeup are average at best, but he knows how to spot them, and he reads swings well. Bradley's intelligence and feel give him a solid chance to continue to get better.

THE FUTURE: Bradley's lack of a plus secondary pitch makes it hard to project him as more than a No. 4 starter. For someone who has come far in a short time, he may continue to exceed projection.
TRACK RECORD: Taken in the 2018 draft, Bradley is younger than nine of the first 10 prep pitchers drafted in 2019. The Rays took a chance on his upside and have understandably moved him along slowly.

SCOUTING REPORT: A two-way player in high school who was primarily an outfielder until late in his prep career, Bradley’s athleticism and upside is obvious to scouts. He has a clean arm action. His 91-94 mph fastball has excellent running life and he’s sharpened his once loopy curveball into a tighter, more promising pitch that could be plus eventually. There’s a lot of development still ahead for Bradley as he’s still relatively new to pitching, but he’s extremely intelligent and has demonstrated that he’s a sponge at soaking up instruction.

THE FUTURE: Bradley will jump to Bowling Green next year as one of the younger pitchers in the Midwest League. He has the athleticism, projectability and stuff to develop into a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.
TRACK RECORD: Taken in the 2018 draft, Bradley is younger than nine of the first 10 prep pitchers drafted in 2019. The Rays took a chance on his upside and have understandably moved him along slowly.

SCOUTING REPORT: A two-way player in high school who was primarily an outfielder until late in his prep career, Bradley's athleticism and upside is obvious to scouts. He has a clean arm action. His 91-94 mph fastball has excellent running life and he's sharpened his once loopy curveball into a tighter, more promising pitch that could be plus eventually. There's a lot of development still ahead for Bradley as he's still relatively new to pitching, but he's extremely intelligent and has demonstrated that he's a sponge at soaking up instruction.

THE FUTURE: Bradley will jump to Bowling Green next year as one of the younger pitchers in the Midwest League. He has the athleticism, projectability and stuff to develop into a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.