Rangers Prospect Impresses in Double-A Start
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Texas Rangers prospect Cody Bradford put together an impressive six-inning start for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders on Thursday.
Bradford gave up just two hits, one run (earned) and one walk in the outing. He also struck out eight.
Control has been his calling card since he joined the Rangers organization out of Baylor in 2019. In two professional seasons he as 234 strikeouts against 51 walks.
He’s not listed among the Rangers’ Top 30 prospect rankings from MLB.com. The list was re-ranked last week, moving Triple-A Round Rock third baseman Josh Jung up to No. 1, ahead of the organization’s top pitching prospect, Jack Leiter.
The left-hander’s blend of control and consistency, even with the high ERA for this season, puts him in position as a potential call-up to Triple-A next season.
Bradford, in his second minor-league season and his first full season at Frisco, is 8-6 with a 5.15 ERA in 23 starts and 101 1/3 innings. He’s given up 101 hits, 62 runs (58 earned) and just 30 walks. He’s struck out 106 and has a 1.29 WHIP.
Bradford is an Aledo, Texas, native, whom the Rangers selected in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Baylor. The Rangers assigned him to the Class-A Spokane Indians, but he never pitched due to injury. He also didn’t pitch in 2020 due to the COVID-19 cancellation of minor-league baseball.
In 2021, he finally made his professional debut with the High Class-A Hickory Crawdads, where he went 4-4 with a 4.23 ERA in 13 starts and 61 2/3 innings. He gave up 55 hits, 36 runs (29 earned) and just 17 walks. He struck out 87 and finished with a 1.17 WHIP. He earned a promotion to Frisco in August of last year, where he went 2-0 in seven starts with a 3.89 ERA and pitched 34 2/3 innings. He gave up 41 hits, 18 runs (15 earned) and just four walks. He struck out 41.
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