Meet the Jackfish: James Bradwell
When James Bradwell was released earlier this season by the Trois-Rivieres Aigles of the Frontier League, he wasn’t sure if that might be the end of his baseball career.
The 24-year-old pitcher has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and figured it might be time to give up the game and get on with his life.
Enter Welland Jackfish general manager Jason McKay, who had scouted the B.C. native a few years earlier and quickly put in a call to Bradwell.
“I was pretty down on myself and didn’t know what was next but they were very supportive and knew I would be able to help their team,” Bradwell said. “I made the leap and I don’t know if I’ve been happier playing this game. The group of guys and coaches are very supportive. It’s really sparking another love for the game of baseball.”
Bradwell was working in relief at Trois-Rivieres but the Jackfish saw huge potential in him as a starter.
“We wanted to make him a starter and make him more marketable for some teams,” Jackfish manager Brian Essery said. “The opportunities for him to get back up are as a starter, as a guy who came throw 94-95 with a good mix of pitches that he has. We started him off slow and now he’s right there. He’s as good as anybody in this league right now.”
Bradwell was eager to give starting a shot.
“He embraced it. He wanted an opportunity to start. That’s where we had a void and he’s been everything we could have asked for and more,” Essery said.
Bradwell made seven starts for the Jackfish during the regular season and fashioned a 4-1 record, 3.21 earned run average and 55 strikeouts in 42 innings.
“It’s certainly has been challenging but it’s been a fun experiment too,” Bradwell said. “I think it’s helped me grow an even stronger love for the game being able to go out and compete over six or seven innings.”
Bradwell had to shift his mentality as a starter.
“As a reliever, from Pitch 1 you know you have to compete and get outs right away or you could be out of that game. As a starter, you have to pace yourself a little bit longer. You have to realize damage is inevitable and you just have to minimize that damage along the way to give the team the best chance to win,” he said.
The hard-throwing right-hander enjoys pitching deep into games.
“I definitely do try to aim for six-plus but I think there is still a way where I can give everything I have while still going long. You have to pace yourself and make sure you are giving everything when you are in a jam or high-leverage situations.
“I try to strike everybody out but being in the zone early is always to your benefit to get that ground ball to second base.”
Bradwell has been lights out in the playoffs for the Jackfish, winning both his starts over the first two rounds of the post-season.
“There’s truly no better feeling than to be able to put together a performance like that in such a crucial situation,” he said.
Bradwell is considering his options this off season.
“I’ve done a lot of thinking about that, especially in the last two months, applying for jobs but also thinking about playing winter ball,” he said.
He feels a career in sales and management could be a good fit.
“I think jumping into that could be a fun challenge and still let me be competitive,” he said.
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