Kansas City Royals: Getting to know undrafted free agent signings
By Cody Rickman
Tucker Bradley, Outfielder (22-years-old)
Tucker Bradley is a 6’0”, 203 pound outfielder from the University of Georgia. He ranked #317 on Baseball America 500. Bradley has been consistent good hitter at Georgia, hitting .317/.384/.412 with 26 stolen bases in 30 attempts during his 125 game, four-year career with Georgia. He missed most of his junior year (2019) recovering from a shoulder injury suffered diving for a ball.
Going into the 2020 season, Bradley put on muscle mass and increased his body weight from 176 pounds to 203 pounds. The increase in strength allowed Bradley to get off to a hot start at the plate, hitting .397/.513/.730, with 6 HRs, 13 BBs, 4 Ks, 8/9 SBs in 63 at-bats.
Bradley has a sweet swing allowing him to crush pitches in the lower half of the strike-zone. He is able to send line-drives to all fields and shows good pull-side power. His hit and power tools are at least average. Defensively he is athletic and rangy enough to be a plus defender in the corners. He has a plus arm, being a left-handed reliever for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Bradley has five at least average tools and should move quickly in the Royals farm system. If he’s work ethic in recovery and rehab is any indication, he is capable of producing at a level above his current scouting grades. I have Bradley hitting .260, with 15-18 HRs (lots of gap power), and 15+ stolen bases per year. He would be a plus defender in either corner outfield spot.
Bradley still had another year of college eligibility left and could have returned to school, so signing Bradley is a big win for the Royals. Watch his walk-off homerun and tell me that swing doesn’t remind you of Alex Gordon’s ninth inning homerun in the 2015 World Series.