Bradfield: "I have no concerns about going up to the next level and not having success" (updated)

Enrique Bradfield Jr. received Mike Elias’ cell phone number last night from his agent and decided to show the same aggression that he does on the basepaths.

Bradfield wasn’t going to wait to hear from Elias, who made the Vanderbilt outfielder the 17^th overall pick in the draft. He took control of the situation, much to Elias’ amusement.

“I took that as, ‘Hey, let me give him a call,”’ Bradfield said this morning on a video chat with the media. “So, I went ahead and dialed the phone and gave him a call.”

Elias noted last night how a deep pool of collegiate position players delayed Bradfield’s selection and kept him on the board for the Orioles.

“It was a lot of emotions, especially for my family, just being there, kind of just waiting, getting phone calls, trying to see what was going to be the best decision for me,” Bradfield said.

“That was probably the most stressful part of the night. But finally getting some clarity on what was going to happen, it was just a dream come true, something I’ve been waiting for a very long time. And I was just happy to be with my family and spend it with my loved ones.”

The Orioles tracked Bradfield, a native of Hialeah, Fla., who grades as an 80 runner and defender, but they didn’t reach out directly to him. He wasn’t anticipating that Elias would be the voice at the other end of the line until the selection.

“I had no idea, if I’m being quite honest,” he said. “It was a team I didn’t speak to much on my process. Maybe my agent did, but for me, I hadn’t been in contact with, so it definitely came as a shock. But it was meant to be. I am where I need to be. I’m glad the Orioles gave me the opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting to work with them.”

It didn’t take long to feel welcomed. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and former All-Star center fielder Adam Jones tweeted their congratulations.

“It’s special, especially for guys like them to just congratulate a 21-year-old like me,” Bradfield said. “They’re legends in the sport. Cal Ripken is somebody who’s done something that nobody else has been able to do. And Adam Jones is the legend. I remember watching his highlights from the (2017) World Baseball Classic and him robbing home runs and making plays in center field. That’s where I see myself being in a couple of years at that level.”

First comes the team physical and a signed contract. The Orioles will send Bradfield to the Florida Complex League, with the expectation that he reaches Single-A Delmarva later this summer.

“I have no concerns about going up to the next level and not having success,” Bradfield said. “I’ve been able to adapt to every level I’ve ever been at and been able to produce, and I feel like this one’s going to be no different.”

Baseball in the Southeastern Conference is like taking a course in intense competition and the pressures surrounding it, and Bradfield passed.

The kid who boosts of being “born and raised in the 305” could handle the heat.

“I think going to the next level is always an adjustment and always a change, and there’s going to be new challenges for me, just like college was for me, and the SEC, but I definitely think the experiences of playing under the Friday night lights, there’s nothing like playing the SEC Friday night on the road. If you can play in that, you can play through pretty much anything. You can play in Omaha. It’s the same thing,” said Bradfield, who batted .311/.426/.447 with 31 doubles, 11 triples, 15 home runs, 108 RBIs and 130 stolen bases in 191 games.

“The game is fast, the game is fast at every level. High school baseball definitely isn’t anywhere near what college or professional baseball is, so it’s an adjustment. There’s always going to be a brief adjustment period. I’m prepared to go in there, make sure I do everything in my power to make sure I’m ready, but I also have experiences of struggles, failures, but I also do have the successes that are going to help me carry on and get to where I need to get.

“I definitely think it’s using my past experiences, reflecting on them and helping them take me forward.”

Bradfield swiped bases at a 90.9 percent success rate at Vanderbilt, but it required some work coming out of high school. He got an education in the art of stealing.

“Going into college, I was pretty timid on the bases,” he said. “I didn’t know I was fast, I didn’t know how to steal bases. Going to Vanderbilt helped me learn how to be an aggressive baserunner and also a smart baserunner.”

Bradfield played on the same South Florida youth baseball team as Coby Mayo, a fourth-rounder in 2020 who was promoted this week from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. Mayo celebrated Bradfield’s selection with a photo on social media from their childhood.

“Coby is a good friend,” Bradfield said. “I’ve known him since we were small. For this to happen now and for us to be in the same organization, it’s kind of something that’s full circle. Our dads talk all the time. I may not talk to Coby as much, but I know we’re both busy people, but our dads keep in contact.

“It’s a great feeling. He reached out to me last night and I saw the tweet of the picture of us when we were 11, and that was pretty cool. I definitely was happy to see that.”

Bradfield will be making lots of new friends, in a farm system that ranks No. 1 in baseball. In an organization where the major league team is only two games out of first place in the American League East.

“I’m excited,” he said. “Watching the Orioles in the big leagues right now, they have a bunch of young guys out there who are playing really good baseball and are really talented players. They’re all like homegrown players. The fact that the organization can really develop guys gives me a level of excitement for me to go in there and know I’m going to get better every day and get to work. So, that’s probably the biggest thing for me.”

* In the third round of the draft, the Orioles used the 86th overall pick on University of Washington right-hander Kiefer Lord, primarily a fastball pitcher who can reach 97 mph but usually sits at 94, per scouting reports.

The California native spent one year at Washington after transferring from Division III Carleton College in Minnesota and registered a 6.19 ERA in 15 starts. He walked 17 batters and struck out 78 in 75 2/3 innings.

* The Orioles released outfielder Zach Watson, a third-round pick in 2019 out of Louisiana State University. Watson was on Double-A Bowie’s roster.

Watson slashed .209/.265/.396 with nine doubles and eight home runs in 52 games with the Baysox and was a career .222/.275/.405 hitter in four minor league seasons.

Four of the Orioles’ top five selections in 2019 have reached the majors: catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Gunnar Henderson, outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Joey Ortiz. Infielder Darell Hernaiz, chosen in the fifth round, was traded to the Athletics for left-hander Cole Irvin.

* Austin Hays is batting seventh and playing center field for the American League in Tuesday night's All-Star Game in Seattle.