1st-rounder Bradfield quickly welcomed by O's

BALTIMORE -- Enrique Bradfield Jr. is fast on his feet and fast with his fingers, too, apparently.

Before Orioles general manager Mike Elias could reach out to inform Bradfield he was coming to Baltimore on Sunday night -- via the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft -- Elias had an incoming call. It was from Bradfield.

“That’s a first,” Elias said in a moment shared by the O’s in a video on social media.

Bradfield had no reason to wait for Elias to call him, the typical order of events on Draft night.

“My agent actually sent me over his number, so I took that as, 'Hey, let me give him a call,’” Bradfield said during a Zoom with the media Monday morning. “So I just went ahead and dialed the phone and gave him a call."

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Consider it a sign of how excited Bradfield is to be heading to an Orioles organization that is overflowing with young talent. The 21-year-old outfielder out of Vanderbilt University has been watching Baltimore’s big league team thrive, and he’s aware of the highly regarded farm system he’d be joining upon signing with the O’s.

The Orioles are 54-35 at the All-Star break. They have eight players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, including No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

“They have a bunch of young guys out there who are playing really good baseball, really talented players,” Bradfield said. “They’re all homegrown players, so the fact that the organization can really develop guys gives me a level of excitement for me to go in there and know that I’m going to get better every day and get to work.”

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With 80-grade speed, Bradfield is exceptionally quick on the basepaths. Another way he could be fast is with his climb through Baltimore’s Minor League ranks, considering he’s coming from a storied SEC program where he spent the past three years playing against top-level college competition.

Bradfield set the Commodores’ program record for career stolen bases (130) and posted a .311/.426/.447 slash line over 191 games during his time at Vandy.

“He is a premium college player from the most premium conference there is, from the most premium program that there is,” Elias said. “He’s arguably one of the best baserunners and best basestealers in recent college baseball history.”

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Following the self-initiated introductory call with Elias on Sunday, Bradfield went on to have an eventful night on Twitter.

First, Bradfield was welcomed to the Orioles’ organization by infielder Coby Mayo, the club’s No. 7 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 76 overall prospect. Both are South Florida natives, and they’re also good friends, having played youth baseball together while growing up.

“I’ve known him since we were small, so for this to happen now and for us to be in the same organization is kind of something that’s like full circle,” Bradfield said. “Our dads talk all the time.”

Then, Bradfield received a congratulatory tweet from one of the greatest players in Baltimore’s rich baseball history -- Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., who holds the AL/NL record for consecutive games played at 2,632.

Ripken wasn’t the only former Oriole to tag Bradfield in a tweet. There was also one from Adam Jones, who appeared to be a fan of the selection made by Baltimore in the Draft’s first round.

Bradfield was quite appreciative of his interactions with both Ripken and Jones.

“It’s special, especially for guys like them to just congratulate a 21-year-old like me. They’re legends in the sport,” Bradfield said. “Cal Ripken is somebody who has done something that nobody else has been able to do. And Adam Jones is a legend. I remember watching his highlights from the USA 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.”

Perhaps Bradfield will one day achieve that goal by becoming an All-Star Gold Glover patrolling center field for the Orioles. But he has a few years of work ahead before reaching that goal.

That’s fine with Bradfield, who has no problem with putting in the necessary time in the Minors and stated that, with him, Baltimore is getting a “competitor.”

“My love for this game is definitely next-level, and I feel like to have success at the professional level, it needs to be like that. I’m always committed. I’m disciplined to get the job done,” Bradfield said. “So I have no concerns about going to the next level and not having success. I’ve been able to adapt to every level I’ve ever been at and be able to produce, and I feel like this one’s going to be no different.”