Lafayette Drillers Flashback: Richard Bradley

The Lafayette Drillers, a Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, called Lafayette, Louisiana their home for two years, from 1975-1976.

The Drillers, who played their home games at Clark Field, were co-champions of the Texas League in 1975 with the Midland Cubs, finishing 72-57, before going 58-76 in 1976, the last year of affiliated professional baseball in Lafayette.

A number of outstanding players, who eventually made it into Major League Baseball ranks played at Clark Field in 1975 & 1976, including five former Lafayette Driller players.

All summer long, we’re taking a look back at some of the former players for the Drillers.

Today, Richard Bradley:

Bradley was a catcher for the Drillers during the 1976 season.

A member of the 1975 College World Series Champion, Texas Longhorns, Bradley was selected in the second round of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants at the age of 21.

The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Bradley made one minor league stop, in Fresno, California, before joining the Drillers in 1976, at the age of 22.

With Lafayette, Bradley hit a .270, along with 11 home runs, 47 runs batted in, and three stolen bases.

In 363 at-bats, Bradley, a right-handed hitter, collected 98 hits, including 14 doubles, and two triples, along with 36 walks and 52 strikeouts.

Defensively, Bradley played in 93 games behind the plate, committing 13 errors.

Bradley went on to play three more seasons of professional baseball, spending time in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Phoenix, Arizona, before retiring at the conclusion of the 1979 season, having never made it past the AAA level.

Bradley compiled a .258 career batting average, along with 31 home runs, 215 RBI’s, and ten stolen bases in 439 minor league games, covering five seasons.