Brad Eldred
From BR Bullpen
Bradley Ross Eldred (Big Country)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 5", Weight 245-275 lb.
- School Florida International University
- High School Coconut Creek High School
- Debut July 22, 2005
- Born July 12, 1980 in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Brad Eldred was tied for second in NCAA Division I in home runs in 2002, with 29. He was a minor prospect his first two years in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system, slugging around .500 with a mediocre OBP and lots of strikeouts. He had a breakout year in 2004 - he hit .310/397/.570 for the Lynchburg Hillcats and was named Carolina League MVP despite spending a third of the year in AA with the Altoona Curve. After a slow start for the Curve, Eldred established himself as a prospect by driving in 50 in his last 27 games - overall for Altoona he hit .279/.329/.687. In 147 AB, he had also fanned 51 times while drawing just six walks. On the year he drove in 137 in 130 games, homered 38 times and struck out 148 times. The Pirates' Dave Littlefield turned down an offer of Ryan Howard from the Philadelphia Phillies for Kris Benson because they felt Eldred was similar to Howard and having two power prospects would be redundant.
In 2005 Eldred continued to dominate the minors. Returning to Altoona for some reason, he hit .333/.387/.869, earning him a promotion 21 games later to AAA with the Indianapolis Indians. For the Indians, Eldred hit .282/.336/.590, garnering him a call-up to the Pirates where 1B Daryle Ward was struggling. Eldred struck out 77 times and walked just 13 times in the majors, as pitchers exploited his long swing, but he also showed good pop, homering 12 times in 190 AB. Overall he hit 40 homers and drove in 102 in '05, striking out 159 times in 469 at-bats.
The Pirates, concerned with Eldred's swing, returned him to AAA in 2006, trading their top pitcher in 2005 (David Williams) to the Cincinnati Reds for Sean Casey and installing Casey at first. When Casey was injured, the team left Eldred at AAA and instead called up utility man Mike Edwards. Shortly thereafter, Eldred was himself injured, in a collision with a baserunner, and required surgery that would keep him out for the remainder of the season. After all the tinkering with his approach, he had begun the 2006 season in poor form, hitting .226/.310/.484 with 18 strikeouts in 62 AB over 18 games. He had hit only three home runs.
Brad was assigned to the Grand Canyon Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, having finally recuperated. He only batted .231/.311/.354 with 1 HR in 65 AB for Grand Canyon. He was then sent to the Escogido Lions, where he was expected to play regularly, but went only 1 for 18 with 10 strikeouts and Escogido lost all 6 games he appeared in. They cut him loose.
After a quick start in spring training in 2007, Eldred was moved to the outfield to increase his versatility and his chance of winning a roster spot. First base was claimed by off-season acquisition Adam LaRoche and manager Jim Tracy preferred bench players to be able to man multiple positions. Eldred hit .303/.403/.667 in Grapefruit League play and made the team's roster. His 6 homers tied him for third-most in spring training behind Aramis Ramirez and Scott Hairston.
After a .119/.140/.286 batting line in 18 games, Eldred was sent down to Indianapolis in late May. The team had brought Humberto Cota off of the disabled list and Ryan Doumit, who could play 1B/RF like Eldred, had excelled while Cota was out and could not be sent back down. He briefly returned to Pittsburgh for one game in June after Dan Kolb was designated for assignment. In effect, Brad took the bench slot of Don Kelly. When the team claimed Josh Phelps off of waivers, this role went to Phelps, and Eldred was back with the Indians. Eldred had a very bad season, hitting .209/.275/.399 in 86 games for Indianapolis.
Eldred signed with the Chicago White Sox for 2008. He spent all season with the minor league Charlotte Knights, hitting .244/.305/.546 with 35 home runs, 100 RBI, 28 walks and 144 strikeouts. He led the International League in homers and RBI. His 10 errors tied Randy Ruiz for the lead among IL first basemen. Eldred made the IL All-Star team as the DH. Eldred paced all White Sox farmhands in home runs, RBI and strikeouts.
In 2009, Brad moved to the Washington Senators chain and again spent all year at AAA. He hit .269/.344/.487 with 17 home runs for their Syracuse Chiefs affiliate, giving him 174 homers in 8 minor league seasons.
