Better Times

If I had to rank my favorite current players for the Red Sox, Jackie Bradley Jr. would be either #2 or #3.  #1 is Mookie Betts and Bradley's competition is Xander Bogaerts.  Just two years ago, Bradley was most definitely #2 and a little bit before that, he was the subject of a mini player collection.  He is falling a little bit because he is just not a consistent offensive threat.  He is an absolute blast to watch in the field as he makes amazing defensive plays on a regular basis.  But he can be an absolute drain on offense for weeks at a time.  

This card though calls to mind a better time:

This is an All Star jersey card from 2016.  That year, Bradley was in full beast mode early on as he went on a 29 game hitting streak.  He was hitting for power and average and was still making great plays.  He won the Player of the Month in May of 2016.  Unfortunately he has not played quite so well ever since (though he has played much better of late).  But man, that month was fun.