PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- There are indications that the 2016 season could be the one when Jackie Bradley Jr. puts together all of his considerable talent on both sides of the ball and becomes a cornerstone player.
The full-fledged opportunity he has been waiting for is upon him. Dave Dombrowski, Boston's president of baseball operations, has put his confidence in Bradley by declining to engage with some of the established free-agent outfielders who remain on the market.
And Bradley seems confident that all the ups and downs he had the last two seasons occurred mainly to put him in position to thrive going forward.