BOSTON -- A few days ago, when results of the All-Star balloting were announced and Jackie Bradley Jr. was named as a starting outfielder for the American League, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell declared it a triumph for a player and an organization that continued to believe in one another through difficult times.
Well, half of that was true.
Three years ago, sure, the Red Sox were certain this would happen. Bradley was a standout at the University of South Carolina, a supplemental first-round draft pick in 2011 and a touted center fielder in the minor leagues when he had such an impressive spring training that he forced his way onto the Opening Day roster despite having not yet played above the Double-A level.