Bradford wants to start, but more importantly, he wants to win

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Cody Bradford has been clear about two things all spring: 1. He wants to be a starter. 2. He’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win.

He’s not just saying that. He does want to help the team win, but there’s no doubt Bradford is doing everything in his power to prove he can compete in a big league rotation.

“You love that that was his approach coming into camp,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “That's how you want all these guys to come in: ‘I'm here to win the job’ and then follow through. He’s got great focus. He's relentless with his work and getting better.”

Bradford made his MLB debut last season, posting a 5.30 ERA in 56 innings. He appeared in 20 games, starting eight of them, and recorded 51 strikeouts compared to just 12 walks. He became a key part of the bullpen during the Rangers’ World Series run, allowing just one run in 7 2/3 innings over five postseason appearances.

“Cody was so valuable for us last year, to come up at his age and handle everything we threw out,” Bochy said. “He's coming to camp with the attitude: ‘I am here to win a job.’ And again, that's what you want to see from these guys. … He's a great human being, but he's also a very tough competitor. He's out there to get outs and help his team win. So that's what you have to love about Cody.”

The left-hander doesn’t blow hitters away with velocity, owning a four-seamer that sits just around 90 mph, but he’s thrived in his career on his command and control of the strike zone with the changeup and slider.

“He can manipulate the baseball so well,” Bohcy said. “It's kind of like Dane Dunning, how he hides the ball. He's got that deception and, more importantly, he's got the command. He can work the edges up in the zone. He's a special young man.”

This spring, Bradford has allowed just three runs in 11 Cactus League innings. In his start in the Rangers’ 5-1 loss to the Cubs at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, he allowed just one run in four innings of work, though the one run came after Wyatt Langford misplayed a fly ball in left field after losing it in the sun.

His biggest point of emphasis throughout camp has been to reintroduce the curveball into his pitch arsenal, something he hasn’t thrown since he was in college at Baylor.

“I thought I did OK,” Bradford said of his outing. “Something I’ve been working on that I will take as a success is that I went four-for-four or five-for-five -- I don’t remember -- with throwing the curveball for strikes today. That was a big win. … It's been give and take right now, but today was the most comfortable I've been with it.”

It wasn’t perfect, and Bradford added that he felt like he was leaving too many pitches over the heart of the plate, leading to some hard contact, but that’s something that he feels he can fix more easily going forward.

“I like where I'm at in camp, and hopefully I make the team,” Bradford said. “I want to continue to show Bochy and [pitching coach] Mike [Maddux] that they can trust me and I go out there and get guys out.”

In his short big league career, Bradford has shown that he can help the club in a swingman role. And regardless of what his role ultimately ends up being, he’ll no doubt make some starts throughout the year.

But he’s adamant he can contribute in the rotation.

“Since he came up, he’s just had that inner confidence that you love,” Bochy said. “That hasn't wavered. He's had his moments, like every athlete does, or baseball player, but it doesn't faze him. He just keeps going. That's what makes him so good, is the fact that he handles everything thrown at him so well. He knows you can't ever let up in this game. That’s his attitude.”