Q&A: Top prospect Taj Bradley on pro journey, more

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Over the past two years, few pitchers have dominated the Minors like Taj Bradley. After being selected with Tampa Bay’s fifth-round Draft pick in 2018, Bradley is now the Rays’ No. 1 prospect after building on his breakout 2021 to reach Triple-A Durham last summer.

With a good chance at making his MLB debut in 2023, the right-hander is already turning heads early in his first big league camp. He’s also part of the reason the Rays are excited about their pitching depth.

We caught up with the game’s No. 20 overall prospect to talk pitching, getting off social media and more.

MLB.com: What did you learn about yourself last year? And how does that shape your mindset for 2023?

Bradley: Last year, I went in with the same mentality I learned in 2021, and I pretty much stuck with that through Double-A. And then I get the call up to Triple-A. The first outing went well, [I was] pitching the same, and then as I got up there, I started seeing pitchers do different things -- like working backwards, things of that nature. And I said, "If that's how you get hitters out on this level, maybe I should try it." And I kind of got beside myself. I had a rough month of outings that really didn't go my way, but I still kept the same routine. So everything stayed the same. The only thing was that I had to revert back to who I was before. So that way, I learned that I don't need to change who I am but capitalize on what I do well to make me that much better.

MLB.com: You’re known to log your starts in a journal. What benefit does that provide? And did you do it during this time to figure out what was going on?

Bradley: You learn so much stuff in a day, even though pitching is supposed to be simple. When I was younger, I wasn't a pitcher yet, so I was learning new things every day, and it all kind of got jumbled together. So I started logging everything that I learned, everything I needed to work on. That way, it wasn’t forgotten. And for me, it was just helpful. It just keeps your thoughts [less] cluttered. You're able to get right to the point on what you feel you need to work on and address it. It makes things that much easier.

MLB.com: What are you learning at your first big league Spring Training?

Bradley: A routine. It must be the right direction to go if you see everybody [has one]. That's pretty much the main thing. It's helpful knowing exactly when you're going to pitch and what your schedule is going to look like. It helps you prepare that much more.

MLB.com: Are you out to prove anything this year?

Bradley: I don't need to prove anything to anybody. That's why for the longest time I got off social media. I felt like I was seeing people post the good, but you realize there is bad, too, and they’re trying to impress people back home. So I got away from that. I’m just working to make myself happy, make myself a better player. Not doing it for anybody else but me.

MLB.com: So you’re totally off social media?

Bradley: I'll check for a funny video now and then, but I'm not a big fan of posting. My head's not in my phone, in Instagram or Twitter. I had so much going on at a young age, social media was the last of my worries. I was figuring out how to throw a changeup, how to pitch in general. I can’t go back and be like, "Oh, look at me in my uniform!"

MLB.com: Who is your biggest off-the-field influence?

Bradley: My mom, Ana Mosely. I’ll always say it’s her. We moved to Atlanta when I was 4, her and my two brothers, and it was just us for the longest time. Seeing how she raised us, how she kept her composure and the things she instilled in us to make us who we are today, it was huge.

MLB.com: Who do you model your game off the most?

Bradley: Nobody. I can't be anybody but myself. If I learn to use my body most efficiently, how my pitches work the best, I’ll learn to be a better pitcher. I can see somebody throw, try it and it doesn't work for me. [It’s about] what works for Taj and what I need to capitalize on.

MLB.com: Do you have any superstitions?

Bradley: My playlist before the game. I have it set. I've had the same playlist since I was in Princeton [in 2019]. I figured out the songs I liked, and I hit on it. I really like my music, and my headphones. That’s the biggest thing. Ask anybody. I’m known as the headphones guy.

MLB.com: What’s on the playlist?

Bradley: YFN Lucci: “Wonder Why”; YFN Lucci: "Documentary”; Juice WRLD: “Flaws and Sins”; Scarface: “Money and the Power”; and the rest is pretty much more YFN Lucci.

MLB.com: Best off-the-field talent or hobby?

Bradley: Watching movies. My brothers and my mom always watched movies all the time. Maybe when we were younger, they weren’t the right movies to watch. I remember in middle school, I told one teacher a Richard Pryor joke. She called the other teachers, called my mom. "Do you realize your son is watching Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy movies?" But we thought it was normal. She was fine with it. We still do it.