This American Heritage 18-year-old senior is fastest high school player in the nation
When Enrique Bradfield Jr. was eight years old, baseball coaches and parents nicknamed him “lightning” because of his incredible speed.
A decade later, Bradfield hasn’t slowed down.
Baseball America recently ranked Bradfield — now an 18-year-old senior center fielder at American Heritage — as the fastest high school player in the nation.
Bradfield also ranks as the No. 2 defensive outfielder in the country, trailing only California prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.
“He creates outs that other outfielders simply could not,” Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo wrote. “His first step is elite, and his closing speed allows him to track balls in both gaps, over his head and in shallow center field.”
American Heritage junior lefty Devin Futrell knows the value of having Bradfield behind him.
“If there’s a ball hit to center with two outs,” Futrell said, “I just walk to my dugout. Everything hit his way is an out.”
Bradfield, who has a 4.4 weighted grade-point average, has a scholarship to play for reigning College World Series champion Vanderbilt, where he is interested in study business, economics and/or engineering.
The only son of Panamanian-born parents Enrique Sr. and Jenny, Bradfield learned the game from his father, who was also a center fielder.
But despite sharing a name and a passion for baseball, there are differences between father and son. Bradfield Sr. was a 6-3, 220-pounder by the time he played for St. Thomas University. Bradfield Jr. is just 6-foot and 155 pounds.
“I was fast but not as fast as he is,” Bradfield Sr. said of his son. “He’s also more graceful than I was.”
Bradfield bats lefty, which puts even more pressure on infielders trying to throw him out as he explodes down the first-base line. He hit an incredible .542 last year, but Baseball America reports that some scouts still question Bradfield’s offensive game because he is not a power hitter.
American Heritage coach Bruce Aven — who played 259 games over five years as a major-league outfielder — scoffs at such talk.
“Enrique has had a lot of pro scouts following him because he gets on, steals bases and make things happen,” Aven said. “He draws walks, bunts and hits with two strikes.
“I’ve told Enrique, ‘Don’t try to be something you’re not’.”
Top college programs were not at all bothered by Bradfield’s “small ball” approach to offense. Bradfield visited Miami, West Virginia and Florida — and also talked to LSU — before committing to Vanderbilt in November of his sophomore year.
Two other American Heritage teammates — Futrell and senior first baseman Gavin Casas — committed to Vanderbilt, all within a 24-hour period in November of 2017.
Bradfield said Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin was a big reason why he committed.
“The first time I met him was in his office, and we spoke for two hours, and only about 10 minutes was about baseball,” Bradfield said. “We talked about academics and family.
“I know [Corbin] will make me a better person first and a ballplayer second.”
The Vanderbilt commitment may scare away pro teams from drafting Bradfield in the top two rounds, which is where his talent indicates he should get picked, according to Baseball America.
Bradfield knows he can’t control what pro teams decide. Instead, he has focused his efforts in the past year on getting better.
In the summer, Bradfield was constantly on the move. He played in the Perfect Game Nationals at Chase Field in Phoenix. He played in a national high school all-star game in Cleveland. He traveled to Los Angeles for Team USA 18-and-under trials. And he also played at scouting events in Hoover, Alabama and — closer to home — at IMG Academy.
“It was great,” Bradfield said of a summer spent more on the road than at home. “I love the adrenaline rush of constantly being on the move and showcasing my talent.”
Bradfield took the fall off from baseball, hitting the weight room instead. And while he didn’t gain weight — “I have a fast metabolism,” he said — Bradfield noticed a major improvement in his strength.
This spring marked his return to baseball. American Heritage got off to a 10-0 start before the coronavirus halted his senior season in its tracks.
“I’m staying ready, hitting off a tee in my backyard,” Bradfield said when asked with how he is coping. “But if I never get to step on the field again with my high school teammates, I know I gave everything I had to my team and to my school.”
2019 BASEBALL STATE CHAMPS
Class 9A: Seminole
Class 8A: Plant City
Class 7A: Venice
Class 6A: Tampa Jesuit
Class 5A: Melbourne Central
Class 4A: Calvary Christian
Class 3A: Lakeland Christian
Class 2A: Miami Christian
Class 1A: Williston