Bradley's mother, Pam, was his principal at Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It kept Archie close to his books, for sure.

"When your mom is the principal, you’re held to a different standard. She wouldn’t let me play if I got anything below a B and I know she’s not playing around. If I have a problem, she’ll help me but if she thinks I’m lazy, there are no excuses.”

Bradley revealed that his favorite class in school had to do with helping others.

"My favorite class is peer tutoring because I love getting to interact with special needs students. I feel I make a positive impact on their day and in the end, those students have made me a better person," he said.

In 2011, Archie's senior season of high school, he was 12-1 with a 0.29 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 72 innings. He committed to a football scholarship (quarterback) at the University of Oklahoma, who would've also allowed him to pitch for the Sooners' baseball team.

"It's a win-win situation,” said Bradley. “When it’s football season, I think I like football most but during baseball season, I like baseball. If I’m drafted, great, and if I’m not, you can’t beat a college education where I’d be the hometown kid. You never know what is going to happen so it’s nice to have fallback positions.

"Football has helped me tremendously, especially on the mental side," Bradley said. "I have to understand what everyone on the field is doing. Everything is in your hands. It really taught me how to slow down the game and keep everything under control."

Archie committed to play football at the University of Oklahoma. He was also recruited by Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech.

In 2010, while in high school, Archie was ranked the No. 15 pro-style quarterback by 247Sports.com and 48th best QB overall, ahead of Dak Prescott (58-Mississippi State).

In 2011, Bradley got drafted by the Diamondbacks and had a decision to make. "I love the game of football and I thought a lot about playing it at the college level. I talked with my family and looked at the pros and cons of both options. At the end of the day, I knew playing baseball was the best decision," Archie said.

In 2012, Baseball America rated Bradley as the second-best prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, behind only Trevor Bauer, in the spring of 2012. He was at #2 again in the winter before 2013 spring training, behind lefthander Tyler Skaggs, this time.

And Archie was the #1 prospect in the Diamondbacks' organization in the spring(s) of both 2014 and 2015. They dropped him a bit, to 4th-best prospect in the Arizona farm system.

In 2012, Archie led the Midwest League in opponent average (.181) as well as walks (84).

Archie's role model is Drew Brees. He even emulates Brees with charitable work, participating in a program called Tiger Pals that each Friday during the season has the football players going out into the neighborhood elementary schools.

“We stress that developing good study habits is important starting in elementary school,” explains Bradley.

For baseball, Archie is a fan of the Atlanta Braves.

Bradley is not just the talk of the town back in Broken Arrow for baseball. The former high school baseball and football player gives back, too. When a series of tornadoes ravaged homes in his home state of Oklahoma, Bradley stepped up to help in a big way.

Bradley started his own relief effort to help victims rebuild, selling a signed pair of his pink Mother's Day cleats on eBay and collecting a variety of other items from fellow athletes to put on the auction block.

"It's been really neat [to make a difference]," Bradley said. "My home state affected like that, to see those families go through something like that, it's been heartbreaking."

In 2013, Archie was named the Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Year, as voted on by the league's field managers, radio broadcasters and print media.

In 2013, the D-backs named Bradley the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He ranked third in the minor league ERA race (1.84) and fifth with 162 strikeouts. 

Following a successful 2014 spring training outing, Bradley turned out to be as poised in an interview session as he was on the mound, smiling for the microphones and cameras. He's 21 and a golly-gee kid from in Muskogee, Okla. Clean cut, as friendly and genuine as they come.

"I had a lot of fun out there," Bradley said. "It was fun to finally face someone without a Diamondbacks jersey on. It felt really good to be on this side, in big league camp. Obviously, you couldn't ask for a better debut. I got the adrenaline going, I got to compete, and it felt good.

"It was very challenging and fun. It was very exciting, too," Bradley said. "I've watched those guys for a couple of years now, and to finally be on the mound looking at them in a game and to get them out, that was very exciting and fun, too.  "You look out there and there are Gold Glovers, Tulo, Cuddyer ... I didn't really study them for this start. It was a spring start. I don't know them that well. But at some point, I'm going to face them again, whether it's this year, next year or whenever it is."  

Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said that Bradley has "something most guys don't have, and we'd like to see him use it."

Bradley complied by throwing about 95 percent hard fastballs, with a few breaking pitches. He didn't even attempt using the changeup.  Bradley rose to the occasion. He said. "Once you step out on the mound and things actually matter, the results count, that's when you can really see where your stuff is and really evaluate yourself."  (Bloom - mlb.com - 3/04/14)

Bradley, 22, was nothing short of phenomenal. He threw 112 pitchers over six innings, allowing a single hit while striking out six. As that pitch count may indicate, Bradley did struggle at times with his command, walking four batters. According to ESPN, Bradley became the fifth pitcher since 2003 to make his debut against a former Cy Young winner. Somewhat surprisingly, he was also the fourth pitcher to win such a start.

May 15, 2015: Bradley realizes there is no hiding from the fact he got hit in the face by a 115-mph line drive the last time he took the mound in a game, so he once again watched a replay of it. Bradley, who suffered a slight sinus fracture on the play April 28, was activated from the 15-day disabled list in time to start the game with the Phillies.

"That was my main point, physically I'm not scared of it happening and mentally I'm not either, and I think that's the kind of wall you have to get over. Where are you at mentally? Where are you at in your mind? Are you scared? And you can't be scared when you're out there trying to get guys out." (S Gilbert - MLB.com - May 15, 2015)

"For me to get a win for this team in my debut is pretty special, but now it’s off to the next one.” (J. Magruder - Baseball America - 5/08/15)

When Bradley was planning his 2015-2016 offseason workout regimen, he decided to consult with someone outside the pitching ranks.

"Even though he's a different player, I figured why not ask Goldy?" Bradley said, referring to Paul Goldschmidt. "I remember asking Goldy the middle of the year, 'What do you do during the offseason? Where do you work out?'"

Goldschmidt told Bradley that he does all his work at the team's Salt River Fields Spring Training facility. That was good enough for Bradley, who called his parents in Oklahoma with a message.

"I'm coming home for Thanksgiving, I'm coming home for Christmas and that's it," Bradley told them.  

"It was awesome," Bradley said. "I could do everything here from lifting to recovery. If our trainers and strength staff are going to offer their time in the offseason, why not take advantage of it? Why not be around the guys that are going to be here throughout the season? It was the best offseason I've ever had."

Bradley also got to get in some work with new D-backs pitching coach Mike Butcher before Spring Training opened.

"After being in the big leagues last year, I realized I don't want to be anyplace else," Bradley said. "This is where I want to be. It was the best offseason I've ever had."  (Gilbert - MLB.com - 3/1/16)

In the summer of 2016, as he made his way around the National League, Archie had a constant companion at his side—a Polaroid camera.  Bradley has snapped photos on the field with friends who have come to visit him, of the ballparks he's gotten to pitch in and some of the broadcasters he was familiar with while growing up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

"Honestly, not to sound cheesy, but I really don't take for granted this position that I'm in," Bradley said. "Every stadium I'm in, every place we go, every BP we take, I mean thousands and thousands of people pay money to watch us. I really am just kind of enamored and caught up in what I'm allowed to do every day."

On one D-backs road trip, which included stops in Milwaukee and Los Angeles, Bradley had his picture taken with Brewers radio play-by-play legend Bob Uecker, as well as the retiring Vin Scully. Archie was raised to address people older than him as Mr. or Miss, but neither Uecker or Scully were having any of that and insisted he call them by their first names.  They also caught Bradley off guard by knowing who he was.

"What they've done for the game, the history and the respect people around the game have for both of them," Bradley said. "To think they knew about me, it was really unbelievable."  

With the Polaroid providing an instant picture, Bradley was able to have both broadcasters sign the photos. Bradley has all the pictures he's taken taped to a mirror in his Phoenix-area home with notes written underneath him. It provides him with a photo journal of his baseball journey.

"With an iPhone, you can just snap a picture and it saves to your phone. But with a Polaroid, it's better, because I like to take a Polaroid and just write a little note down like, 'Met Vin Scully today and talked to him about this.' That way, after the season I can go back and look at it, and it's kind of my way to remember stuff and keep track of everything. Just taking advantage of the opportunity that I have." (Gilbert - MLB.com - 8/4/16)

Archie started growing his beard on Halloween 2016 as part of No-Shave November after a suggestion from teammate Robbie Ray.

Feb 24, 2017: Brewers pitching prospect Adrian Houser was two days removed from Tommy John surgery last summer and facing a grueling rehab at Milwaukee's year-round facility in Phoenix, when he realized he needed a place to live. He texted an old friend asking for help. The way Houser remembers it, Archie Bradley answered almost instantly.

"Bro, I'll always have a room for you," Bradley replied.

The two have known each other since they were 7 or 8 years old growing up in Oklahoma—Bradley, now with the D-backs, is an Okie from Muskogee, straight out of the Merle Haggard song, and Houser was born 30 miles away in Tahlequah. They played for rival travel teams at first, but Houser's—the Locust Grove Pirates—picked up Bradley for a couple of tournaments, and they became friends.

Eventually, the teams combined to form the Tulsa Lookouts, featuring a pitching staff with three future Major Leaguers: Bradley, Houser and the Orioles' Dylan Bundy. Bradley stood out.

"He threw really, really hard at a young age," Houser said. "Everyone knew about him." No, there were no radar guns on these 8-year-olds. But Bradley's ability was obvious. "He overpowered people."

They played together until they were 12 or 13, then parted ways and prepared for high school. In 2011, all three were high draft picks—Bundy to the Orioles with the fourth overall pick, Bradley to the D-backs at No. 7 and Houser to the Astros in the second round.

Bundy made it to the Majors first, in 2012; followed by Bradley in April 2015; and Houser, who was traded from Houston to Milwaukee that July, for two scoreless relief appearances in September. Houser returned to Double-A Biloxi in 2016 and made 13 starts before injuring his elbow. He underwent reconstructive surgery in July and was still in a brace when he moved into Bradley's North Scottsdale home in the first week of August.

Houser spent the remainder of the summer rehabbing at Maryvale Baseball Park during the day, and watching Bradley at night as the righthander finished 8-9 with a 5.02 ERA in 26 starts for the D-backs. Between offseason workouts, they spent the winter grilling out and shooting baskets in Bradley's pool. Houser resumed throwing in January. Both are hoping for a better 2017. (A McCalvy and S Gilbert - MLB.com - Feb 24, 2017)

Bradley has already made 34 Major League starts in his young professional career and hopes to make more if promoted from his current reliever role. But none have provided him with the biggest adrenaline rush he has ever felt.

He goes far off the mound to find that. He loves pitching, but hunting gives him an unparalleled thrill. “I can’t explain it, man,” Bradley said. “If you want to picture your most nervous, craziest moment, that’s what it is. You can’t control your hands, you can’t control your breathing. It’s like something you can’t even put into words.”

Bradley’s love for hunting came long after he started playing baseball. He didn’t discover hunting until his junior year of high school when his girlfriend and her family introduced him to it. Bradley was immediately hooked. Once Bradley was drafted by the D-backs in 2011, he was finally able to afford gear. He now has multiple rifles.

This past offseason, Bradley and Evan Marzilli hunted together in Oklahoma. Bradley said the experience is probably his favorite hunting memory. “We cooked all our own meals, we slept in a tent, we didn’t shower for a couple days, and we just kind of really roughed it,” Bradley said.

Bradley and Marzilli have now gone on hunting trips together twice. He hasn’t, however, successfully lured any of the big league D-backs to join him.

Bradley said people either love hunting or they don’t. There is no in-between. He enjoys watching the sunrise during his hunting trips. And he eats what he kills.

“I eat what I kill, I save it," said Archie. "I don’t just kill it to kill it.”

His biggest pet peeve in hunting is people who don’t follow the rules, including those who hunt deer at night with a spotlight, or trespass on someone else’s property. Hunting has many rules to follow and he takes pride in abiding by all of them.

“There are a lot of rules that people step outside of, just like cheating in baseball,” he said. Just like every other MLB player, the grind of the 162-game season consumes most of Bradley’s year. But after a season finishes, he immerses himself in something of which he is equally passionate.

“I think my favorite thing about it is the friendships and the trips, the memories from hunting with other people,” Bradley said. “The late-night campfire stories, the things you see on TV that are actually real. We actually do that stuff.” (Justin Toscano-Cronkite News - April 19, 2017)

In the span of a week in December 2017, Archie slid across the ice at an Arizona Coyotes NHL game and dressed up as Santa Claus for a skit with Arizona State University students as part of their famed Curtain of Distraction at an NCAA men's basketball game. The appearances showed the fun-loving side of Bradley, who had a breakout season for the D-backs in 2017, compiling a 1.73 ERA in 63 games as the team's top setup man.

"Being involved and being a part of a community," Bradley said of his exploits. "I love Arizona, and I love doing stuff like that." Bradley was at the Coyotes game as part of a friend's bachelor party and was asked to participate in a contest between periods. 

Drafted seventh overall out of high school in 2011, Bradley never got to attend college. He had committed to playing quarterback for the University of Oklahoma before the D-backs offered him a $5 million signing bonus. So when he was invited to attend a basketball game at ASU and play a part in trying to distract the opposing players at the free-throw line, the 25-year-old jumped at the chance.

"To see that arena and how loud it is, I mean I didn't go to college so it's kind of like my college experience to be with those kids," Bradley said.

"I'm just this kid from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and I'm pitching in playoff games, I'm meeting Vin Scully and Bob Uecker, I'm on the tour bus with singer Jake Owen, I'm doing the Curtain of Distraction. Look, it's not because of my personality or that I'm a great guy," Bradley said. "I get those opportunities because of baseball. And I realize that, and I want to take advantage of it.

"I'm one season away, I'm one pitch away from being done or having a bad year, and that stuff can go away quick. For me, I don't want to sit back. I want to take advantage of it and do things. When my career is over, I want to be able to look back and be like, 'Man, look at what you were able to do, not only baseball-wise, but the people I met, the memories I made, the experiences I had.'"  (S Gilbert - MLB.com - Jan 4, 2018)

Every Mother's Day brings a special reminder for Archie.

"Obviously my mom having breast cancer and being cancer-free now for 14 years, it's pretty special every year for me," Bradley said. "Last year was kind of the cherry on top when my mom got to throw out the first pitch to me, which was pretty cool. But every year it's just a reminder of how strong of a woman my mom is and how special it is to get to celebrate them through this day."  (Gilbert - mlb.com - May 13, 2018)

Archie started an outdoor excursions company called "Crash Landing Outdoors," named after his dog Crash, leading groups on duck hunts in his home state of Oklahoma during the offseason.

Along with his dog, Crash, Bradley has played the role of landlord to the following teammates during his time with the D-backs: Jake Lamb, Phil Gosselin, Kyle Jensen, Matt Koch, Evan Marzilli and Kaleb Fleck.

He documents his experiences on social media via #archiesadventures, which have included playing in the 2017-2019 Waste Management Open Pro-Ams, participating in an on-ice contest with the Arizona Coyotes, joining Arizona State basketball's Curtain of Distraction, meeting Vin Scully, documenting the team's themed road trips, and all his travel and hunting outings. (D'Backs 2019 Media Guide)

On Aug. 9, Bradley threw a pitch inside to former teammate A.J. Pollock that the outfielder believed hit him on the wrist. The umpire, however, ruled that it hit the knob of his bat and deflected up into the air, where it was caught by the catcher for an out. After the call stood on a replay review, Bradley told Pollock, who had already gone to first base, to "get off the field."

Bradley went on to earn the save before directing some words towards the Dodgers' dugout in response, he said, to what they were saying after the final strike. The result was a benches-clearing incident. (MLB.com - Apr. 29, 2020)

July 3, 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic hit close to home for Archie as his father, Charles, spent 10 days in the hospital battling it, while his mother and brother also came down with the virus. Although Bradley's mom was asymptomatic and his younger brother was sidelined only for a couple of days, the virus hit his 65-year-old father hard.

"I was definitely concerned," Bradley said. "I mean, my dad is like my best friend. I prayed about it, I felt good about it, and ultimately my dad is a fighter and so is my family. We were lucky. I am able to take a step back and realize that there were a lot of people who weren't as lucky as myself with their family members and loved ones. I definitely would say our relationships have grown stronger. I love them more, and I'm just happy that they're still here."

Bradley believes that his dad caught the virus when he was traveling back to Oklahoma from Arizona in late March. 

Given what his family went through, Bradley is hoping that baseball can help provide people with some entertainment during a troubled time.

"I know there are people in this state and in the whole world that have been affected," Bradley said. "I hope baseball can come back to what it's supposed to be, America's pastime, America's calling card, and really bring this country today with everything it's going through, with the social injustice and everything going on out there, to the pandemic that's happening right now. Baseball has a chance to be the shining light in America and really bring us together as a country." (S Gilbert - MLB.com - July 3, 2020)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2011: The Diamondbacks chose Bradley in the first round pick (#7 overall), out of Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He signed for a bonus of $5 million. (Arizona had already taken Trevor Bauer with the third overall pick, also in the first round.) 

Jan 11, 2019: Bradley and the D-backs avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year deal.

Feb 21, 2020: Bradley came away from his salary-arbitration hearing a winner—the three-person arbitration panel picked his number of $4.1 million instead of the D-backs' offer of $3.6 million. 

Aug. 31, 2020: The Reds acquired closer Archie Bradley and cash from the D-backs for utility player Josh VanMeter and outfielder Stuart Fairchild.

Dec 2, 2020: Bradley became a free agent.

Jan. 14, 2021: Bradley signed a one-year deal with the Phillies for $6 million.

Nov. 2, 2021: Bradley became a free agent.

March 17, 2022: The Angels signed Bradley to a one-year, $3.7 million contract.

Bradley has a 94-99 mph FASTBALL that grades out at 65 and a 81-84 mph hammer 12-to-6 knuckle-CURVEBALL that he needs better command of. He also has an 82-85 mph power curve, and has some feel for a 85-88 mph circle-CHANGEUP (a 50 grade) with arm-side sink.

In 2015, Archie added a 89-93 mph CUTTER with some slider action that plays off his fastball, but like his changeup, he rarely uses it.

2016 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 63.2% of the time; Sinker 6.3% of the time; Change 7.1%; and his Curve 23.5% of the time.

2017  Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball 75.6% of the time, and his Curve 20.9 % of the time. He used his Cutter just over 3% of the time, and his changeup .4% of the time.

2018 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 69.9% of the time; Sinker 11.8%; his Curve 17.8%; and Cutter less than 1% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 96.1 mph, Sinker 96.2, Curve 81.6 mph, and Cutter 88.2 mph.

2019 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 58.4% of the time; Sinker 11.1%; his Change 5.8%; and Curve 24.7% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 95.9 mph, Sinker 95.2, Change 88.8, and Curve 82.4 mph. 2020 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 56.2% of the time; Sinker 11.3%; his Change 10.6%; and Curve 21.9% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 94.4 mph, Sinker 93.7, Change 86.3, and Curve 80.1 mph.

2020 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 56.2% of the time; Sinker 11.3%; his Change 10.6%; and Curve 21.9% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 94.4 mph, Sinker 93.7, Change 86.3, and Curve 80.1 mph.

Archie mostly goes with his fastball (about 76 percent of the time) and curveball (20 percent).

Because he leans so heavily on two pitches and struggles with command, Bradley may have to slide to the bullpen.

He hides the ball well in his delivery, so it gets on batters quickly—faster than they expect.

Bradley’s high three-quarters arm slot gets the ball over his front side and allows him to pound the fastball down in the zone. His command suffers when he’s inconsistent with his delivery and his front side flies open, but he projects to be able to repeat the delivery due to his athleticism.

Archie comes at hitters from a good downhill plane and with a three-quarters arm slot. He has really good angle with his fastball. He has a clean delivery that he maintains well, but it does get out of whack on occasion. He has some effort and recoils his arm after releasing the ball, so he occasionally comes out of his delivery and misses the zone.

His high leg kick can also throw his delivery off balance on occasion. But he improved in 2013-2014, when he lowered his arm slot. And he even further simplified his delivery late in 2015, so it's even more repeatable.

"It was just typical pitcher stuff," Bradley said. "Staying back, keeping your chest over your front knee, staying closed. As a power pitcher, you want to be looking over your front elbow, your front arm and be in a good position when you land. Make sure you're finishing your pitches, not cutting yourself off. But it was huge."

Archie is very tough mentally. His makeup, focus and poise on the mound are impressive. He is a confident righthander with a take-charge attitude on the mound and a strong build for durability.

Hitters don't put many balls in play against Bradley.

"I'm just aggressive," Bradley said of his pitching style. "I attack hitters. I throw the changeup every now and then, but I'm going to attack guys with the fastball and just try to get ahead."

“He came to spring training really focused, and he stayed in the moment,” Bell said. “He understood this was a progression, and he was OK with that. As soon as he understood that, he took off and made a huge step forward," Diamondbacks farm director Mike Bell said near the end of the 2013 season."

“It’s funny because a typical curve ball is pretty bad for a young kid,” said Bradley. “But the way I throw it, it’s not bad for my elbow or bad for my arm. So I was able to throw it at a young age and I think that’s the reason I’ve continued to throw it and have success with it.”

If a knuckleball is the most difficult pitch to command, the knuckle-curve is the second most. Although the two aren’t exactly comparable, a pitcher doesn’t have all his fingers on the ball for either grip. That allows for a north-south break that is later and more pronounced than your average curveball. At times, it can even be difficult for umpires to properly recognize as a strike due to the dramatic way it changes eye levels.

While Bradley considers his power fastball to be his go-to pitch, he has never been hesitant about throwing his knuckle-curve “in any count” at “anytime.” That confidence gives the 21-year-old an essence of unpredictability that one major league scout said is the best he’s seen since Mike Mussina. And Bradley’s belief in his knuckle-curve all stems from when he first began to take his talents out of Oklahoma as a 9-year-old.

Heading into the 2015 season, Bradley needs to recover the swagger and stuff he showed in 2013. He displayed diminished stuff in 2014. A lower arm slot left him on the side of the ball rather than on top of it. That took the depth out of his curveball.

“Command has always been an issue for me as far as not honing it in and controlling it the way I want, but there were a couple of times where I had no feel of where the ball was going," Archie said.

“I hold myself to very high expectations. When I wasn’t able to meet those it was very tough, more mentally than anything else, because physically I was fine.”  

Spring 2015: Even when it looked like he was going to be squeezed off the Opening Day roster, Bradley refused to give in. "That was the thing for me the whole spring, just pitch and let that take care of itself," Bradley said. "Even when they set the rotation, they said, 'Hey, you still have a chance to make this team out of the bullpen.'"  

Eventually, it was Bradley's performance that prompted the D-backs to deal Trevor Cahill to the Braves and add Bradley to the rotation. "He'll know that he earned it, which is the ideal way to earn respect around your teammates and your peers," D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa said of Bradley. "That's why you set those competitions up. He deserves the ball, and he's going to get it."  

For Bradley, making the big league roster is even more special given the struggles he went through in 2014 both with injuries and on the field. It was the first time in his life that he began to have doubts on a baseball field.  

This year, he'll be standing on the foul line for Opening Day festivities. "It still hasn't really set in," he said. "Chip Hale called me in today when I first got to the ballpark and told me I made the club, and I'm just trying to process it all. It's a dream come true." (S Gilbert - MLB.com - April 3, 2015)

Archie has thrown few curveballs in 2018 because he has regularly suffered a crack in the nail of his right forefinger.  "Since before spring started, I've been dealing with a cracked nail that I've been having to get a fake nail on the whole season," Bradley said. "I would say this is like my 55th nail. The last road trip I had it replaced four out of six days."

Bradley's usage of the curve is down this month to 13 percent. He used it a season-high 18 percent of the time in May.  Those totals are a far cry from last year, when he threw it 20 percent or more in five of the season's six months.

Bradley puts a great deal of stress on the forefinger nail because his curve is a "spike curve," in which the nail of the forefinger is dug into the seams of the baseball.  "It's been a challenge," Bradley said. "I've had to get creative and had to throw some pitches where I would have rather thrown curveballs maybe, but I can't at the time." 

Bradley is a regular at Desert Nail and Spa in Arizona, where he gets his nail worked on. "I've gotten really deep into the nail world," Bradley said. "I feel like I've got a lot of knowledge and it's just something at least probably for this year I'm going to have to continue to grind with. It is what it is, and hopefully I'm on a program now where I know what I need to do for the nail to stick together."

Bradley has gone recently with a thicker replacement nail because he's found that they last longer. Even that is a challenge, though.  "Even every new nail, it's a new feel, because it's a little thicker or a little less thick and it's trying to find the right place to put it," Bradley said. "It's been a grind."

During some outings, it doesn't impact Bradley at all, whereas others he will not throw a curve or limit the number he does throw. "There's been times where I've got it fixed, and like in San Fran, the first curveball I threw, my nail broke and I knew based on the break that I could probably throw two to five curveballs in the game before it gets to the point where it messes up my nail bad," Bradley said. "You've still got to get batters out."  (Gilbert - mlb.com - 6/19/18)

2020 Season: A last hurrah for the beard, as he finally got to be the D-backs closer on Opening Day ... only for Opening Day to be in July. After blowing his first save on July 26 (but getting the W), he went 6-for-6, despite an overall underwhelming 4.22 ERA. But most of the runs came in one outing against the Padres, where he allowed three runs but still got a save, after the tying run was thrown out at home.

Archie was dealt to the Reds at the deadline. And later became a free agent and signed with the Phils.

January 2021: Bradley’s arrival in Philly helps a bullpen that had the second-worst ERA in baseball history in 2020, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Bradley, 28, has a 2.95 ERA and 28 saves across 221 appearances over the past four seasons with Arizona and Cincinnati. He earned a career-high 18 saves with the D-backs in 2019.

He returned to make four rehab appearances for Triple-A Salt Lake from Sept. 15-24 and was activated on Sept. 27, then went back on the injured list two days later because of a strained right forearm.

Bradley is 30-29 with a 3.92 ERA and 32 saves in 35 starts and 294 relief appearances over eight seasons with Arizona (2015-20), Cincinnati (2020), Philadelphia (2021) and the Angels. (AP - April 14, 2023)

April 29-June 26, 2014: Bradley was on the D.L. with a mild flexor strain in his right elbow. A CAT scan and MRI showed no structural damage. 

April 28-May 16, 2015: Archie was struck on the right side of his face by a 115 mph line drive, suffering a fracture to his right sinus. He went on the D.L.

June 2-August  23, 2015: Bradley was on the D.L. with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

April 11-May 18, 2021:  The Phillies placed Archie on the 10-day injured list because of his strained left oblique. 

“It really just kind of came out of nowhere,” Bradley said. “It wasn’t a particular pitch or something I felt while doing baseball activities. It’s just something that, honestly, I’m not really sure where it came from.”

Sept 24-Oct 5, 2021: Archie was on the IL with a right oblique strain.

April 30-May 23, 2022: Bradley was placed on the IL with a left abdominal strain. It's unclear the severity of the reliever's injury. 

June 26, 2022: Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Archie Bradley will be sidelined after suffering a fractured right elbow while going over the dugout railing to join an on-field brawl with the Seattle Mariners.

June 28-Oct 6, 2022: Bradley, 29, will be shut down for at least four weeks with the injury and is expected to miss roughly two months, according to head athletic trainer Mike Frostad.