Chadwick Lee Bradford, called Chad, was born on September 14, 1974, in Jackson, Mississippi. He is a relief pitcher, currently for the Baltimore, Orioles.

Chad is 6'5", weighs 205 pounds, and bats and throws right.

High School
Chad attended Byram High School in Jackson. His high school coach suggested he try sidearm pitching.

College
Brad attended Hinds Community College, and then the University of Southern Mississippi.

Minor Leagues
Chad was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1994, but elected to stay in college through 1996. He was re-drafted in the 13th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.

Major Leagues
Chad made his major league debut in 1998 while only 23 years old, but was soon sent back to the minor leagues.

In 1999, he spent most of the seaon at the AAA Charlotte Knights.

At the end of the season, he was traded to the Oakland As for catcher Miguel Olivo.

From 2001 to 2004, Bradford was a specialty reliever for the As, pitching against only right handers. His ERA stayed around 3.00 for his entire career until 2004.

In 2005 he went on the disabled list with back pain.

In July 2005, the Boston Red Sox acquired Chad -- still on the DL -- from Oakland in a trade for outfielder Jay Payton. He was activated after the All-Star break.

Chad had mixed results in Boston, posting a 3.86 ERA, although he only pitched 23.3 innings.

After the season, he became a free agent and was signed by the New York Mets where he was reunited with Rick Peterson, his pitching coach from the Athletics. He had a good 2006, again as a right-handed specialist out of the bullpen, posting a 2.90 ERA in 70 games.

On November 28, 2006 Bradford signed a three-year, $10.5 million dollar deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Career Note
On May 31, 2008, Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run off Bradford.

Personal
Chad and his wife Jenny live with their son Keller (1/8/95) and daughter Lanie (11/10/99) in Raymond, Mississippi.

Chad's father had suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, so that he could only throw underhand when playing catch with his son. Author Michael Lewis speculates that memories of his father's throwing motion may have contributed to the development of Bradford's pitching style - he has a submarine, rather than a sidearm delivery.