Express LHP Cody Bradford Named PCL Pitcher of the Month for April

In His First Triple-A Action, Bradford Tosses to 5-0 Record While Allowing Only Two Earned Runs

(Eddie Kelly/ProLook Photos)

2:51 PM EDT

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Round Rock Express LHP Cody Bradford was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for April as announced by Minor League Baseball on Thursday afternoon. Bradford went a perfect 5-0 and posted a 0.64 ERA (2 ER/28.1 IP). He allowed just 13 hits and

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Round Rock Express LHP Cody Bradford was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month for April as announced by Minor League Baseball on Thursday afternoon. Bradford went a perfect 5-0 and posted a 0.64 ERA (2 ER/28.1 IP). He allowed just 13 hits and issued only eight walks with 25 strikeouts.

Bradford is one of just five pitchers in professional baseball to reach the five-win mark and the only pitcher in the minors to accomplish the feat. Tampa Bay Rays LHP Shane McClanahan, New York Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw and Minnesota Twins RHP Joe Ryan are the only others with at least five victories this season.

In April, Bradford led the PCL in wins (5), ERA (0.64) and WHIP (0.77). He was tied for second in innings (28.1) and sixth in strikeouts (25). Opponents hit just .135 against him with righties struggling to the tune of a .107 batting average. He surrendered just one home run during his five starts.

Bradford did not allow a run through the first 12.2 frames of his Triple-A career. He allowed his first run of the season in his third start on April 14 against the Tacoma Rainiers. The southpaw did not need more than 87 pitches in any of his five outings.

In his Triple-A debut at Dell Diamond on April 1, the lefty tossed 5.1 innings of shutout baseball against the Albuquerque Isotopes. He allowed just two hits with two walks and struck out six. He needed only 73 pitches to get through the outing as he led the Express to their first win of the 2023 campaign.

On April 20 at Sacramento, Bradford tied a career-high with 7.0 innings on the mound and allowed only one earned run on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. It was the third time in Bradford’s career that he has pitched 7.0 innings and the first since August 12, 2022 while pitching for Double-A Frisco.

Bradford, a native of Aledo, Texas, enters his third year in the Texas Rangers organization. He entered the season listed as the Rangers No. 22 prospect according to Baseball America. Bradford was a sixth-round selection by Texas in the 2019 MLB Draft. The lefty played three seasons at Baylor University from 2017-19 and he posted a 12-11 record with a 3.86 ERA (76 ER/177.1 IP) over 32 games and 31 starts.

The Express return to Dell Diamond on Tuesday, May 9 against the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate) at 7:05 p.m. Full Season Plans, Fireworks membership packages and 4-Seam Plans are on sale now. For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!