Though Diamondbacks prospect Archie Bradley grew up about 100 miles away from where a mile-wide tornado struck in Moore, Okla., on Monday, the pitcher knew he had to do something after seeing the devastation that had occurred.
Bradley, currently pitching with the team's Double-A affiliate in Mobile, Ala., turned quickly to social media and the minor league community for help, organizing an online auction of game-used memorabilia to benefit families affected by the disaster, which killed at least 24 people.
"When I saw the whole city of Moore, Oklahoma, was gone, mostly, and they had some of the fastest winds ever recorded, you almost feel helpless being so far away," Bradley told the Birmingham News. "You want to be there doing something, but you probably couldn’t help even if you were there. You just feel like you need to do something."
So late Monday night, Bradley, who is from Muskogee, Okla., and pitched at Broken Arrow High School, came up with a plan to do what he could.
The first item Bradley got online was the pair of pink cleats he wore on Mother's Day. They are listed on eBay and had eclipsed $500 by noon Tuesday.
Picture of my first item I'm auctioning off to help family's that are being affected by the tornados in Oklahoma twitter.com/ArchieBradley7…
— Archie Bradley (@ArchieBradley7) May 21, 2013
Bradley tweeted later that auctions in the coming days would include items from fellow minor league stars Dylan Bundy, Taijuan Walker and Billy Hamilton. Bundy, also a pitcher, was selected by the Orioles a few spots ahead of Bradley in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft, while Walker was taken in the first round by the Mariners a year earlier. Hamilton, a Reds prospect, set a professional record in 2012 by stealing 155 bases in a season.
Bradley plans to add more items to the effort and has solicited the help of fellow D-backs in the majors.
