Bobby Bradley flashes power aboard USS Midway

Monday was an absolute blast for one former South Mississippi slugger.

The Coast has a handful of recently drafted standouts climbing the ranks in Minor League Baseball.

Arguably the biggest recent success belongs to Harrison Central’s Bobby Bradley, a first baseman in the Cleveland Indians organization who plays for the Lynchburg Hillcats.

The LSU signee, who was selected 97th overall in 2014 by Cleveland, continues to power his way through the minor leagues — and now off an aircraft carrier.

Bradley had the unique opportunity Monday to participate in the Midway Classic, a home run derby between the Class A Advanced California League and Carolina League hosted on the deck of the USS Midway in San Diego.

“They’ve been making a bunch of jokes about how the balls fly (in the California League) better than pretty much anywhere else, so I’m kind of getting the impression the ball just takes off around here,” Bradley told MLB. “(It felt like that) a little bit.”

The derby involved three rounds of 10 swings for each player. The batters hit from the bow of the Midway into waters where volunteers on jet skis gathered the homers, according to MilB.com’s Josh Jackson.

Out of a field of eight, Bradley advanced to the second round before falling to eventual runner-up Aderlin Rodriguez, a Baltimore Orioles prospect. Bradley tied for the lead in the first round with six homers and then fell 6-5 to Rodriguez in the semifinals. Kyle Petty, a first baseman in the Seattle Mariners organization who plays for the Bakersfield Blaze of the California League, eclipsed Rodriguez 5-4 in the finals.

“It was a ton of fun. Just a great experience,” said Bradley, who hosted his first youth baseball camp at HCHS before the season. “It was my first time ever hitting a ball off a boat in general, so I was just having a lot of fun with it.”

Bradley leads the Carolina League at the all-star break with 15 homers and 56 RBIs. He’s hitting .242 with a .355 on-base percentage. He helped Lynchburg clinch the Carolina League’s first-half title and he made the league’s all-star team.

More Coast standouts

How other recent draft picks from the Coast are faring:

Pitcher Jacob Taylor (127th; 2015): The former Picayune and Pearl River Community College right-hander pitched just two innings in his professional debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Gulf Coast League team before being sidelined with an elbow sprain that eventually led to Tommy John surgery last July. In his debut, he walked three, struck out two and hit a batter, but he didn’t surrender a run or hit. Taylor was transferred Monday to the Class A short-season West Virginia Black Bears.

Pitcher Jacob Lindgren (55th; 2014): The former St. Stanislaus Rockachaw and Mississippi State Bulldog soared through the minor leagues, making his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2015. He pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on five hits with four walks and eight strikeouts. This season has been difficult for Lindgren, who was assigned to the Class A Tampa Yankees before going on the disabled list in April. He pitched just seven innings, allowing two earned runs on no hits and nine walks. He struck out eight.

Pitcher Justin Steele (139th; 2014): The Chicago Cubs’ former fifth-round selection has had an up-and-down MiLB career thus far. After posting a 2.89 ERA with the Arizona League’s Cubs in 2014 and a 2.66 ERA last season with the Class A short-season Eugene Emerelds, the former George County ace earned a promotion this season to the Class A South Bend Cubs. In nine starts, Steele posted a 3-5 record with a 6.17 ERA, striking out 37 against 23 walks in 35 innings. Since June 3, Steele has bounced between the Emerelds and extended spring training and has not appeared in an official game since May 30.

Pitcher Jonathan Holder (182nd; 2014): The former Gulfport Admiral and MSU Bulldog was promoted to the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate this season and has starred as a lock-down reliever. In 20 appearances, he is 3-1 with five saves and a 2.56 ERA. He has struck out 46 against five walks in 31 2/3 innings. On April 26, Holder pitched a perfect ninth for the Trenton Thunder to preserve Ronald Herrera’s 4-0 perfect game over New Hampshire.

Outfielder Braxton Lee (367th; 2014): Lee, who starred at Picayune and Ole Miss, has climbed to the Tampa Bay Rays’ Double-A affiliate, although his stats have leveled off in 2016. After hitting .287 and .281 the last two seasons, Lee is hitting just .183 with a .269 on-base percentage.

Outfielder Mason Robbins (738th; 2014): Walker Robbins’ older brother, Mason, continues to swing a hot bat in the minors. The former Southern Miss slugger is currently hitting .295 with two homers, 21 RBIs and a .736 on-base plus slugging percentage for the Winston-Salem Dash, the Class-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. In 233 career games, Robbins has 12 homers, 100 RBIs and a .281 average.

Pitcher Tyler Bray (795th; 2014): Vancleave’s Tyler Bray has had a solid professional career thus far. Currently with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Class A Peoria Chiefs, Bray is 2-2 with three saves and a 4.91 ERA. He has struck out 24 against 11 walks in 25 2/3 innings.

Former Biloxi standout Hawtin Buchanan (591st; 2014) and Pascagoula infielder Chase Nyman (951st; 2014) have not played in 2016.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Bobby Bradley flashes power aboard USS Midway."