'I'm Pumped for RJ and the Org,' Enrique Bradfield Jr. and RJ Austin Reunite with Baltimore Orioles

Two years before RJ Austin took the reigns as Vanderbilt’s full-time center fielder, he watched the way Enrique Bradfield Jr. went about his work. 

Austin saw the way Bradfield put his body on the line to make plays in the outfield. He saw the instincts that his veteran teammate demonstrated on the basepaths. He saw the way he treated people and went about his business as the face of Vanderbilt’s program.

As Austin became a junior–like Bradfield was in his final season at Vanderbilt–he developed into a similar face of the program role and grew into Vanderbilt’s everyday center fielder like his former teammate was, too. Now he’ll share an organization with Bradfield after being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 93rd overall pick in the MLB Draft two years after the Orioles selected Bradfield in the first round. 

While Austin’s highlights were playing on the tv screen, it was hard not to think that Bradfield was somewhere in Bowie, Maryland, celebrating like he did back in 2023 whenever Austin made a play as a standout freshman.

“I’m pumped for RJ and the org,” Bradfield told Vandy on SI via text message. “He’s a great player, but an even better person. He has a competitive fire to him that is rare and his drive to win is incredible. He’s versatile and plays the game the right way.” 

Austin’s final season at Vanderbilt–in which he hit for a .257 average, .736 OPS and just two home runs–was the worst offensively of his career, but his defense and baserunning still stood out to evaluators throughout the draft process. So did Austin’s leadership within a Vanderbilt program that he had clearly taken ownership of regardless of his production. 

Perhaps some of that was to be attributed to playing with Bradfield. At the very least, it was difficult to imagine that watching Bradfield had nothing to do with Austin stealing home against Ole Miss or generating a run by forcing a few consecutive errors against Tennessee.  

"I've always had baserunning instincts, but I never had stealing bases instincts, if that makes sense," Austin said, "Like, I've always wanted to take the extra base, going first to third, second to home, first to home, but still I wasn't really good at it. I just wasn't confident, but coming here and watching Enrique [Bradfield Jr.], watching Cal Hewitt. Those two guys really were inspirational for me, and it just let me go out there and just do what I do."

Austin likely won’t have a front-row seat to Bradfield’s day-by-day work when he first joins the Orioles organization–and likely heads to Low or High A, rather than Double A where Bradfield is–but because of what happened on Sunday night, they’ll be wearing the same colors at spring training next March. 

They’ll also have the same name across their chest. Just like the good old days when Bradfield was surging and Austin was Vanderbilt’s next rising star. 

Perhaps they’ll play alongside each other in Camden Yards one day, too. 

“Super pumped to have him in the organization,” Bradfield said, “And I think everyone should be, as well.”