PORTLAND — Jackie Bradley Jr. anticipated his first fresh Maine lobster about as much as Portland Sea Dogs fans salivated over the rapidly rising Boston Red Sox prospect’s arrival at Hadlock Field this summer.

Bradley finally got to crack open that lobster at the Portland Lobster Company last weekend, and the 22-year-old center fielder wasn’t disappointed.

“It was preee-tty good, so I’m thinking I’m going to have to stop back by there again,” Bradley said. “It was probably the best lobster I’ve ever had.”

Bradley has drawn rave reviews from Sea Dogs fans and the organization that selected him with the 40th pick overall of the 2011 draft.

He leads all Red Sox minor leaguers with a .361 batting average between High-A Salem and Portland and leads all of the minor leagues with a .471 on-base percentage.

In 17 games with Portland since being called up on June 21, Bradley is batting .368 with 12 runs scored, nine RBIs and three stolen bases.

Bradley said the impressive first half of 2012 is a product of preparation and developing a consistent routine.

“I’m just physically and mentally in-tune with the game and not really worrying about results,” he said. “I’m mainly focusing on quality at-bats. I feel like I’ve had a good amount of quality at-bats. Once you start getting multiple quality at-bats, good things are bound to happen.”

“He’s slowed things down,” Sea Dogs manager Kevin Boles said. “He’s such an aggressive player, but when he gets at the plate, he has a real good idea of the strike zone.”

Bradley will work counts, Boles said, but he’ll ambush a pitcher early in the count if he gets a pitch to hit.

When he does, he’ll drive the ball. The corners have to play in to guard against the bunt, but Bradley, whose career slugging percentage is over .500, is just as likely to find a gap somewhere.

“He sees pitches very well, and once he gets a pitch he can drive, he usually squares it up,” Boles said.

When an opponent squares one up against a Portland pitcher, Bradley is a pitcher’s best friend roaming center field.

Ranked by Baseball America as the best outfielder in the organization (and the No. 10 prospect overall in the system), Bradley has an uncanny knack for getting a good jump off the crack of the bat and gliding to the spot with plenty of time to spare.

Bradley also possesses one of the best outfield arms in the Red Sox farm system. He’s not afraid to show it and all of his other defensive skills off while shagging flies in the outfield during batting practice.

“I’m trying to go hard at all costs in practice because that’s the only way to get better, going 100 percent. When you get to a game, it just seems easy,” he said. “The outfield just seems easy to me. Even though I try to make it look as easy as possible, I definitely work hard at it because I’ve still got a long way to go.”

Bradley came a long way from a wrist injury suffered during his junior year at the University of South Carolina.

A torn tendon in his left wrist kept him out 27 games and led to a .247 batting average, down from .368 the year before. His draft stock suffered, as most scouts had him pegged as a high first-round pick before the injury.

After the draft, he bounced back when the Gamecocks reached the College World Series, going 10-for-29 with two home runs and nine RBIs while leading them to the second of back-to-back national titles and being named the CWS’ Most Outstanding Player.

Bradley said he wasn’t motivated by his draft position then and isn’t now.

“It has nothing to do with where I got drafted,” he said. “I’ve always been fueled because I want to play in the Major Leagues.”

Bradley inevitably evokes comparisons to current big leaguers. Names such as Jacoby Ellsbury or Chone Figgins are usually thrown around. He dismisses any comparisons, saying he hasn’t earned them yet.

“I guess being compared to a Major Leaguer is good in a way, but still, I’m not even there yet,” he said.

Yet Bradley admits he wouldn’t mind ultimately drawing comparisons to his hero, nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

“I like his leadership, the way he plays defense and the way he’s able to swing the bat,” Bradley said. “He really goes after the ball in the outfield. I love that about him.”

Just about anyone who has followed Bradley in his short time in Portland is finding a lot of things to love about him.

“He has really made an impression on us,” Boles said. “We had heard all of the scouting reports and the guys from Salem just raved about his ability and the way he goes about his business. But until you see it in person, you really don’t appreciate it.”

Bradley is determined to appreciate his time in Maine, however long it ends up being. He’s having his car shipped up during the All-Star break and hopes to explore more than just the lobster while he’s here.

“I plan on venturing out there a little bit,” he said. “See what’s out there.”

Baseball fans, not just Sea Dogs or Red Sox fans, might want venture to Hadlock Field to see Bradley while they still can.

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