|
Michael Brantley
|
RotoWire News: Brantley (ankle) will remain shut down from all running activity for another 7-to-10 days, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. (9/20/2017) Injury: Ankle, 10-Day DL |
|
|
Profile: There were a lot of reasons to like Brantley entering 2010. For one, he entered the season as the closest thing the Indians had to a starting left fielder. For two, he'd stolen 50 bases between two levels in 2010. For three, his contact rates in the minors (just a 10.3 K% overall) suggested that he'd be able to sustain relatively high batting averages in the Majors. Unfortunately, whatever the positive indicators, things didn't work out so great -- either for Brantley or his hopeful owners -- in 2010. Batting just .156 after play on April 18, he was demoted to Triple-A and didn't return until July. That's the bad news. The good? Upon a promotion in early August, he proceeded to slash .292/.332/.390 (.325 BABIP) -- going 8-of-9 on stolen-base attempts -- over his final 211 PA of the season. He's likely to enter 2011 as the starting left fielder again. (Carson Cistulli)
The Quick Opinion: Has speed, contact skills, and inside edge on starting left-field job. Of course, that also describes Brantley before 2010, and that didn't end up so good. |
|
Profile: The Indians have been waiting for Brantley's on-base skills, demonstrated on a regular basis in the minors, to appear on the field in Cleveland. Brantley's Minor League walk rates have always been above 10%, while in MLB he has yet to break 7%. Brantley has 30 stolen base potential (he stole 50 across all levels in 2009), but he has to get that walk rate up and reach base more often to take advantage of it. While there are some who feel Brantley has some untapped power potential, the chances are he won't contribute a ton in the way home runs. His average isn't terrible and should come in around .270, but his overall value is going to rely on SB and runs. With Sizemore potentially returning to his leadoff slot, Brantley will likely find himself hitting near the bottom of the order, which will negatively impact his value as well. If you need some speed from your outfielder, especially in an ottoneu 5x5 where you can plug him in for extra plate appearances, Brantley could be a low-cost source of speed, but don't expect much else. (Chad Young)
The Quick Opinion: If he can get the opportunities, Brantley has the ability to steal some bases, but you shouldn't count on him for more than 15-20 SB with 30 SB upside. There may also be some untapped power potential, too. |
|
Profile: From 2006 to 2010, Brantley stole 24, 35, 28, 50, and 23 bases across multiple levels. In 2011 and 2012, he stole 13 and 12. Coming up through the minors, Brantley appeared to be a high on-base speedster, a perfect guy to stick atop your lineup and let him create havoc on the bases. Last year the on-base part came around, and the wheels helped him accrue 37 doubles and four triples, but where were the stolen bases? That's the big question for 2013. If Brantley can get back to his thieving ways, he could be a steal in the outfield, with a solid batting average and on-base percentage, and likely a large number of runs to go along with the stolen bases. But if you are looking at a 13 steal, seven homer season, that is not much to get excited about. (Chad Young)
The Quick Opinion: Brantley is developing into a nice complimentary piece for the Indians, but unless he either develops some power or rediscovers his wheels, his fantasy value won't be all that high. |
|
Profile: If you ask an Indians fan, you will get a glowing review of Michael Brantley -- he's a clutch hitter with solid defense who is more than the sum of his parts. Ask his fantasy owners, and you will probably hear much the same. A .284 average is not great, but it's solid. Ten home runs aren't game changing, nor are 17 stolen bases, but as a combination, they are not half bad. Add in 66 runs and 73 RBI, and you end up with the #34 overall OF even though none of the individual numbers will blow you away. Looking forward, there is nothing in the batted ball profile that scares you away. In fact, for three straight years, his batting average on balls in play has sat below his expected number, suggesting there may be room for improvement in the overall line. Brantley is an underrated fantasy asset and should be on your radar on draft day. (Chad Young)
The Quick Opinion: Michael Brantley out-earned Bryce Harper this year. That is probably the last time I'll be able to type that sentence, but it does give you a sense of how much value Brantley created compared to his cost. Undervalued assets are where fantasy is won, and Brantley is a prime example. |
|
Profile: For the first several years of Michael Brantley's career, he was just a player who was average at everything. In 2014, he became a player that was great at everything. If you want to talk about five category production, look no further than Brantley last year. Arbitrary endpoints be damned, he came just the 26th player in the history of baseball to have a season with a .325+ batting average, 20+ HR, 20+ SB, 90+ R and 95+ RBI. He has always been a line drive hitter, but he took it to new heights last year, and added in dingers for the first time ever -- for good measure. The home run per fly ball rate stands out as a pretty stark outlier, and will probably regress a bit, but the stroke and the approach are real. Brantley makes contact as often as nearly anyone in the MLB, and when he does, he hits line drives as often as anyone. That's a good combo. Don't expect Brantley to have another MVP season, but he's about the definition of a "pure hitter," which makes him an incredibly safe top-20 fantasy outfielder in 2015. (August Fagerstrom)
The Quick Opinion: Brantley is about as safe of a pick as they come, for several reasons. He's only ever had one DL stint in his career, and it was for a hamate bone. He's a lock to produce above-average in all five traditional roto categories. He'll play every day at the top of lineup and his swing is as smooth as eggs. Brantley may not be the MVP candidate he was in 2014, but he's got a high floor, and we all just saw what his upside is. |
|
Profile: A healthy Brantley is a near lock for 15-20 homers, 15-20 stolen bases, a high average, elite on-base percentage, and plenty of runs and RBI. But after off-season shoulder surgery, there are two big concerns -- first, when will he return; second, will he return as vintage Brantley? On the first, the Indians continue to say Brantley should be back in May, despite some unclear earlier reports of complications keeping him out longer. Watch the news on Brantley -- any word of delays, setbacks, etc. should be taken as a concern, but I would bid/draft assuming a late May return and about two thirds of a season. As for the quality of that return, expectations are that Brantley will be fine, but shoulder injuries can impact swings. They can also impact playing time. Expecting some power regression (closer to the 15 on that 15-20 range) is not a bad idea. But beyond that, Brantley should be Brantley. If you can get him for a discount, to account for the missed time, do it. In keepers/dynasties, I'd expect a return to form over time. But if you are in an redraft league and another owner is willing to pay full price, you probably have to let him go. (Chad Young)
The Quick Opinion: It's awfully hard to predict what Brantley will look like coming back from injury, and that is really the only question to answer about him right now. I'd bet on a full recovery, perhaps with some power regression, after about two months of missed time. |
|
|
|