Indians Top 50: #4 Michael Brantley

Michael Brantley - Outfielder
Born: 05/15/1987 - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 210 - Bats: Left - Throws: Left

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	Avg	OBP	SLG	OPS
2005	18	AZL Bre	R	44	173	34	60	3	1	0	19	22	13	14	.347	.426	.376	.802
2005	18	Helena	A-	10	34	8	11	2	0	0	3	6	4	2	.324	.425	.382	.807
2006	19	West Va	A	108	360	47	108	10	2	0	42	61	51	24	.300	.402	.339	.741
2007	20	West Va	A	56	218	41	73	15	1	2	32	31	22	18	.335	.413	.440	.853
2007	20	Huntsville	AA	59	187	28	47	6	1	0	21	29	25	17	.251	.353	.294	.647
2008	21	Huntsville	AA	106	420	80	134	17	2	4	40	50	27	28	.319	.395	.398	.793
2009	22	Columbus	AAA	116	457	80	122	21	2	6	37	59	48	46	.267	.350	.361	.711
2009	22	Cleveland	AAA	28	112	10	35	4	0	0	11	8	19	4	.313	.358	.348	.706
		MiLB		499	1849	318	555	74	9	12	194	258	190	149	.300	.387	.369	.756
		MLB		28	112	10	35	4	0	0	11	8	19	4	.313	.358	.348	.707

History:  Brantley was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 7th round of the 2005 Draft out of Fort Pierce Central High School (FL).  The Indians acquired him from the Brewers in October 2008 as the player to be named later in the C.C. Sabathia trade. His father is former major leaguer Mickey Brantley.  Last year at Triple-A Columbus he finished 3^rd in the International League in runs (80), 7^th in walks (59), and 1^st in stolen bases (46).  His six home runs last year were a new career high, and in fact doubled his career home run total.

Strengths & Opportunities:  Brantley is an incredible athlete who is a classic leadoff hitter in the making.  He has proven himself to be one of the best players in the minors at making consistent contact and bringing a solid plan to every at bat by being patient at the plate, staying within himself by rarely swinging at pitches out of the zone, hitting for average, and getting on base.  At just 21-years of age his bat-to-ball ability is phenomenal and he has displayed elite strike zone management ability by striking out an average of just once every ten at bats in his career.  He uses the whole field well, and grinds out every pitch and at bat.  He also has plus-plus speed to steal a base at any time, and really improved last year where he became a consistent base-stealing threat and has shown great instincts as a runner on the bases.

Brantley's power is still emerging, but he will never be a home run hitter.  His best comp may be as a Kenny Lofton type offensive player, a hitter who can steal 40-50 bases and can pound the gaps and hit the occasional home run and pile up 40-50 extra base hits in a season.  Lofton averaged nine home runs and 42 extra base hits a year in the ten seasons during the prime of his career from 1992 to 2001.  At 6'2" 210 pounds, he is hardly built like a 5'9" 160-pound "slap-hitter", but for him to become more powerful and drive the ball more consistently into the gaps it all depends on his bat speed and strength in his hands and arms.  He added ten pounds of muscle in the offseason, and that along with his body physically maturing should help him start driving the ball more consistently.  His lack of power still comes down to his approach as he sacrifices some of his bat speed in order to make more consistent contact.  The hope is as he matures and grows into his body and also learns how to speed up his bat without taking too much away from his bat-to-ball ability, the power will come.

Brantley plays the game exceptionally hard, and handles himself like a 28-year old veteran.  His makeup and maturity level are off the charts, which helps him handle tough situations well and never be out of control when he is playing.  He always appears calm and collected where he is playing with a relaxed aggression, which comes from his great focus and passion for the game as well as his temperament that teams drool over.

With his plus speed, instincts, and athleticism, Brantley moves like a gazelle in the outfield.  He has an ease to his game on defense, and is arguably the best defensive outfielder in the Indians system.  He shows excellent range, though his speed covers up a lot of his mistakes as he doesn't get the greatest of jumps on balls.  His throwing arm is barely average, so he will never be an elite defensive outfielder.  He is also versatile enough where he can play all three outfield positions, and he even played some first base in the Brewers organization.  He still projects to be at least an above average defender at any outfield position, and will continue to work hard on improving defensively.

Last year at Triple-A Columbus, Brantley was one of the youngest players in all the International League.  His overall numbers were not very impressive, but he is another example of a player who showed a lot of progress and development that did not show up in the stat sheets.  Still only 21 years old when the season started, his age and inexperience showed early in the season as he got off to a slow start in Columbus adjusting to the new level in Triple-A. He also battled through a hamstring injury he suffered in the first week of the season which lingered for most of the month before he took almost a week off to get it healthy. Those two factors combined were a big reason why in 17 games in April he only hit .217 with a .574 OPS and had 7 walks to 14 strikeouts.  He rebounded from his poor April to hit .261/.726 with 15 walks and 14 strikeouts in May, .271/.686 with 17 walks and 10 strikeouts in June, .280/.764 with 11 walks and 3 strikeouts in July, and .298/.782 with 9 walks and 7 strikeouts in August.  His overall batting average may not have shown it, but he adjusted to the league and his approach remained consistent.  His outstanding makeup and maturity is a big reason why his early season struggles with performance and injury did not affect him and end up snowballing into a year long slump.  He just picked himself up and had a steady progression over the course of the year, and was rewarded for his efforts late in the year with a callup to Cleveland.

Brantley is far from a perfect player.  While he has three excellent tools with the bat, speed and defense, he is average to below average at best with his arm and power.  His lack of power is more a result of his approach where he strikes through the ball in a downward motion in order to hit the ball on the ground and try and beat it out.  Developing some more power, not to hit home runs but to consistently pound the gaps to keep hitters honest will be a big key for him in the next year or two.  He still needs more work polishing off his defense by improving his route running, getting better reads on balls off the bat, and getting better with his situational throws.

Outlook:  Brantley is just what the doctor ordered for the Indians big league strikeout laden lineup.  Not only will he provide a refreshing change with more contact and less strikeouts, but when he gets on base he will be exciting to watch.  In the post-steroid era where the game is changing back to one that focuses more on offensive players who make consistent contact, have speed, and play defense, he provides everything teams look for in a leadoff hitter.  He is on the brink of a very good major league career, and has a chance to open the 2010 season in the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

Michael Brantley MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

Michael Brantley Baseball-Reference page

Michael Brantley MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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