Brantley on his way up!
It will be interesting to see if Grady gets shutdown. And what kind of AB's Brantley gets if not? Another option maybe Hafner get's shutdown.
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kjhill42
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Personally, I dispute that your title warrants an exclamation point. I’ll be excited about Brantley when he appears to be ready. Which he’s not.
I think he appears quite ready. After a slow start, the dude is walking WAY more than striking out, stealing bases like crazy without getting caught and a respectable OBP despite the worst BABIP in his career.
Let the Brantley era begin!
He had a lower BABIP in Huntsville in 2007, although his overall numbers that year were higher if you include his time in the SAL. His numbers this year look a lot like his 2007 in Huntsville, where he had a .352 OBP and 1.25 BB/SO ratio. Don’t get me wrong – I like Brantley, I just think he starts 2010 in Columbus, which is no criticism given he’s still very young.
FirstInning.com has his Huntsville BABIP at .290 and his Columbus BABIP at .288.
But you are right, his numbers are similar at the plate to the half season at AA when he was 20. (except for his SLG, which was 70 points less and his K rate was significantly higher, though still outstanding).
I agree, he likely starts next year in Columbus, but if for some reason we wanted/needed him everyday in the Cleveland OF starting next year (or even the rest of this year), I think he would survive as a useful player.
Brantley’s callup now suggests that DH Travis Hafner may be shutdown for the rest of the season or play sparingly, thus allowing center fielder Grady Sizemore to be moved to DH the rest of the month or even being shut down himself.Still more excited about Carrasco than Brantley.
Forgive me if I don’t buy Lastoria’s analysis of the big league club and its thinking.
/Andrew
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 1, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
The roster may have expanded, but the lineup still only contains nine slots.
Everybody should get ice cream every day.
rec rec rec
I propose giving Victor a 2012 World Series ring.
by Gradyforpresident on Sep 2, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Lastoria seems generally to assume that the minor leaguers he follows will be brought up to play every day, and then he comes up with scenarios in which that would happen. He seems to generally underestimate the Eric Wedge Factor.
I want it. I've been grinding it out for awhile.
by woodsmeister on Sep 1, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions
The more important thing to remember is, the anagrams for “Tony Lastoria” are otherworldly.
Nasality Root
Astray Lotion
Sanitary Loot
Tantra Oils, Yo
Nail Sorta Toy
Tailor Ya Snot
Iran Slay Toot
by fleerdon on Sep 1, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
You don’t need the EWF here. Why does Brantley need to play every day? He doesn’t look ready at this point, and they’ve got LaPartay to worry about getting at-bats for. Let him come up, spell Grady occasionally, get 15-30 AB’s and a taste of the big leagues.
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 1, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Why would you do this at all? Having LaPorta in LF is more important than Brantley getting playtime. Grady still wants to play and there is no reason to “shut him down”.
MB will get plenty of chances to play just by giving guys rest and pinch running duties. At the very least it will mean the end of Jamey Carroll, outfielder.
At the very least it will mean the end of Jamey Carroll, outfielder
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I imagine he’ll get ABs against LHP at 2B. And he won’t play 3B with Peralta there (and potential Marte, which I’d really like to see). I’m just hoping this doesn’t mean Valbuena starts losing ABs against RHP too in an attempt to accommodate Carroll.
Does this relegate Carroll to backup 2B only?
The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn from the crow
by gorilla_baller on Sep 1, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think Brantley will be playing more than a game or 2 per week. I could see him playing often late in games and used a pinch runner though.
you can see them tacitly admitting he’s too injured to play full time, but nevertheless delaying surgery so he can collect a handful of meaningless september ABs? i can too.
Nothing new here, but worth noting:
While his season line of .267/.350/.362 is hardly eye-opening, there’s a lot to like here, given that Brantley has more walks (58) than strikeouts (47) in 453 at-bats, 43 stolen bases in 48 attempts, and has slowly made improvements in every aspect of his game, all while being one of the youngest everyday players in the league. I’m not saying he’s a future star or anything, but he is a better prospect that the numbers indicate.
From Goldstein’s Monday Ten Pack
by cleveland teamer on Sep 1, 2009 10:15 AM EDT reply actions
I’m happy to see him get a shot. I probably would have added that exclamation point as well. What could possibly go wrong? /ducks
by Wil Cantrell on Sep 1, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Kind of the point. Brantley’s getting a good challenge in AAA. Which is awesome, because he’s so young. Projectability and performance, though: not to be conflated.
by fleerdon on Sep 1, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Brantley doesn’t look like he will ever be a high OPS guy anyway, his value will lie mostly in his ability to get on base and wreak havoc on the basepaths. If he develops power, then we have ourselves quite the player.
He may not be a home run hitter, but if he develops good gap power and uses his wheels to turn singles into doubles, there’s no reason to believe that he could not have an excellent OPS, especially if he continues to pile up walks.
I want it. I've been grinding it out for awhile.
by woodsmeister on Sep 1, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Brantley doesn’t look like he will ever be a high OPS guy anyway
based on strictly past performance? well, yeah. but it goes without saying that past performance isn’t a terribly reliable or accurate indicator of future development.
my take: brantley
- is big (probably the most important factor)
- is the son of a former major leaguer (good DNA and lifelong coaching)
- has a good eye at the plate and makes solid contact
- very young for his age
in my view, he’s got plenty of room to develop at least doubles power. brantley could really surprise people.
If you don't respect Aaron Laffey, I will fight you.
by Cap'n Snegiryov on Sep 1, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Casey Stengel might say he’s only 22 and with a good chance in ten years of being 32.
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 1, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
And they pay him in cash, which is just as good as money!
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
haha whoops
you knew what i meant
If you don't respect Aaron Laffey, I will fight you.
by Cap'n Snegiryov on Sep 1, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Don’t get me wrong, I am a big Brantley fan, but at this point we only hope he develops power, there isn’t much outside of his frame that suggests he will. He is young enough that it is not unreasonable to hope he does.
My thing is, if he doesn’t develop much power, I think he is still a very good piece. And an every day player for a good team, at worst.
So do I, but the reality for him is that he’ll have to have an OBP well above .400 if he doesn’t develop any power. There’s plenty of precedent for that – Wade Boggs had a career OPS+ of 130 and only twice hit as many as 11 HR.
Right now I’d like to see him put up Michael Bourn type numbers at the big league level. Bourn has a sub .800 OPS, but has been solid defensively and has stolen 48 bases.
I’d like to see him put up those numbers in Triple-A.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Brantley’s fundamentals are solid enough that he can reach that 800 figure, but I admit that it’s arbitrary.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions
See, this is why I like Brantley so much: he is a combo of Boggs and Bourn. He doesn’t need to have quite as awesome a BB:K ratio or OBP as Boggs because he can run like Bourn. At the same time, he won’t need to steal 50 bases/year to be useful like Bourn, because he should strike out about half the time and walk about double the time.
I’m still looking for a great comp for what I think Brantley could project to be- but its something like Robbie Alomar, in San Diego/Toronto- before the HRs came. Maybe a little less power.
Hm, I suspect that our opinion of him at the time was colored by not recognizing a mediocre SB success rate.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
On-Base Percentage also wasn’t a big stat back then, either. He might have been overrated (I hate that term, but in this case it fits) because of his batting average and stolen base totals, but underrated because of his on-base percentage (and subsequently high OPS), especially as player playing a premium defensive position.
To give some context, Butler’s career OPS+ is 110. Johnny Damon’s career OPS+ is 105. And Butler was a regular well into his late 30s.
Butler had a strangely late peak and was rather productive for eight or nine years.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
And he hasn’t done anything since steroid testing started. I’ll let you all decide if that’s coincidence or not.
Everybody should get ice cream every day.
by Joel D on Sep 1, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
And when he leaves, we can draft Chuck Nagy with the compensation pick.
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 1, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
- is the son of a former major leaguer (good DNA and lifelong coaching)
Josh Barfield
- has a good eye at the plate and makes solid contact
Doesn’t really relate to his power potential but rather the OB skills that I mentioned. If he in fact made such solid contact, I suspect we’d see a higher SLG % than we do currently.
- very young for his age
I won’t go there, but this doesn’t make sense.
young for his level
that’s what i meant. . . i was in a rush typing my post. my bad.
of course. . . he also just turned 22 in may, so he is in a sense a “young” 22.
If you don't respect Aaron Laffey, I will fight you.
by Cap'n Snegiryov on Sep 1, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
has a good eye at the plate and makes solid contact
I’m guessing what he was going for with the ‘good eye’ comment was that Brantley has an advanced command of the strike zone. An advanced command of the strike zone suggests he’s laying off of pitches outside the zone (duh). If that’s the case then maybe he can tailor a stroke for the pitches in the zone that allows him to develop a little power.
That’s what i took out of that comment after reading into it a little bit.
But it’s asking a lot to assume that this will all go right. I’d be happy with a +defender with +on base skills and decent contact ability
The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn from the crow
by gorilla_baller on Sep 1, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
this is basically correct. i was essentially saying that brantley puts good wood on the ball or whatever—he’s inducing solid contact and showing the ability to lay off pitches he can’t do anything with.
If you don't respect Aaron Laffey, I will fight you.
by Cap'n Snegiryov on Sep 1, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
What else could he possible mean by “good eye at the plate”? He’s good at picking out hot girls in the crowd?
Here Lies the Victor Martinez Era:
Sept. 10, 2002 - July 31, 2009
sure, but the reader has to make a little leap… a guy who doesn’t swing at bad pitches doesn’t necessarily hit the good ones either… the idea being that instead of hitting these good pitches on the ground (which i’ll admit plays into his hand given his speed) he can develop more of a gap to gap or fly ball stroke that could give him a little more power.
that’s what he did this august (per minorleaguesplits) when he OPS’ed .783
this is the biggest reason i don’t think he has any business starting 2010 in cleveland.
The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn from the crow
by gorilla_baller on Sep 1, 2009 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Ya gotta dig on the LD%, though. I feel as though a guy with discipline that good and contact that reliable will find a way to make himself valuable. I’m curious about how long it will take, and at what level he’ll have to do it. And he’ll of course promote his cause if his defense has improved as much as Tribe brass has led us to believe.
by fleerdon on Sep 1, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Whenever I think about how young Brantley is, I am then forced to choke on my own slobber thinking about Chisenhall being promoted to AA at 20(!)
Every time this comes up, I’m skeptical that Chisenhall isn’t already 21 — at least!
Just looked it up again. Yep, he’s still 20.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t always buy beers for minors, but when I do …
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions 7 recs
ok, just to clarify: he wasn’t on the 40 at the beginning of the season, he’s getting rostered simultaneous with the assignment to the ML club, so no option is spent this year unless, for whatever reason, he gets sent down before the end of the season? and now that he’s rostered he’ll burn an option when he doesn’t break with the ML team out of camp? but rostering was inevitable this off-season because of the rule 5? no?
He can’t really be sent down at this point. I mean, there’s just no conceivable reason that he would be.
Other than that, yes. We had to protect him from Rule 5 regardless, and rostering him now does not burn an option year.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Better way to think of it is that when you’re on the 40-man, you’re presumed to be on the 25-man by default. That is, you are now on a major league contract. You’re only sent to the minors by way of an optional assignment, which teams can do in three separate seasons for each player.
So the Indians purchase his contract from Columbus … now he’s a big-leaguer. No option is used up until and unless he actually is assigned optionally. Purely theoretically, that may not ever happen.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
What happens if he now begins next season at Columbus? That would use up his first option, even if he isn’t sent down mid-season?
Yes – he could spend all of next season in Columbus and the Indians would still be using an option on him by optioning him off the major league roster out of spring training
by APV on Sep 1, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Right answer, wrong terms.
The major league roster is the 40-man roster. The active roster is the 25-man roster.
In the above example, Brantley would still be on the major league roster at the end of spring training, but he would be on optional assignment to a minor league club.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, that’s right. Once he’s sent down, an option year is used up — although it gets retroactively un-used if he’s recalled before spending 20 days in the minors. Fausto in 2007 was a good example of this — he was assigned optionally once and maybe twice, but he spent less than 20 days in the minors, so no option year was charged.
When you think about using an option, though, you have to think in terms of scenarios. For the great majority of career paths, especially position players, using up the first option year in 2010 just means that you won’t have an option year left to use in 2013 or 2014.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for the clarification. After hanging around here for so long, I thought I had understood the rules reasonably well, but this is one point for which I needed another lesson.
I still have questions myself sometimes. Why were the Orioles able to pay Guthrie minimum salary in 2007, despite the max-cut rule? How long to the Nationals have to active Strasburg, and can they really keep him off the big-league roster for the next five weeks without burning an option year? And so on.
by Jay on Sep 1, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Rec for clarity and simplicity. Thanks Jay.
by Seattle Tribe Fan on Sep 1, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey, remember at the time of the CC trade, when LaPorta was a complete hack in the OF and had no way of sticking there and Brantley was an average-bad centerfielder and would more likely be a corner?
Proving, once again, that you can’t hold the Truth down for long.
The once and future
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Sep 1, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
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