With baseball season now underway, I’ve decided to whip up another MLB special. This won’t be your usual baseball special either. I won’t be talking about any superstars, won’t be talking about individual teams, and also won’t be giving my two cents on why certain players are starting off slow in 2014. Instead, I will be giving baseball fans insight on “low key studs.” These studs are certain players that have been catching my attention for the past 2-3 years. They also aren’t on the radar of your typical baseball fans. I will be talking about one low key stud for each division. So, I advise that everyone keep their eyes and ears open on these players because they will be household names some time in the future. This is part VII of the special. If you missed part I please CLICK HERE, part II CLICK HERE, part III CLICK HERE , part IV CLICK HERE, part V CLICK HERE, part VI CLICK HERE.
Stud Watch AL Central
Michael Brantley Jr., Outfielder, Cleveland Indians
Michael Brantley was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the 2005 Amateur Entry Draft. On October 3, 2008, he was traded, as the player to be named later, as the culmination of a transaction that sent Rob Bryson and Matt LaPorta to the Cleveland Indians for C.C. Sabathia. Towards the end of the 2009 season, Brantley was called up by the Indians to replace the injured Grady Sizemore in centerfield. During that stint of taking over for Sizemore, he was able to hit .313 with 11 runs batted in. During the 2010 season, Brantley was once again called up but this time to replace the injured Shin-Soo Choo. Since then, Michael hasn’t been called back down to the minors because Terry Francona started to realize he had something special in the kid.
Strengths
- Great hitter
- RBI machine
- Speed
- Great defense
- Silky smooth
When you watch Michael Brantley Jr. play on the baseball diamond all you can think is, “Damn this kid looks like a baseball player.” Brantley plays with little emotion, when he does show his emotions it’s usually a simple smirk. In the batters box, he is super calm, not many moving parts, and has a great approach. His swing is very short and compact. This allows him to stay inside on the ball and hit the pitch to all parts of the field. What is very unique about the outfielder is that he drives in a lot of batters without hitting the ball over the fence. He is a contact hitter that gets the job done when needed. Brantley has a great eye at the dish also. Hardly swinging at the first pitch and makes the pitcher work for his out. He is able to draw many walks or produce productive at bats. Once he reaches base, he is also a threat to steal at any moment, putting himself in scoring position for the batters hitting behind him. When he is out on the field playing defense, he glides across the outfield, smothering any ball hit in his direction.
Weakness
- Homerun power
Brantley Jr. only has one weakness and that is his power. He is a great overall player that excels at pretty much everything but he doesn’t have quite the power you think someone will have who stands at 6’2. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a huge weakness for him since he still able to drive runs, usually atop his team in RBIs. He is 27 and don’t believe he will find his power swing out of nowhere but hey I may be wrong. He is able to hit for a decent amount of homers throughout a season, usually 10-14 a year. Terry Francona isn’t going to take him out of the lineup anytime soon solely based on his power numbers because he is a true team player.
Overall
Michael Brantley Jr. is one of the smoothest baseball players in the American League. He has a certain swagger that allows him to make everything he does look easy. At the dish he has a great batters eye that allows him to make the pitcher work and allows jim to draw many walks. Also at the plate he is able to hit the ball to all parts of the field with his short, compact swing. One amazing ability Brantley does posses is his ability to drive in runs without hitting the ball over the fence. His power is his only downfall, but it doesn’t throw off anything in his game, he is still able to produce at a high rate without his power. Brantley Jr. may not have the household name the Indians would like but as long as he produces the way he does he shall be wearing an Indians jersey for the rest of his career.