Talk » While the rest of the Indians outfield play

ed musical chairs http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , Brantley was a constant in left field"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsAnalysis & EditorialsCleveland Indians prospects & minor leaguesGame RecapsTransactionsIndians 2018 In ReviewMichael Brantley provided rare stability for Indians outfield in 2018New,10commentsWhile the rest of the Indians outfield played musical chairs, Brantley was a constant in left fieldByBlake RuaneOct 18, 2018,5:01pm EDTShareTweetShareShareMichael Brantley provided rare stability for Indians outfield in 2018Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsNo matter what revisionist history anyone tries to sell you, the decision to pick up Michael Brantley’s $12 million club option last winter was met with a considerable amount of skepticism.The Cleveland Indians’ front office was essentially betting $12 million — no small amount, mind you, considering it made Brantley the third highest paid player on the team — on a left fielder who missed all but 11 games in 2016 with shoulder injury, before being limited to 90 games in 2017 after two trips to the DL because of a right ankle sprain.Would Brantley be able to hold up long enough to earn those $12 million?Well, six Tribe outfielders made a trip to the DL in 2018. None of them were Michael Brantley. The only trip he made was to Washington D.C. for his third MLB All-Star Game.He provided a steady presence at the No. 2 spot in the lineup Kyle Hendricks Jersey , slashing .309/.364/.468, above his career average .295/.351/.430 line. His average exit velocity (89.9) and hard hit percentage (37.5) were both career highs for the Statcast era.After five consecutive seasons hovering around 24 percent, Brantley did start reaching outside the zone more this season, swinging at a career-high 27 percent of pitches outside the plate. But his strikeout percentage returned to a more characteristic 9.5 percent after ballooning to 14 percent and 13.3 percent in 2016 and 2017, respectively. That strikeout percentage was best among qualified outfielders across the league. The tradeoff is that he doesn’t walk much, carrying a 7.6 percent walk rate that ranks near the bottom of the outfield ranks.Defensively, Brantley has never provided much value, and this season was no exception. He was worth -3 DRS and 0.5 UZR. On batted balls with a 60 percent or better chance of being successfully fielded — considered either likely or routine — Brantley was perfect. Of the 81 batted balls he saw with less than a 60 percent chance of being fielded, he only caught three.Even with his lack of power for a corner outfielder — Brantley’s .160 ISO was among the lowest in baseball for qualified left fielders — and almost no defensive value, it’s scary to imagine the Indians’ outfield in 2018 without Brantley’s reliable presence in left field.Brantley saw action in more games (143) than any other Tribe outfielder Mike Montgomery Jersey , with only Brandon Guyer (104) and Rajai Davis (101) breaking the century mark. His total plate appearances (631) dwarfed those of any of his outfield teammates, with Greg Allen coming in at a distant second (291). Brantley also hit more than 15 home runs in a season for only the third time in his 10-year career, whereas no one in the Indians’ outfield even touched double digits.The only other Indians outfielders who produced a higher wRC+ were Leonys Martin (176) and Lonnie Chisenhall (129) and that pair played in a combined 35 games for the Tribe. By season’s end, Brantley was worth 3.5 WAR. The Indians’ nine other outfielders — excluding of course Jason Kipnis, who spent all of three weeks in center field at the end of the regular season when the Indians were trying to find reasons to crawl out of bed in the morning and show up to the ballpark every day — were worth a combined 0.9 WAR.Now the Tribe faces a possible future without Brantley in field, who is a free agent this offseason. The Indians are likely to consider extending him a qualifying offer, which would be worth $17.9 million. But I don’t know how likely he is to accept it, considering he hardly needs to prove himself now and will be one of the top available outfielders on the free agent market.If this season was his last in Cleveland after 10 years with the Tribe, Brantley certainly showed that the rumors of his playing career’s premature demise were greatly exaggerated. A look at what’s happening around the majors today:ACES ABOUNDJustin Verlander and the World Series champion Houston Astros face Red Sox lefty Chris Sale in a marquee matchup to start the AL Championship Series at Fenway Park.The All-Stars met twice last year in AL Division Series. They started opposite each other in the opener, then both worked in relief during the middle innings of Game 4.Verlander (16-9 http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , 2.52 ERA) led the AL with 290 strikeouts and beat Cleveland in the ALDS last week. Sale (12-4, 2.11) started and relieved vs. the Yankees in the ALDS.Also familiar with each other: Red Sox manager Alex Cora and the Astros. He was Houston’s bench coach last year during the team’s run to its first title.MILES AND MILESWade Miley was a journeyman left-hander when he signed a minor league contract with the Brewers at the start of spring training. He injured his oblique early in the season, spent a lot of time in Double-A and hoped he’d have a chance to contribute.Miley came back, delivered and now gets to start Game 2 of the NL Championship Series as the Brewers try to take a 2-0 lead over the Dodgers at Miller Park. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitches for Los Angeles.REMEMBER ME?J.D. Martinez wants to thank the Astros — not get back at them — for releasing him when he was struggling. The Red Sox slugger says his growing pains in Houston taught him “how to fail,” a lesson he credits with transforming him into an MVP candidate who helped Boston win a team-record 108 games.Martinez made his big league debut for Houston in 2011, driving in 28 runs during his first full month in the majors. After playing part time the next two years, he was 26 and batting .167 in the spring of 2014 when the Astros released him, preferring to give the at-bats to top prospect George Springer.Martinez landed with Detroit that season and by 2015 he was an All-Star. He totaled 45 home runs last year with the Tigers and Arizona, then hit .330 with 43 homers and a major league-high 130 RBIs this season.