Cleveland Indians Roundup: Michael Brantley Progresses Further; Prospect Countdown

The Cleveland Indians’ Michael Brantley took batting practice with the team

Matt Bretz continued his prospect countdown yesterday with the 21^st spot. Taking home the honors was James Ramsey, who was a former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. The Cleveland Indians acquired the outfielder in 2014 in exchange for Justin Masterson. At the time of the trade, Ramsey was a 24-year-old outfielder in Double-A who looked to be close to the major leagues. 

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Upon joining the Tribe, the left-handed batter excelled in limited time in 2014. The next season was a step back from his previous .284/.365/.468 slash-line. Last year, he batted just .243 with subpar baserunning and decent power. As a whole, his offensive output was roughly seven percent better than an average Triple-A player, per weighted runs created plus.

As Bretz notes, Ramsey lacks a clear path forward in the outfield. Even with the loss of Michael Brantley and Abraham Almonte, few have given Ramsey prolonged consideration for an outfield role. He still appears to have some value to the Indians – after all, they added him to the 40-man roster this past November.

In other Brantley-related news, he took yet another step towards rejoining the Indians, wrote Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The outfielder hit line drives before running the bases while teammates Jose Ramirez and Roberto Perez took their at-bats. This was another good sign for the Indians, and Brantley even said that he was still targeting an Opening Day return.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #21 James Ramsey – Wahoo’s on First

Brantley Back in the Swing, Takes On-Field BP – Indians.com

The Cleveland Indians and the Chisenquestion – Let’s Go Tribe

Anderson Pleased with His Power Pitching – Indians.com

Kansas City Royals Mike Moustakas Continues Reclamation Project – Kings of Kauffman

White Sox Make First Wave of Roster Moves – Southside Showdown