How The Cleveland Indians Have Replaced Michael Brantley in 2016

The Cleveland Indians have spent all but 11 games in 2016 without all-star left fielder Michael Brantley, now out for the year, yet still find themselves in first place. Terry Francona’s handling of his outfield is a big reason for the club’s success.

Back in March, when baseball was being played amongst cacti and grapefruits, the idea of the Cleveland Indians occupying first place in the American League Central at this juncture of the season wouldn’t have seemed too far-fetched. The Tribe entered the year with arguably the best starting pitching in the league, a young superstar in the making in shortstop Francisco Lindor, and a steady, productive all-star and former third-place finisher in the MVP voting seemingly on the mend from offseason surgery in Michael Brantley.

Had anyone known then, however, that Brantley would appear in just 11 games, what are the chances the Indians would’ve been given to hold a six-game lead in the division on August 17th?

That Cleveland is in the driver’s seat in the Central despite Brantley’s absence can be attributed to several factors. The starting rotation, though it has struggled a bit since the all-star break, has largely lived up to the preseason hype. Lindor avoided the sophomore slump, made his first trip to the midsummer classic, and looks to be every bit the superstar the Indians hoped for. And Mike Napoli has put together a career year, threatening scoreboards and starting the party at Progressive Field.

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Perhaps most critical to the team’s success, though, has been manager Terry Francona’s handling of, and the contributions made by, a bevy of players tasked with the seemingly impossible job of trying to replace Brantley. In all, seven members of the Indians, including Dr. Smooth, have seen time in left field this season, and taken together have been one of the most productive positions on the roster.

As a unit, Cleveland’s left fielders have a slash line of .302/.363/.458 with 31 doubles, 11 home runs, 57 runs batted in, 21 stolen bases, and an OPS+ of 123. For comparison’s sake, in parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, mostly spent in left field, Brantley’s career 162-game averages include a .292/.348/.421 slash line, with 38 doubles, 12 homers, 79 RBIs, 19 steals, and an OPS+ of 113. Francona has managed to squeeze nearly the exact same production out of the position without Brantley as would have been with him.

Chief among those who have provided the Tribe with a more than effective stop-gap have been Jose Ramirez and Rajai Davis. In 48 games in left, Ramirez, who is having a breakout year at the age of 23, is slashing .331/.393/.497 with 16 doubles, three home runs, 19 RBIs, six stolen bases, and a 143 OPS+. For his part, the 35-year old Davis has appeared in 44 games in left, putting up a .259/.320/.410 slash line with seven doubles, four homers, 16 RBIs, and 13 steals.

As Ramirez has now assumed the full-time starting third base job with the departure of Juan Uribe, Francona hasn’t missed a beat, plugging in Davis, Abraham Almonte, and the newly-acquired Brandon Guyer into left field to good effect. Almonte has appeared in 13 games in left (only 34 plate appearances), and contributed a .406/.412/.563 slash line with five doubles, four RBIs, and an OPS+ of 164. Guyer has been even more spectacular in a small sample size, slashing .533/.611/.800 in six games (18 plate appearances) with a home run, six driven in, and a ridiculous 282 OPS+.

Next: Brantley a Disappointment in 2016

While Saturday’s news that Brantley will be undergoing season-ending surgery is a major disappointment for him, his teammates, and the fans, the Indians have thus far proven that it is not a fatal blow. The ability of Francona’s left field platoon to continue producing in Brantley’s absence through the final month and a half of the regular season could well help determine if the Indians will hold on in the Central and have meaningful games to play in October.

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