Sunday, January 31, 2016

Brantley News & Shoulder Rehab Progression Through January 2016

because Michael's been appearing at several public events in Cleveland over the last few days, i have a lot more up-to-date information on his recovery from right shoulder surgery. i've been keeping track of his progress all along, so if you've missed anything to this point, be sure to check out my Brantley News From the 2015 Winter Meetings (December 6-10) blog and the second half of my Brantley Confirmed For Tribe Fest 2016 blog, which contains health updates from December 17-21, for the final updates from 2015.

now let's get into the most current news, day by day, as it was unveiled.

January 25: Chris Antonetti, Indians President of Baseball Operations, did an interview with Christopher Russo on MLB Network's High Heat. Antonetti said that Michael was in the clubhouse earlier and that he's been in Cleveland rehabbing for most of the month of January. "he's on track and progressing really well. he's feeling good and pushing the trainers to push forward his timetable."

January 27: at night, Michael was spotted at

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Brantley Ranked 1st in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now

hello again, Brantley fans! for the past 2 Thursdays, MLB Network has been airing their annual Top 10 lists, and tonight, on January 28 at 10 pm EST, it was time for their "Top 10 Right Now: Left Fielders" show.

photo courtesy of @MLBNetwork on twitter

with hosts Brian Kenny and Cliff Floyd, the Top 10 left field players currently in baseball going into the 2016 season were ranked by MLB Network's Shredder. an analytic methodology going by the name of The Shredder, who operates unbiased and without emotion, compiles rankings based on a player's recent performance and projections for the player's upcoming season. keep in mind that baseball analysts and fans disagree with The Shredder quite often, so this isn't a list to get too worked up about if you dislike the rankings. but it's fun to debate why The Shredder is right or wrong anyway.

before this particular Top 10 even aired, i had concerns about where Michael would place. i felt like

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Brantley Confirmed For Tribe Fest 2016 + Health Updates!

Happy 2016, Brantley fans! i am back and have some exciting news for you all! today, on January 12, it was announced that Michael Brantley will be attending the 4th annual Tribe Fest, presented by KeyBank.

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

unlike in years past, however, there are some big changes to this year's event. due to the current renovations being made at Progressive Field, Tribe Fest will be held at Aloft Cleveland Downtown and the Ernst & Young Tower lobby in Flats East Bank. not only that, but because of limited space, it's just ONE day this year on January 30.

tickets for Tribe Fest are on sale now. you must purchase a general admission ticket--$5 for both adults and children--in order to attend. (NOTE: children under 3 are free.) like usual, fans can purchase general admission tickets alone, or bundle them with an autograph ticket. the two different autograph sessions to choose from are 9 am - 2 pm and 2 pm - 7 pm. while you cannot choose which specific player to get an autograph from, you can pick between a current Indians player ($25 ticket) or an alumni player ($20).

along with Michael, the following players have already confirmed to appear (although this is subject to change):