Brantley's January 2017 Hitting Progressions + Other News & Pics

hello there, Brantley fans! spring training is right around the corner and that's when we'll start to get a much better idea of where Michael is at physically and how he can handle the day-to-day activities that baseball requires of him. but for now, i have accumulated every bit of news that came out about Michael in the month of January, including his hitting progressions, rehab information, quotes, and pictures. so let's get into it!


January 3: Jordan Bastian tweeted that Michael began some non-contact swinging over the holiday break while back home and will continue his rehab in Cleveland this week.

January 4: in his first Indians Inbox of 2017 on indians.com, Bastian addressed Jonah Keri's statement on Michael--"this is a horrific, horrifically bad injury and there's some problems"--from December 23, 2016. Bastian sensibly pointed out that nothing else yet thus far supports Keri's claim and because this is the middle of the offseason, everything right now should be treated as speculation. he also remarked

Brantley Ranked 5th in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now

it's that time again, baseball fans! time to rank the best of the best in Major League Baseball by position. MLB Network began airing their annual Top 10 lists last Sunday, which was oddly changed from Thursdays in past years, i might add. and tonight, on January 22 at 10 pm ET, their "Top 10 Right Now: Left Fielders" show premiered.

screenshot cropped from a video on m.mlb.com

Brian Kenny, who was joined by Eric Byrnes, hosted the reveal of this year's Top 10 Left Field players currently in baseball going into the 2017 season as ranked by MLB Network's Shredder. an analytic methodology known as The Shredder, which operates without emotion or bias, assembles these rankings based on

Brantley Confirmed For Tribe Fest 2017

Happy 2017, Brantley fans! i am back with some exciting news for you all! today, on January 13, the Indians posted that Michael Brantley has confirmed to attend the 5th annual Tribe Fest, presented by KeyBank.

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

like last year, Tribe Fest will not be held at Progressive Field due to ongoing construction on the service level. instead, the one-day event will be on Saturday, January 28, at the

Brantley News & Updates from November & December 2016

Happy New Year's Eve, Brantley fans! since the conclusion of the World Series, there really hasn't been a whole lot of notable information on the update front other than the plan for Michael's upcoming hitting progression being unveiled during the Winter Meetings. the rumor mill, however, was abuzz with unfounded gossip around the Christmas holiday. so before the clock strikes midnight and we start the new year, i present you with this last bit of news about Michael in 2016 from both November and December.


November News & Updates

November 4: the Indians twitter account reported that Michael is expected to resume baseball activities in December and be ready for spring training. Jordan Bastian followed up by tweeting the Indians are planning on Michael being ready for a normal spring training and will navigate the offseason with that expectation.

"Michael's progressing really well," Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said in Bastian's article on indians.com. "he's right on schedule for his rehab." and from a video on indians.com, Antonetti further elaborated, "he'll complete all of his normal physical work and then begin baseball activities at

Tribe Needs: Looking Ahead to 2017

in 2016, the Cleveland Indians were one win away from achieving their ultimate goal of becoming World Series Champions. now i'm going to look ahead and determine what they have to do--specifically, what moves they need to make--in order to claim the title next year.

the good news is they don't require a complete overhaul. in fact, they're luckier than most teams because the Indians are going to retain the majority of their 2016 roster, including all of their core players. not only that, but the players who were injured in October/November will also be starting the upcoming season at full health. (knock on wood.) so if they can just add a few more pieces, then the Indians should be primed and ready for another run towards a championship. in the meantime, i'm taking on the role of the front office.

this blog is comprised of several sections containing:
--Indians players already on the 2017 roster
--the approximate 2017 payroll
--players the Indians have lost and/or may lose to free agency
--contract extension ideas
--Tribe needs for 2017
--players within the organization who could be used in a trade
--Major League players on the free agent market who could be viable options to acquire
--front office changes

Terry Francona Wins BBWAA's 2016 AL Manager of the Year Award!

today, on November 15, it was announced that Terry Francona won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2016 American League Manager of the Year Award! this is Francona's second MOY award while with the Indians, as he previously won it in his first year managing the club in 2013. the only other Indians skipper in franchise history to win Manager of the Year is Eric Wedge (2007). congratulations, Tito!

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

Francona was a finalist this year along with Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers (who won the award last season) and Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles. he finished with

My Final #s for the Cleveland Indians' 2016 Season

finally, i get to take off the baseball statistics hat and focus on my own numbers from this season for a minute. this is the My Final #s blog, where i go back through all of my baseball stuff and see what i acquired during the year. typically that includes player autographs, photographs taken with players, baseballs, and pictures and videos that i took at games. i don't generally promote these blogs because they can be presumed as bragging, but if you're subscribed to my email list, then you're getting the direct link sent right into your inbox. honestly though, i just like to see if i can set new records and accomplish personal bests with each new baseball season.


Background

in case you're a new reader and/or unaware of my current situation, i am a diehard Tribe fan living in the Western New York area. my exact location unfortunately does not allow me to watch Cleveland Indians games on TV unless they're on a national channel because STO is blacked out on the MLB package here. luckily, in this day and age, i have the ability to get online and see game highlights and photos on a nightly basis. still, i prefer to take my own pictures and record my own videos when i attend ballgames. then, once i get home,

Analyzing the Tribe's 2016 Season + Postseason

what a season the 2016 Cleveland Indians had! and, for the first time in 19 years, what a postseason they had, too! whether you're currently feeling immense pride or still nursing a broken heart over the outcome, it's time to pick up the pieces and take a trip down memory lane.

this blog recounts some of the particulars that happened on the Tribe's journey from their postponed Game 1 Home Opener back on April 4, all the way to the last out of the 10th inning in Game 7 of the World Series on November 2. more importantly, it contains my analysis of every player who spent time with the Indians this year. unlike in the past, however, this analyzation covers player performances in both the regular season AND the playoffs. so yes, it's quite a long read.

let me also acknowledge that this blog is being posted a good three weeks later than i usually post it because the Tribe's season unusually stretched all the way to the Fall Classic and into the early days of November. their final game was a mere 10 days ago, so truthfully, i got this up pretty quickly. enjoy!


Terry Francona Led the Way

the Indians amassed their best record in the Terry Francona era this year,

Francisco Lindor Wins Rawlings' 2016 AL SS Gold Glove Award & Platinum Glove Award!

tonight, on November 8, it was announced that Francisco Lindor won Rawlings' 2016 American League Shortstop Gold Glove Award! this is the first Gold Glove of Lindor's career. congratulations, Frankie!

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

no Cleveland Indian has won a Gold Glove since 2008 when Grady Sizemore won the AL CF Gold Glove, and no Cleveland shortstop has won since Omar Vizquel in 2001. Lindor, age 22, is the youngest middle infielder in franchise history to win a Gold Glove, and the youngest Indians player to win one since a 21-year old

Wrapping Up Brantley's 2016 Season

from Michael Brantley's perspective, i cannot say i'm sorry to see the 2016 baseball season go. for him, it was unlike any other and certainly will not be mentioned in the "best of" seasons of his career. we basically got a taste of what Indians baseball will be like without Dr. Smooth in the (hopefully far off) future. except, in an unexpected twist, the team did not seem in desperate need of its best hitter this year; not until the end, that is. on the other hand, Michael can now claim that he's already had a bit of experience as a coach in Major League Baseball once he's a retired player since his main role in 2016 became providing his teammates with his baseball knowledge, guidance, and pointers.

this final wrap up blog is somewhat different from how i've previously done it. that's due to the fact that Michael didn't play a full season, and so i couldn't really give justifiable comments about it or do fair comparisons of it to his past seasons. additionally, it's being posted later than usual because the Indians recently completed a long playoff run and i wanted to include my thoughts on that in here as well. nonetheless, this blog consists of some highlights from Michael's playing time with the Tribe, quotes, and