SPECULATOR: Searching for the next Michael Brantley
Mar 1 2015
An annual preseason rite here in the Speculator space is identifying a breakout performance from the previous season, and constructing a profile that might help identify candidates for a similar step up in the current year.
But talk about big shoes to fill. While normal author Ray Murphy is one of faces leading our First Pitch Forums Midwest stops this weekend, he tapped me to take a swing at this topic. Why the big shoes? Well, because last year, as Ray looked for the next Carlos Gómez, three of his candidates were Corey Dickerson, Christian Yelich, and Kole Calhoun.
Tough act to follow, but we'll give it whirl.
Michael Brantley (OF, CLE) was one of the surprises of 2014, no doubt. A quick scan of his year-by-year BPI:
Year AB ...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Speculator
Our annual exercise of giving out second chances to those who, frankly, stunk up the joint in 2025.
Sep 10 2025 3:11am
Sep 10 2025 3:11am
Can we extract fantasy value from September auditions? Plus, a quick check on how team schedules shake out over the final month.
Aug 27 2025 3:06am
Aug 27 2025 3:06am
A mid-summer check on whose skills have improved or faded the most from the beginning of the season.
Aug 20 2025 3:06am
Aug 20 2025 3:06am
Continuing our look at what we've seen from this year's rookie class with revised, speculative outlooks going forward.
Aug 13 2025 3:09am
Aug 13 2025 3:09am
Our annual exercise checking in on the MLB returns from this year's rookie class, and speculating on revised outlooks going forward.
Jul 30 2025 3:09am
Jul 30 2025 3:09am
