As the 2022 playoffs have arrived, the Cleveland Guardians have taken stride in September, as they pulled away from the Twins and the White Sox late to earn the third seed in the AL playoff bracket. A huge thanks can be made to their starting first baseman and middle of the lineup hitter.
Naylor played a total of 122 in the regular season, and has been a super consistent and reliable piece to Cleveland’s puzzle. He batted .256, with 20 home runs and 79 RBI. He had a .319 on-base percentage and a .452 slugging percentage. He had a total of 115 hits, while only striking out a total of 80 times.
He only had one more strikeout than RBI, which just shows the terrific discipline he has and how much in control he is up at the plate.
The Cleveland Guardians began their postseason run with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays, after a 2-run home run hit by Jose Ramirez. Naylor ended up going 1 for 3 with a base hit in the fourth inning.
Ramirez is the Guardians best player, and is arguably the best third baseman in all of the MLB. However, as we all know, in order to win those 13 games to be the last team standing, it takes everyone. While Ramirez will get all the praise, it is players like Naylor who are the unsung heroes of why this ball club is where it is.
And the postseason stats back it up too, as in October, he turns into an unstoppable wrecking force. As of game one, he has played only three games in the playoffs, with a total of 10 at bats in those games, and has gotten a hit six times in those 10 chances. Out of his six hits, four of them have been for extra bases. He has one home run, three RBI, and has scored three runs in the three games he has played.
A lot of people are expecting the Rays to make a solid run this postseason, meaning that they expect Cleveland to just take their beating from them and have their season end. But with Naylor, Ramirez, the terrific duo of ace Shane Bieber and young stud Triston McKenzie, as well as rookie sensation Steven Kwan, and led by one of the best managers in baseball Terry Francona, they have a very underrated squad.
It is important to note that it is not like the Guardians got a free bid into the playoffs because of a weak AL Central division, they did win 92 games this year, which is tied for third most in the AL this season. They are not some pushover that people may see them as, they are where they are because they earned it.
The AL better be very careful. If they keep overlooking them, Believeland can certainly make some noise, as they already have a 1-0 lead in their Wildcard matchup. And with Naylor’s smooth swing and electric energy he brings to the dugout, he will help lead the charge of the Guardians.
One of MLB’s forgotten star players announced that he’ll make his return in 2023 for a 15th season.
Five time All-Star and 2014 Silver Slugger Award recipient Michael Brantley will turn 36 early next summer. Despite being one of the older players in the league, he still is producing at a high level. In the 64 games that he suited up for the ‘Stros, he hit .288, with 5 home runs and 26 RBI. He had an on-base percentage of .370, and a slugging percentage of .416.
While those numbers are very impressive, Brantley’s been out since June 26th with a shoulder injury and will be a free agent at the conclusion of the year. He had a lingering knee injury that put him on the IL in 2021 for 40 games, and now a for a second straight season, he’s dealing with a significant injury.
“Of course, this is what I love. I respect this game so much, and I cherish this game so much…baseball is my life” Brantley said on Wednesday when asked if playing another MLB season is something that he plans on doing. The question now is, what does the future hold for the outfielder?
It is very possible that Brantley will return to the Astros. He signed a two-year $32 million contract in December of 2018 after spending his first 10 seasons with Cleveland. He re-signed with them on another two-year, $32 million contract. Who says a third 2-year, $32 million contract isn’t on the horizon for the left-handed slugger?
“I love my teammates, I love this organization…from day one when I walked in this door I was welcomed with open arms,” said Brantley. He clearly would love to stay in Houston, and who could blame him? The Astros just clinched their sixth straight division title, they have gone to the World Series three of the last five seasons and are favored once again to recapture the AL pennant.
“We feel whole now that Brantley’s back,” manager Dusty Baker said when it was announced that Brantley was back in the dugout supporting their team as they begin to make their playoff push. “We missed him.”
The feeling between Brantley and the clubhouse is clearly mutual, so it would not be surprising to see him back in Houston for a fifth season. However, with the emergence of Yordan Alvarez this season, and the team’s excellent track record of developing talent within their system, they could let the 35 year-old find a new home.
If it isn’t Houston, teams may be a little shy to hand Brantley a whole lot of cash. He is in his mid-30s, and hasn’t been healthy the past couple of seasons. But as we have seen recently, 35 is the new 25, and Brantley has been putting up numbers these past couple of campaigns that would be expected of a much younger star player. So, if he is able to shake off the injury bug, there is no reason to believe that he can’t still be a very important piece to whichever team signs him to a deal.
Even if they don’t make the playoffs this year, Baltimore’s future is in very good hands.
The Orioles have put up a 78-71 record this season, already miles better than their abysmal 52-110 record from a season ago. That earned them the first overall pick of this year’s draft, which ended up being Jackson Holliday. Much of the team’s bright future and newfound success can be attributed to their captain of the outfield, Cedric Mullins. So far this season, he has batted .262, with 14 home runs and 55 RBI. He currently has a .323 on-base percentage, and a .403 slugging percentage.
He also has 31 stolen bases on the season, tied with fellow teammate Jorge Mateo, and only one behind the current AL leader Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays. He is five behind the MLB leader Jon Berti of the Miami Marlins.
Mullins has a very good chance of being this year’s AL stolen base champion for the first time in his career, but he needs to pick up the pace, and fast. It’s very possible that he can do it, but time is running out with less than 15 games remaining in the regular season.
Over the past seven games, he has not recorded a stolen base, and has only had two over the previous 15 games. There are 13 games left in the Orioles season, so when he gets on base, he very much needs to capitalize on those last few opportunities.
Being at the top of the leaderboards in stolen bases is not something that’s new to Mullins, as he was tied for fourth in the MLB last season with 30 stolen bags, which, along with his 30 home runs, helped him earn a spot into the elite 30-30 club. As of right now, it looks like Mullins will still be the newest member of that club at the conclusion of this season.
As the leadoff hitter, it is essential to be quick along the bases to make your teammates’ jobs easier at the plate. That’s exactly what Mullins has done for his ball club. He has been able to put himself into better scoring positions and put the trust in his young and talented teammates to bring him home. That trust has paid off as he leads the organization this season with 82 runs scored.
The Os are currently four games back of the last wild card spot, and with only 13 games to go, it will be a ginormous mountain to climb. If there’s any chance for them to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, it will all start with their MLBbro “CM Storm” Mullins to get on and steal as many bases as possible to put his team in an easier position to score and to win.
LOS ANGELES – Michael Harris II looks like he will be one special talent.
He was drafted in the third round by the Braves in the 2019 draft, and spent three years in their farm system. He was tearing it up in the beginning of this year’s AA minor league season with the Mississippi Braves, posting a .305/.372/.506 statline, earning him an instant promotion to the majors on May 28th.
So far, his time in Atlanta has been successful, with a .310 batting average, with 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 16 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .350, and a slugging percentage of .551.
While his offense has been off the charts, the main reason Atlanta brought him up so soon is because of how stellar he is with the glove in the outfield. He is a human highlight reel.
The sensational catches, the incredible arm, and the electric speed that he has to cover so much ground makes him the scarce five-tool player.
On an already stacked lineup with players like Ronald Acuña, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Matt Olson, etc., it would have been easy for him to just take a backseat within the star studded clubhouse, but Harris has other ideas. He has made himself a league-wide name, getting recognition of his terrific play since day one.
So far, he has the best odds to win NL Rookie of the Year, with his fellow teammate Spencer Strider not too far behind. Either way, it is a lock that the award is returning to Atlanta.
Besides all the on-field tools that he brings, Harris has an electric swag to his game that makes him all that much better. He has such a smooth swing, and carries himself with such a cool swagger when he does simple things like running the bases, or the big, flashy chain he wears with his uniform. He just has that “it” factor. All that will remind you of one Hall of Famer in particular: Ken Griffey Jr.
The Braves see the special player that Harris is, as they locked him down to a long term extension less than three months after his debut. He agreed to an 8-year, $72 million contract on August 17th. They were already the defending champs, and now they get to keep another stud for a long time. The rich keep getting richer.
The Braves’ stellar young core that will keep them playing in October for years to come. They have done an incredible job of not just drafting and developing talent, but also locking that young talent down for several years to keep the core together.
With less than 20 games to go in the regular season, the Braves will be dancing this October, as they will be one of the favorites. They have the chance to be the first team in over 20 years to repeat as champions, with the 1999-2000 Yankees being the last team to do so. If they do end up achieving that milestone, expect Harris to be a key reason for any success they have this postseason, and for the next several years.
LOS ANGELES – Lewis Brinson is getting one giant chance.
On September 1st, Brinson was traded from the Houston Astros to the San Francisco Giants. He had spent the entire 2022 season up to that point in Houston’s minor league system, but ever since the trade, he has been up in the majors.
So far in seven games played for the orange and black (as of Friday afternoon) he is hitting .263, with three home runs and four RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .263 and a slugging percentage of .789.
Before being a journeyman in the MLB, Brinson was one of baseball’s most exciting young prospects. Scouts were mesmerized by his raw power, his speed, and his strong throwing arm. He ended up being selected with the 29th overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft and was traded to the Brewers in 2016 as a part of a package deal for the former All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
On June 10th, 2017, Brinson would make his MLB debut with the Brewers. He ended up playing 21 games for them, and he was nothing short of atrocious. He batted .106, only had two home runs, three RBI, an on-base percentage of .236 and a slugging percentage of .277. He ended up getting sent back down, and was absolutely sensational, posting a .331/.400/.562 statline for the entire season.
Brinson got traded the following offseason to the Miami Marlins in a package deal for Christian Yelich. After his terrific 2017 minor league season, he would make the Marlins 2018 Opening Day roster. Derek Jeter was Marlins CEO at the time, and he was very high on Brinson.
He would play in 109 games for the team that season, and once again was a major letdown, as he only batted .199, with 11 home runs and 42 RBI. In his four seasons in south beach, he could not crack a batting average above .226, leading the team to designate Brinson for assignment after the 2021 season. Eventually Jeter was gone due to a difference in philosophy and Brinson was as well.
This season, when Brinson showed flashes of his amazing potential during a stint in Houston’s farm system, as he ended his tenure there with a .299/.356/.574 slashline, strong enough for the Giants to pull the trigger and acquire him for the home stretch of the season.
Brinson is now 28 years old and with his fifth major league organization. He is not that young player that you could understand struggling in the big leagues, he is now in the beginning of his prime.
Lewis Brinson is the 1st Giants player with 3+ HR in a 2-game span against the Dodgers since Hunter Pence in 2013
If he does not show that he has finally gotten rid of his hitting woes in San Francisco for these last 20+ games, then there’s going to be a huge consensus that this guy may not be able to hang in the majors, even as a journeyman.
