Rob Brantly, C

[emkayseven]

C Rob Brantly wants to be the starting catcher when spring training opens, and so far he has been making a solid case. He is batting .381 (16 for 42) over his last 13 games, including ,462 (6-for-13) on the team's recent road trip.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...rlins-pitchers

[emkayseven]

Brantly, a rookie C who threw out a base stealer for the first time in his career Monday, sheepishly admitted he missed a pickoff sign from the dugout before the pitch. "He's a kid," Guillen said. "He does stuff that makes you laugh."

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320918128

[emkayseven]

This season hasn't gone nearly as well as expected for the newly-christened Miami Marlins. The acquisitions of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell didn't quite lead to the NL East domination that was expected by management. Though Reyes and Buehrle have performed well (the less said about Heath Bell, the better), the team suffered badly enough to deal Edward Mujica, Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and, oh yeah, stalwart Marlin Hanley Ramirez before the trading deadline.

Instead of playing to win now, the Marlins are back to building for the future. And while it's tough to gauge the results of any trade after just a few short months, one deal in particular is already starting to pay short-term dividends. When the Marlins traded Sanchez and Infante to the Tigers, they received three prospects in return: top-flight starter prospect Jacob Turner, live arm Brian Flynn, and Double-A catching prospect Rob Brantly. Like Turner, Brantly found himself fast-tracked to Miami after the deal, but unlike Turner, Brantly is already showing better-than-average performance at the major-league level.

Let's go back in time to the start of the season for a bit. Prior to 2012, Brantly was ranked as the Tigers' No. 7 prospect by Baseball America. Given the state of the Tigers' farm system, that's not fantastic. He was listed as the No. 10 prospect in Detroit's system by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (and given two stars), and marked as No. 6 by prospect maven Marc Hulet at FanGraphs. John Sickels of Minor League Ball declined to put Brantly on his Top 20 list of Tigers prospects at all.

This isn't ridiculous. Before this season started, Brantly had never played above Single-A. Though he profiled as an offensive catcher, he doesn't have top-end power, didn't post a high walk rate or OBP in the minors and needed quite a bit of polish as a receiver. But the tools were there. Here's a quote from Marc Hulet's writeup of the top 15 Tigers prospects at FanGraphs, where he was a bit more bullish on Brantly than some other prospect hunters:

Brantly has good gap power and could eventually reach double-digit home run totals. He doesn’t strike out a ton but he also doesn’t walk much and is too aggressive for his own good. He moves around well behind the plate and does a nice job of controlling the running game but he’s raw in the finer aspects of the position. Brantly should return to high-A ball in 2012.

So after an uninspiring stint at High-A in 2011, the Tigers started Brantly off at Double-A for 2012. Brantly did fairly well there, and he basically did exactly what Marc thought he would do at the plate: he didn't strike out or walk much, nor hit for a lot of power. But he hit for a lot of average, and his overall offensive contributions were about 22% above the league average according to the stat wRC+. The Tigers bumped him up to Triple-A, and his hitting stalled out as his K% rose considerably before the deal to Miami. In a short stint with the New Orleans Zephyrs, Brantly stopped walking entirely, but made more than enough contact to offset this gap. By August 14, he was starting for the Marlins.

Since his callup, Brantly has shone. But strangely, he's started to walk at a much higher rate than he has at any other level of baseball. A walk rate of 14%, combined with good contact and great luck on balls in play (his batting average on balls in play is .369, which is higher than league-average), has led Brantly to post a .419 OBP so far in the bigs. That's phenomenal. The walk rate is probably driven by his usual spot in the order (eighth, right before the pitcher), and he's got a couple of intentional walks to his credit. But if he can continue to hit for contact, and maintain a decent walk rate, he could prove to be an above-average contributor with the bat on a regular basis.

All this having been said, Brantly only has 93 plate appearances to his name. That's a small sample size, no matter how you slice it. So before Brantly is anointed as a permanent fixture behind the dish, he'll have to prove that he can keep up a level of production worthy of the position. Since he's a catcher, he doesn't have to hit like Giancarlo Stanton to be valuable. But he'll also have to prove that his on-base abilities are not a fluke. Since he's lacking in power, and is still a work-in-progress as a receiver (he's shown an ok arm so far, nailing 3-of-16 baserunners), he'll have to be really, really good at getting on base to become a regular. I'd actually consider former Ray, and current Mariner, John Jaso as a best-case comparable to Brantly.

Word on the street is that the Marlins payroll will shrink down to the $70-$80 million range for 2013, which is kind of a stark change from the $95 million payroll they went to war with in 2012. Considering that the team's already committed to about $67.5 million dollars for next season, that means that the Fish may choose a few moves in the offseason to cut costs, especially if they want to bring in hole-pluggers for third base, second base, and the outfield.

Given John Buck's $6 million price tag, it's not a stretch to figure that the Marlins may choose to move Buck, in favor of Brantly for 2013. Since Brantly is a left-handed hitter, he's likely to get the bulk of the playing time in any platoon situation, given that there are more right-handed starting pitchers than left-handed ones. If Buck would only be used in a third of games, $6 million dollars would be quite the outlay for a part-time player, and the Marlins could go out and get a cheaper option to play in that limited time.

In the end, less than 100 plate appearances isn't enough to make a firm judgement on anyone's statistics or performance. But first impressions count, too. Brantly has made the most of his short time with the Fish, and if he can keep up anything close to this level of performance, he'll be a regular at Marlins Park for years to come.

http://tampabay.sbnation.com/miami-m...-miami-marlins

[Erick]

I would be happy if he's the next John Jaso. If he is the next John Jaso, I hope our next manager doesn't hit him 8th in a lineup that has the likes of Bryan Petersen and Gorkys Hernandez hitting 1st and 2nd.

[emkayseven]

Rob Brantly caught his pitchers' attention even before the Miami Marlins reported to spring training.

Brantly drove about 165 miles round trip several times in the week before reporting to camp to catch Marlins pitchers both in Jupiter, Fla., and Miami — where players were making community relations appearances.

"I've never seen anything like it, that's just pure dedication and that's what it takes to get where's he's at," Marlins closer Steve Cishek said. "He's got so much energy. He's like the Energizer Bunny."

The long drive to perform double bullpen duty was no big deal to Brantly.

"The pitchers are here for me, I have to be there for them," he said.

Brantly, 23, is expected to be the starting catcher for a Marlins team rebuilding mainly with youth. He was acquired from Detroit before last season's trade deadline in the deal that sent pitcher Anibal Sanchez and infielder Omar Infante to the Tigers.

"We're going to grow together as a team," Brantly said. "Every day brings us new challenges. You can go in optimistically and develop a process in which you think's going to put you in position to succeed, or not."

Brantly made his major league debut with Miami on Aug. 14. The left-handed batter hit .290 with 3 home runs and 8 RBI in 31 games.

Besides working on his swing and defense, Brantly is spending time getting familiar with Miami's pitching staff.

Cishek was among the Marlins pitchers who threw to Brantly last season.

"He was great. From my standpoint, we were on the same page right from the start and it seemed we clicked pretty early," Cishek said. "I liked how he set up, and that's an important thing."

Brantly and the other Marlins catchers in camp are trying to impress rookie manager Mike Redmond, who caught in the majors for 13 years.

"He told me he was a catcher and he holds catchers to a certain standard," Brantly said. "I'm excited to pick his brain as much as I can."

That should please Redmond, who said Brantly will call pitches on his own as opposed to having them signaled in from the dugout.

"Those guys are the captains back there. They have to have the answers, they have to have a plan," Redmond said. "When things go wrong, I don't blame the pitcher, I blame the catcher."

Jeff Mathis, acquired in the November blockbuster trade with Toronto, figures to back up Brantly. Redmond said the team planned to open the season with two catchers on the roster.

"I don't know what they have in mind, but I think Rob's the guy," Mathis said. "Still, I prepare myself for every day."

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/...-his-pitchers/

[Ramp]

Excited that puff pieces are coming out finally

also, just realized its "Brantly" not "Brantley"

[Chewford]

Hopefully Brantly won't be as disappointing as Brantley.

[Todd]

I guess thats cool.

[Miamarlin21]

The article made it seem as though catchers never call their own pitches. lol

[emkayseven]

Miami Marlins catcher Rob Brantly plays with a lot of energy.

It’s something that has endeared Marlins pitchers to the 23-year-old, but it also is a trait that concerned former Marlins catcher John Buck.

“When I first got called up, I was a little excited, a little over-amped,” Brantly said. “John was the guy that kind of helped get my feet back on the ground. He helped me step back when I started trying to do too much or make too much happen right away. He helped me learn from the situations that were happening to me, the mistakes that I made and he was always there to pick me up when he knew I was getting rattled.”

Buck recalled former Kansas City coach Tony Pena, who caught in the majors for 18 years, speaking with him when he played for the Royals in 2004. Buck thought a similar conversation with Brantly could do some good and potentially help preserve the youngsters body for the long-term.

“He has a lot of energy — that’s already his personality, but it was a thousand miles an hour on everything,” Buck said. “Even the way he would throw the ball back to the pitcher and running the bases — anything and everything that you would do at a natural pace.

“I told him, ‘Bro, if you want to catch in the big leagues every single day, you have to know when to pace yourself.’ I’m all for playing with your hair on fire, but some of the stuff he just needed to pull the reins back a little bit.”

The advice could prove invaluable as Brantly should be catching every day this season. Acquired from the Detroit Tigers in the trade for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante last July, Brantly currently is the lone healthy catcher on the roster with major league experience.

Backup catcher Jeff Mathis, acquired in the blockbuster trade with Toronto in the offseason, broke his collar bone on a foul tip a week ago and could be out six weeks. Still, Brantly is taking nothing for granted.

“I feel like spring training, you come in and you’ve got to earn your spot,” Brantly said. “Nothing is given to you. I come in with that mentality. I train in the offseason to prepare for the season and I came into spring training prepared the best I can. I’m just trying to establish good relationships with my pitchers and put together quality at-bats.”

Despite having just 31 major league games under his belt, Brantly is charged with helping a young pitching staff. Brantly also has a new manager in former catcher Mike Redmond, who said Brantly will call his own games this year.

Redmond made it clear early this spring that he will hold Brantly and the Marlins catchers to the highest standard.

“Those guys are the captains back there,” Redmond said. “They have to have the answers, they have to have a plan. When things go wrong, I don’t blame the pitcher, I blame the catcher.”

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2013/mar/...rgized-behind/

[emkayseven]

Marlins catcher Rob Brantly nods his head back and forth while stepping side to side, keeping precise beat to the hip-hop song “I Cry” by Flo Rida.

Brantly might as well be on a dance floor, but he’s in his Marlins uniform standing outside the batting cage at Roger Dean Stadium, bat in hand.

As the Marlins take turns hitting Wednesday, the music over the public-address system switches from Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll’’ to Kid Rock’s “Boom” to the Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks.’’

Most of his teammates seem to ignore it, but Brantly doesn’t miss a beat. It’s part of a mental drill he began when he was a prospect with Detroit.

“I believe a big part of hitting is having a good rhythm — rhythm at the plate, rhythm with the pitcher. It kinds of helps mentally from what the baseball psychologist said when I was with Detroit,’’ Brantly said.

Brantly, who was acquired July 23 in the deal that sent Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers, said he was told not long after Detroit drafted him in the third round in 2010 that he’s a “very functional left-brain dominant’’ person.

To help develop what he called “a feel side to my brain,’’ he said, the Tigers had him wear a Walkman so he could listen to music while walking around and get a feel for rhythm. They also had him do another exercise: keeping his eyes closed while getting dressed and eating breakfast.

The goal, he said, was so that “when it came to in-game adjustments I wouldn’t get flustered. I could go with the flow of the game.’’

Brantly, 23, doesn’t do those drills any more. But he said he still locks into the rhythm of almost any song he hears, whether he’s at home, at a shopping mall or at the ballpark.

“I can’t help but find the rhythm when I’m warming up (a pitcher) or hitting,’’ he said.

It has led to relentless teasing from his teammates.

“They’re like, ‘Rob, what are you doing?’ They don’t quite understand the reasoning for it. And if I explain it to them, they think it’s a tad bit ridiculous,’’ he said.

Brantly will open his first season as a starting catcher. He hit .290 with three homers and 8 RBI in 31 games for Miami after making his big-league debut in August.

“This guy is an Energizer bunny back there. We actually have to pull the reins on him a little bit, try to get him to conserve some of his energy,’’ Marlins manager Mike Redmond said.

“When you are sprinting out to the mound and sprinting back after talking to the pitcher you’re going to eventually wear yourself out.’’

Before spring training began, Brantly would often spend a morning working with pitchers in Jupiter and then drive more than 90 minutes to Marlins Park to catch Miami-based pitchers in the afternoon.

Brantly, whose grandfather is from Panama, said he declined an invitation to play for Panama’s World Baseball Classic team. Panama was eliminated in qualifying rounds in November.

“If they had qualified, I wouldn’t be here for my first spring training with the Marlins,’’ he said. “There’s a lot of new (pitchers) to learn. I valued this more than the Baseball Classic.’’

Brantly, who bats left and throws right, lacks major league experience, but the Marlins will let him call pitches rather than have them signaled from the dugout.

Redmond, a former catcher, said he admires Brantly’s work ethic.

“This kid is eager for information,” Redmond said. “We’ve made a few adjustments with his set-up and working on his throwing and his blocking. He looks great. He’s fun to watch. And he can hit. He can really hit.’’

Brantly was about to step into the cage when PA system blared “Little Talks’’ by Of Monsters and Men.

“Oh, I love this song,’’ he says to no one in particular, and he dances his way into the cage.

http://m.palmbeachpost.com/news/spor...i-marli/nWjgk/

[Chewford]

Marlins catcher Rob Brantly nods his head back and forth while stepping side to side, keeping precise beat to the hip-hop song “I Cry” by Flo Rida.

Say no more, I dislike this Brantly guy.

[Miamarlin21]

Do these beat writers not realize that every big league catcher calls his own pitches?

[HUGG]

Well that's definitely not true.

[Miamarlin21]

They look in the dugout at the manger for when a runner is on base to see if to call a slide step or pick off, but for the most part they call the game on their own. They even call their own pitches in the minor leagues. They have a gameplan of how to pitch certain batters, but I have never encountered where a manager calls the the pitches from the dugout.