1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Brantley out for season

Discussion in 'Houston Astros' started by SWTsig, Aug 12, 2022.

  1. Marshall Bryant

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2018
    Messages:
    8,764
    Likes Received:
    4,704
    You do know I was referring to a quote from Dusty. At least that's what I remember, which is suspect nowadays.
     
  2. Yordan The Great

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2019
    Messages:
    4,266
    Likes Received:
    5,876
    I now surmise that the Michael Brantley injury has ended up being a blessing in disguise.

    People, work with me here before summarily dismissing my claim.

    No way no how Brantley is anywhere near as clutch as Pina has been in the two hole. That's just not who he is. A fine professional hitter? Yes of course. An RBI clutch guy and late-inning heroics guy? No, never has been. That's why he's only ever gotten paid $16 million a year at the very apex of his career.

    So now suppose Brantley is batting second and has his usual .290 BA with only 3 RBIs no homers in 12 games in these playoffs?

    With Altuve and Alvarez batting collectively under .200 in the playoffs, that's a dead lineup. I mean dead dead. Bregman would have had to become Superman to save us. As in twice the production that he's had in these playoffs. And he has had quite a postseason.

    Pena in the 7 hole was a really mediocre hitter this season.
     
    13 in 33 likes this.
  3. YOLO

    YOLO Member

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2012
    Messages:
    46,475
    Likes Received:
    44,649
    no it isn't a blessing in disguise. Brantley would instantly solve the massive gaping DH hole with him and Yordan. In case you haven't noticed that DH spot has been a complete black hole this entire postseason. Him and Pena are nothing alike with 2 completely different roles and are completely different at the plate and what they do for the stros
     
    TracywtFacy and J_Hunter_1977 like this.
  4. IdStrosfan

    IdStrosfan Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2021
    Messages:
    5,266
    Likes Received:
    5,894
    I understand what you are saying but I don't see any way this team is better in 2023 due to Brantley's injury.

    I think Brantley's production + Pena in 7th spot

    Would still be better than the team is getting from Pena and DH now.

    However I think it has given Pena more of an opportunity to grow and thecteam may be better in 2024+ because of it.
     
    astros123 and charlieaustin like this.
  5. Marshall Bryant

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2018
    Messages:
    8,764
    Likes Received:
    4,704
    I have a different take on much of this. He is an OBP player which fits in the 1 or 2 hole. He was available because of injury history (Correa anyone?)

    But I see an 8-10 pitch PA as heroic as a solo homerun in the early lineup. Altuve began his career as this type of hitter, but has become more of a power threat which I would prefer in the middle of the order. Expecting RBIs at the top of the order is reaching.
     
  6. Yordan The Great

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2019
    Messages:
    4,266
    Likes Received:
    5,876
    Yeah you didn't understand anything I would saying apparently.

    This in-depth thinking isn't for everyone.

    Pena 2 hole >>>>> Brantley (based on this playoff performance)

    Pena 7 hole would have provided very little meaningful offense in these playoffs.

    Pena is very possibly on the verge of being both the ALCS and World Series MVP. Compare that to the underwhelming performances by Brantley in the playoffs. He certainly didn't help us win a World Series that's for damn sure.
     
    #127 Yordan The Great, Nov 4, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2022
  7. Marshall Bryant

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2018
    Messages:
    8,764
    Likes Received:
    4,704
    If Pena hits better in the 2 hole, Brantley lengthens the line-up elsewhere. While many believe you need a HR threat in the lead off position, I don't necessarily agree.

    L Brantley
    R Pena
    L Alvarez
    R Bregman
    L Tucker
    R Altuve
    R 1B Gurriel/Mancini/Hensley/Y Diaz
    R McCormick/Meyers/Leon
    C Maldonado/Vasquez/Lee/Y Diaz

    I think this is a better line-up than what we have.

    ps Playoffs are by their nature less reliable than season stats because of the small sample size.
     
    13 in 33 likes this.
  8. YOLO

    YOLO Member

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2012
    Messages:
    46,475
    Likes Received:
    44,649
    who said the lineup card is the same way and in the same order. I would bet the stros lineup would be much better with brantley in the DH spot wherever that is in the lineup. It's pretty obvious it would, since the stros got 0 from it all postseason long

    you're applying the results of what he did and acting like you know what would and what wouldn't happen if brantley was playing. Nah reality doesn't work that way.

    What we do know is a injured professional hitter isn't considered a blessing. There's a number of guys you can plug anywhere in this lineup and they would succeed. That's the beauty of the stros


    what a terrible time to try and say him being hurt is a blessing when literally a big fat 0 is what you got from DH all of october when it matters most. now what would make more sense is if Hensley suddenly broke out in Oct at DH bc it gave him a bigger opportunity in the lineup, he otherwise wouldn't have gotten with a healthy Brantley playing daily
     
    #129 YOLO, Nov 4, 2022
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2022
    Bregatron and King1 like this.
  9. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2002
    Messages:
    5,458
    Likes Received:
    2,295
    I think all he's saying is it's given Pena the chance to hit in the 2-hole full time and he's taken advantage of that. And long term that's super important to establish Pena as a top 1-6 hitter.

    I don't think Pena would have made nearly the impact this post-season hitting in the 7 hole behind Yuli and ahead of Chas/Hensley/Mancini/Diaz. The lineup might overall be stronger with Brantley in the 2-hole and Pena hitting 7th, but this was a blessing in disguise of sorts to see what we could get out of Pena in a big time role. I don't think his comment was meant to slight Brantley in anyway.
     
  10. Marshall Bryant

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2018
    Messages:
    8,764
    Likes Received:
    4,704
    The only thing I see that makes sense for some players to be more effective at one spot in the line-up over another is how pitchers pitch to them because of who hits behind them. If this is the case, a deeper line-up solves much of the advantage of hitting higher in the line-up.
     
  11. IdStrosfan

    IdStrosfan Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2021
    Messages:
    5,266
    Likes Received:
    5,894
    While I agree with you there is ZERO chance this happens.

    Why don't you suggest the Astros sign Barry Bonds to DH. Equally as likely.

    Seriously though.

    No chance the Astros move Altuve out of the leadoff spot for Brantley. They value power and speed mix which Brantley has neither.
     
  12. YOLO

    YOLO Member

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2012
    Messages:
    46,475
    Likes Received:
    44,649
    tuve isn't fixated in the lead-off spot. He's been in every spot in the top of the lineup at some point and shown success in all of them. again the beauty of the stros where guys can be plugged in various spots and still do well translating to wins
     
  13. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2002
    Messages:
    5,458
    Likes Received:
    2,295
    I dunno what to tell you. Some players get a boost from hitting in certain spots in the lineup, some don't. Dusty could bat Dubon and Goodrum in the 2-hole until he's blue in the face and they're not going to hit any better.

    Pena absolutely benefits from having Yordan behind him AND Altuve in front of him. Pena seems like the kinda guy whose batting average goes up with traffic on the bases. Combine that with the protection from Yordan and great things are happening, but that was no guarantee.

    If Pena bats 7th, he has a worse OBP guy in front of him and much worse protection behind him.
     
  14. jjsmooth

    jjsmooth Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    335
    Likes Received:
    331
    It's a cool story, but if Pena batted 7th he would have had Gurriel in front and McCormick behind, both with OBPs > .350 in the 2022 playoffs. If anything we would probably have scored more runs.
     
  15. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2002
    Messages:
    5,458
    Likes Received:
    2,295
    Chas Mccormick would provide better lineup protection than Yordan Alvarez.... You sir know baseball.
     
  16. VickMackey

    VickMackey Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2021
    Messages:
    606
    Likes Received:
    885
    Miss that boy uncle mike
     
  17. jjsmooth

    jjsmooth Member

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    335
    Likes Received:
    331
    Way to move goal posts.... the topic was about scoring runs. Pena batting seventh would have had more RBI opportunities and runs produced in the 7 hole, simply because Chas and Gurriel have hit better than Altuve and Alvarez this postseason. But you may not understand counting
     
  18. Major

    Major Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 1999
    Messages:
    41,383
    Likes Received:
    15,808
    Last year, in 16 games, Brantley had 9 RBI.
    In 2020, in 6 games, Brantley had 11 RBI and 3 HRs.
     
    YOLO likes this.
  19. xcrunner51

    xcrunner51 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2002
    Messages:
    5,458
    Likes Received:
    2,295
    I'm having a hard time understanding if you're being serious or not. My interpretation of your post is that you're saying that if you lock in the known outcomes of Yuli and Chas's at-bats but throw in Pena in between the two, the Astros *would* score more runs. That is a really weird conclusion to draw cuz it fundamentally makes no sense. You can't change one variable (Pena) and not expect all the other variables (other player AB's) to change too.
     

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now