Cleveland Indians: Michael Brantley has quietly built an impressive streak

Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley has been impressive at the plate this season and has built up a nice streak to begin the year.

Most of the talk surrounding the Cleveland Indians’ offense this year has focused on the duo of Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

Both young stars have had fast starts to the season, but another player on offense has had a more consistent start. That player is Michael Brantley.

Brantley has appeared in 16 of the team’s 19 games this season, and has picked up a hit in 13 of those games. He has also picked up at least one hit in each of the last nine games.

His nine-game hitting streak has caused his batting average to rise from .208 to .306. His only hit Tuesday night came in the ninth inning when he hit a solo home run, giving him a home run in his last two games played.

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At the start of the season, the hope was that Brantley would remain healthy and be able to split time in left field with Brandon Guyer. But he has quickly emerged as an everyday starter, just as he was before he got injured in 2016.

Not only does his .306 batting average rank second on the team behind Ramirez, but his four home runs are also good for second behind both Ramirez and Lindor. His on-base percentage is also just .001 behind Ramirez for best on the team.

While Edwin Encarnacion waits to really get going, Brantley has helped keep the offense afloat with his consistent play. He, along with Ramirez and Lindor, has been someone who fans can rely on to get a hit in any given at-bat, no matter the circumstances.

It was just nice to get him back when the season began, but his importance in the lineup increases each day that Encarnacion and others in the lineup struggle.

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Brantley’s impressive hitting streak is evidence of how important he is to this team, and he can continue helping the offense tonight by extending the streak to double-digits.