Cleveland Indians: Who Should Hit Behind Edwin Encarnacion?
Michael Brantley
After missing most of 2016, the Indians are optimistic that Michael Brantley will be back full-time once Spring Training begins. Whether or not he returns as the Brantley that quickly emerged as the Indians best hitter remains to be seen.
It is entirely possible that Brantley comes back and re-injures his shoulder. It is possible that he simply is not the same player he once was. We saw it happen with Grady Sizemore, and it could happen with Brantley as well.
Negative talk aside, Brantley could return just as good as he was. He will likely take some time to get back to form and probably will need extra days off for the first month or two of the season until he gets back up to speed, but he could absolutely be as good of a hitter as he was before he got hurt. If that is true, he will be a great asset to add to an already strong lineup.
Before hurting his shoulder, Brantley mostly hit third in the lineup, but also saw some time batting cleanup. With the emergence of Lindor and his success batting third, it is unlikely we will see him back in that spot. However Lindor has also had success batting leadoff and second, so anything is possible.
If Brantley’s bat comes back as it once was, he would be perfect to hit behind Encarnacion. While he may not have the pop that Santana has, his batting average is higher and his consistency is unmatchable.