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The Cleveland Guardians All-Century Team

By Jeremy Breland

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 25: Grady Sizemore #24 of the Cleveland Indians bats against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on June 25, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 25: Grady Sizemore #24 of the Cleveland Indians bats against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on June 25, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /
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Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
Michael Brantley #23 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /

Left Field

Michael Brantley (2009-2018)

Stats: .295/.351/.430, .781 OPS, 115 OPS+, 24 bWAR, 1195 H, 118 SB, 87 HR, 528 RBI

Michael Brantley made his Cleveland debut as a 22-year-old in 2009, but did not play a full season until his age-25 season in 2012. While not a player with the highest OPS or SLG, Brantley has always had one of the sweetest swings in baseball. He has always been one of the best contact hitters in the sport; putting Brantley in left field for this century team was obvious simply because of the peaks he reached with the team from 2014 to 2018.

During this time, he made three All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger, and finished third in MVP voting in 2014 while posting a very good .312/.371/.475 batting line. His 2014 season was the best of his career, as he put up 7 WAR, hit 20 home runs and drove in 97 runs, stole 23 bases, and posted a .327/.385/.506 line with an elite 148 OPS+.

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