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Prospects on Deck: RHP Justin Brantley – Mets
Another bright young arm in the Mets farm system.
Justin Brantley – Photo by David Conde/Legends on Deck
On February 14, 2014, the Cleveland Indians signed RHP Justin Brantley as a non-drafted free agent.
Brantley then spent the following three seasons moving through the Indians farm system playing first with the Class-A Full Season Lake County Captains in 2014, while posting a 4-1 record, 1.31 ERA, two saves, 47 strikeouts and 41.1 innings in 25 relief outings.
In 2015, Brantley was promoted to Class-A Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats and in 39 appearances out of the pen, he was 5-6, with a 2.84 ERA, with two saves, and 65 strikeouts in 69.2 innings.
Last season, Brantley started the year with Double-A Akron RubberDucks and battled back from a rough start to the season, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 13 batters in 12.2 innings, spanning nine games. But his effort was not rewarded as he was released by the Indians after an appearance on May 25th.
Brantley did not give up on his dream of pitching in the majors, as he finished the season with the New Jersey Jackals of the Canadian-American Association (Independent League) and in 19 games out of the pen he recorded 18 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
The right hander stayed sharp through the winter and he was rewarded with a minor league contract with the New York Mets and was assigned to their Class-A affiliate the St. Lucie Mets for the 2017 season.
Through his first seven games out of the pen, the Hudson, NY native did not allow a run and struck out 10 batters through 10.2 innings.
Throughout the 2017 season, Brantley has shown a knack of battling back and making the most out of his time on the mound.
In his latest appearance out of the pen on July 4th against the Charlotte Stone Crabs, he entered in the 7th inning and shutdown the Stone Crabs offense with two superb shutout innings, not allowing a hit, while walking one and striking out three batters.
Brantley at 26 years old may not be considered a true prospect, but he is capable of taking over a game with his ability to shut down opposing offenses and keeping his team in the game. It has been noted that he had some rough games this season, but that is part of the development of becoming an elite guy out of the pen. There is no doubt that he possess the tools to advance through the system, because he like every other ball player in the minors, just need ample opportunities to work on their skills.
Sometimes in life all you need is a second chance at your dreams, and Brantley has been given that with the Mets and is doing his part in fulfilling the dream. Another bright young arm in the Mets farm system.
David Conde
David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.
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