Rob Brantly

Brantly spent the entire 2014 season at Triple-A New Orleans, putting together a .255/.391/.341 slash line over 364 at-bats for the Zephyrs. Since getting the nod as the Marlins’ Opening Day catcher in 2013, Brantly has tumbled down the organizational depth chart, falling behind veterans Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jeff Mathis as well as getting jumped by up-and-comer J.T. Realmuto. The 25-year-old backstop has yet to show much offense during his professional career save for a solid 31-game run for the Marlins at the tail end of 2012. He’s the owner of a modest .691 OPS over 1,414 minor league at-bats and .623 mark in 323 at-bats at the big league level. Claimed off waivers by the White Sox in December, Brantly will compete for playing time as the backup to Tyler Flowers in 2015.

The Rob Brantly Experiment flamed out quickly at the start of 2013, as the backstop was unable to maintain the solid offensive production that he showed down the stretch in 2012. He hit just .225/.275/.284 over 59 games as the Marlins' primary catcher, before losing his job to Jeff Mathis and experiencing a demotion to the minors shortly thereafter. His struggles were highlighted by a 5.3 percent drop in his walk rate and a 7.6 percent increase in his strikeout rate from the previous campaign. Entering his age-24 season, Brantly will have to battle for the backup role following the free-agent addition of Jarrod Saltalamacchia during the offseason.

A 2010 third-round selection, Brantly was shipped from Detroit to sunny south Florida in the Anibal Sanchez trade. Primarily known for his defensive prowess, he put up a solid .298/.340/.412 slash line across two minor league levels in 2012 prior to getting the call down the stretch for the Marlins. He supported that promise with a respectable .290/.372/.460 line over 113 plate appearances in August and September with good plate discipline (13:16 BB:K). Brantly is likely to enter 2013 as the primary catcher for the Marlins and he will be an interesting player to monitor if he can continue with the offensive strides he made in 2012.

The 22-year-old backstop is considered one of the Tigers top positional prospects, but he still needs to prove himself in the higher levels of the minors before getting a legit look in the big leagues. Brantly hit .274/.324/.400 in 430 at-bats split between Low-A and High-A ball last year. While those stats are decent for a backstop, Brantly is mostly valued for his defensive prowess, which doesn't translate to fantasy.

Signed a contract with the Tigers in June of 2010.