It surprises me that Michael Brantley just signed a virtually identical deal to the one that probably contributed in a negative way to Grady Sizemore's baseball recovery from his surgeries his last season in Cleveland. I call these total at bat contract incentives for players coming back from surgeries taunting type of contract. Contract incentives based on total at bats that accrue in rapid fire order once a recently injured and now recovering ballplayer reaches 400 at bats or more are defective in my opinion.
The problem with this type of total at bat incentives is it forces the player to believe they are 100% from day one of the season.
What if a ballplayer needs the first couple of months of the season to be fully ready and during those two months they take every third day off, maybe do pinch hitting on that third day? Just like that Brantley's cushion is gone for meeting his at bat incentives. The at bat incentives basically force the player to believe they are 100% from day one of the season and if they have to go on the I.L. for any reason, it just puts too much pressure on the player going forward to contribute without feeling like they personally failed.
Ballplayers like Brantley and Sizemore may try and go 100% from day one so that they can take time off later if needed once the dog days of July and August arrive. Playing too much too early is one of the worse things a player coming back from major surgery can do.
The irony is cruel, in order to meet total at bat contract incentives, a player coming back from surgery has to play full time in the cold when the reverse makes more sense, get up to speed with health as the number one goal, then when the summer months hit, make a decision that does not focus on how many missed at bats the ballplayer has left during the hot, summer days.
Michael Brantley experienced heat stroke once in Minnesota while playing left field when he was with the Guardians. The solution is so obvious its painful to give it away for free. At bat incentives should be based on MONTHLY at bat totals, not total at bats. This way a "recovering their strength" ballplayer can see the prudence in starting slower in April and May so they can ensure their regular workout routines are not being compromised by trying to play every game early on.
In Brantley's case, his 2022 incentives should have been been based on 70 at bats in April, 80 at bats in May, then 90 at bats in June, 90 for July, 90 for August, 80 for September. The total is still 500 at bats, but each incentive is not pinioned on totality of seasonal at bats, so the ballplayer can ramp up health wise without feeling like they have failed if they need more rest early on in the season.
What is also superior about monthly at bat incentives is if Brantley reaches his total for the month by the 27th of the month, and its either raining during the next game, or very hot, Brantley can take the game off and be available for pinch hitting without feeling like he is losing ground towards his at bats total incentives. Plus, one down month does not jeopardize any other incentive but that specific month. The monthly incentive method is so superior to these insipid at seasonal bat totals one has to wonder why nobody has ever thought of it before Sportscam Detective came up with it.
As for Grady Sizemore, Grady Sizemore did resurrect his career after leaving Cleveland and he even signed another incentive laden contract with Boston. But Sizemore's final season hiccup in Cleveland may have been adversely affected because Grady Sizemore tried to play every game early on. If Grady Sizemore had been given monthly at bat incentives rather than total at bat incentives, the pressure to reach his at bat contract incentives would have been removed, and that is always a good thing for players who already play the game with an intensity that does not need to be amped up any further, especially when they have to build their strength back up during the season.
Los Angeles Emmy winning Producer Alessandro Machi combines his editing, camera and observational skills to provide unique insights into the World of Sports.
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