Robert Jacob Brantly (born July 14, 1989) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

who is currently a free agent. The

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

drafted Brantly in the third round of the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut in 2012 with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

and has also played in MLB for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. Before beginning his professional career, Brantly played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

UC Riverside Highlanders The UC Riverside Highlanders represent the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in Riverside, California in 15 men's and women's intercollegiate athletics. The Highlanders compete in NCAA Division I; they are members of the Big West Conferen ...

Amateur career

Brantly attended Chaparral High School in

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

. The

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

drafted Brantly in the 46th round of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

, but Brantly did not sign. He opted to attend college, enrolling at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...

(UCR). He played

for the UCR Highlanders baseball team in the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

. In the summer after his freshman season, in 2009, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

La Crosse Loggers The La Crosse Loggers are a La Crosse, Wisconsin based baseball team playing in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Since the team's inaugural season in 2003, they have played at Copeland Park. The ballpark is nicknamed "th ...

in the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

, and was named the league's top prospect. In his sophomore season, Brantly was named to the Big West's first team.

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

The

drafted Brantly in the third round, with the 100th overall selection, of the

. He made his professional debut with the

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...

of the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classif ...

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

that season, recording a .251

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 52

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. He returned to West Michigan to start the 2011 season and was named to the Midwest League All-Star Game. Brantly was promoted to the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

of the

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

in July. He finished the year hitting .274/.324/.400 in 114 games between the two teams. Brantly played for the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...

of the Double-A Eastern League and the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

in 2012. He was named to appear in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

Miami Marlins

On July 23, 2012, Brantly,

Jacob Turner Jacob Edward Turner (born May 21, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals. He also played in ...

, and

Brian Flynn Brian Flynn may refer to: * Brian Flynn (footballer) (born 1955), Welsh football manager * Brian Flynn (baseball) (born 1990), American baseball player * Brian Flynn (cricketer) (1929-1986), Australian cricketer * Brian Flynn (ice hockey) Brian ...

were traded to the

in exchange for

Aníbal Sánchez Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez Jr. (; born February 27, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Florida Marlins and has also played for the Detroit Tiger ...

and

Omar Infante Omar Rafael Infante n-FAHN-tay(born December 26, 1981) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Miami M ...

. He was assigned to the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

following his acquisition. The Marlins promoted Brantly to the major leagues for the first time on August 13. He made his MLB debut on August 14 as the starting catcher against the

, going 0-for-3. He finished the season batting .290/.372/.460 over 100 at bats in 31 games. Brantly opened the 2013 season as the Marlins Opening Day catcher. He struggled offensively for Miami, hitting just .211./.263/.265 with 1 home run and 18 RBI in a career-high 223 at bats while also dealing with injuries. Brantly spent the entire 2014 season with Triple-A New Orleans, posting a .255/.291/.341 slash line with 4 home runs and 37 RBI.

Chicago White Sox

On December 8, 2014, Brantly was claimed off waivers by the

. He spent the majority of the year split between the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

and the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

, and batted .121/.167/.242 with 1 home run and 6 RBIs in 14 games with the White Sox.

Seattle Mariners

On March 12, 2016, the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

claimed Brantly off waivers from the White Sox. On April 3, Brantly was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

after losing the backup catcher competition to

Steve Clevenger Steven Scott Clevenger (born April 5, 1986) is a former American professional baseball catcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners. Early life Clevenger was raised in Glen ...

. He spent the season with the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960. ...

, slashing .244/.268/.432 with a career-highs in home runs (14) and RBI (43).

Cincinnati Reds

On December 3, 2016, Brantly signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization. In 2017, Brantly played in 46 games for the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

, hitting .298/.335/.435 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI. Brantly was released by Cincinnati on June 29, 2017.

Chicago White Sox (second stint)

On June 29, 2017, the same day as his release from Cincinnati, Brantly signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Brantly was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte upon signing, and was selected to the active roster on August 26 following an injury to

Nicky Delmonico Nicholas John Delmonico (born July 12, 1992) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current hitting coach of the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A Chicago White Sox affiliate. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Ch ...

. In 14 games with the White Sox he batted .290/.389/.516 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in 31 at-bats. Brantly was outrighted off of the 40-man roster on October 4, and elected free agency on October 9.

Atlanta Braves

On December 22, 2017, Brantly signed a minor league deal with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

to begin the 2018 season, and hit .218/.254/.293 in 58 games before being released on July 15, 2018.

Cleveland Indians

On July 21, 2018, Brantly signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

organization. Brantly finished the year with the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

, going 7-for-41 (.171) in 16 games. On November 2, he elected free agency.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 18, 2018, Brantly signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

to begin the 2019 season. On July 12, 2019, Brantly was selected to the active roster. Brantly logged 1 at-bat with the Phillies, a strikeout, and was designated for assignment the following day on July 13. In 82 games with Lehigh Valley, he batted .314/.404/.462 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs= in 236 at-bats. He elected free agency on September 30.

San Francisco Giants

On January 18, 2020, Brantly signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Brantly made the Opening Day roster in the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

-shortened 2020 season, and was selected to the active roster on July 23. Brantly went 0-for-3 in one game with San Francisco before being designated for assignment on July 28.

New York Yankees

On August 26, 2020, Brantly was traded to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in exchange for cash considerations. Brantly did not play in a game for the Yankees organization due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On October 13, he elected free agency. On December 12, Brantly re-signed with the Yankees organization on a minor league contract and was invited to spring training. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

to begin the 2021 season. On July 16, 2021, Brantly's contract was selected by the Yankees, after

Kyle Higashioka Kyle Harris Higashioka (born April 20, 1990) is an American professional baseball catcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut in 2017. Career ...

tested positive for

and was placed on the

list. Brantly went 2-for-15 with a double and three strikeouts in 4 games for the Yankees. On July 26, Brantly was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A Scranton. On August 5, he was promoted back to the majors when Gary Sánchez tested positive for COVID-19. Brantly went 1-5 in 2 appearances for the Yankees before being returned back to Triple-A Scranton and removed from the 40-man roster on August 17. On October 5, Brantly was selected to the active roster prior to the 2021 American League Wild Card Game. On November 5, 2021, Brantly was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and elected free agency. On December 10, Brantly re-signed with the Yankees on a new minor league contract. The Yankees promoted Brantly to the major leagues on May 22, 2022, when Higashioka went on the COVID-19 injured list. He was designated for assignment on May 25, 2022. The next day, on May 26, he was outrighted from the Yankees' 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brantly, Rob 1989 births Living people Baseball players from San Diego Major League Baseball catchers Miami Marlins players Chicago White Sox players Philadelphia Phillies players San Francisco Giants players New York Yankees players UC Riverside Highlanders baseball players West Michigan Whitecaps players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Salt River Rafters players Erie SeaWolves players Toledo Mud Hens players New Orleans Zephyrs players Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Tacoma Rainiers players Gigantes del Cibao players Louisville Bats players Gwinnett Stripers players Columbus Clippers players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players La Crosse Loggers players