GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor would sometimes pose hypothetical questions to Michael Brantley -- sometimes silly questions, sometimes serious baseball stuff. Because, as Lindor said here Saturday, Brantley was his baseball dad. Reliable, somebody you could always count on. And now Michael Brantley is gone -- to the Astros.
When Mickey Callaway left the Indians to become manager of the Mets after the 2017 season, Carl Willis assumed Callaway's job as pitching coach and asked Callaway about staff leadership. If you need somebody to help you, Callaway told Willis, then Josh Tomlin is your guy.