Does  Brantley would develop more power, whether he could be effective enough to remain in the middle of the lineup, whether he could make Indians fans forget about Matt LaPorta and CC Sabathia.

To respond to those inquiries, he needed a push from two people: his outfield companion, Michael Bourn, and his baby daughter, Mariah.

A four-year, $25 million extension didn't hurt, either.

"We all said when that deal came out that that was a bargain for us," said first baseman Nick Swisher.

May be no game exemplifies Brantley's progression into a five-tool player better than Wednesday's 11-10 win against Detroit. The left fielder collected four hits, stole two bases, scored two runs, tallied three RBIs, went 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position, drove in a pair of runs with two outs and socked a game-tying RBI single in the 13th inning.