Brantley's April 2012 #s

before i get into all Brantley's #s for the month, let's get a little backstory out there first. Michael did not have a good start to the season. while he was on the plane to Kansas City for the Tribe's first road trip, he watched video of all his at bats. this is when he noticed some things he needed to change in his stance. once he did that, he was having better at bats. but then, after sliding into a base on April 17, he tweaked his right wrist. the next day he was not in the lineup and he once again struggled at the plate after that. he did not start in the April 24 game because his wrist was sore yet again. since then however, he's improved greatly at the plate. in the last 5 April games, Michael is 8-20 and batting .400. hopefully this momentum carries into May and throughout the rest of the year.


April batting average: .250

season batting average: .250

OBP: .321

SLG: .355

OPS: .677


Michael played in 18 (of 20) games in April. he started, led off, and played center in 17 games, and he was a defensive (center) substitution for the 8th and 9th innings in 1 game. he did not have any at bats in the 1 game that he did not start.

Michael had a total of 84 plate appearances and 76 at bats. here is how he fared:

19 hits

12 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

0 home runs

5 RBIs

11 runs scored

8 walks

8 strikeouts

2 stolen bases (caught stealing twice)

5 leadoff hits


now to my game-by-game notes and numbers.

Game 1, April 5: 1-6, double, walk. AVG: .167

Game 2, April 7: 0-5. AVG: .091

Game 3, April 8: 0-2, 2 walks, 1 caught stealing. AVG: .077

April 9: not in lineup

April 10: Game PPD

Game 4, April 11: 0-4, walk. AVG: .059
**this is when Brantley reviewed tape of his at bats and decided changes were needed**

Game 5, April 13: 2-5, leadoff single, RBI double, run scored. AVG: .136

Game 6, April 14: 1-6, triple, run scored, fielder's choice, run scored. AVG: .143

Game 7, April 15: 3-6, single, run scored, 2-run double, single. AVG: .206

Game 8, April 17: 1-5, leadoff single, stolen base, run scored, RBI, fielder's choice, run scored. AVG: .205
^^this is the game in which Michael tweaked his right wrist sliding^^

April 18: not in lineup

Game 9, April 19: 1-4, single, intentional walk. AVG: .209

Game 10, April 20: 1-4, walk, double. AVG: .213

Game 11, April 21: 1-5, single, run scored. AVG: .212
**Michael had a 7-game hitting streak until...

Game 12, April 22: 0-4. AVG: .196

Game 13, April 24: did not start due to sore wrist. defensive sub for 8th and 9th innings. no ABs.

Game 14, April 25: 1-4, single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .200

Game 15, April 26: 1-4, drag bunt single, run scored, walk. AVG: .203

Game 16, April 27: 3-5, leadoff single, single, caught stealing, RBI double, run scored. AVG: .232

Game 17, April 28: 1-4, leadoff double. AVG: .233

Game 18, April 29: 2-3, leadoff single, walk, run scored, single. AVG: .250


because people love to look at the numbers and make a snap decision about a player's performance, Michael finishing the month with a .250 batting average is not going to be very attractive to many fans. but he's definitely moving in the right direction. it's a shame he had the slow start because he still has a bit of a hill to climb to get that average back up to a respectable number, but i believe he can and will. and i anticipate a very good May from him.

my only fear at the moment is that his wrist will hinder him. it's just odd to me that he had surgery on August 31, 2011, and then sliding into a base in April can tweak his wrist. i really hope it's not going to linger and be a problem all season. hopefully wearing that big wrist guard every time he bats will be effective in keeping his wrist safe from harm. stay tuned...

Brantley's 2012 Spring Training #s and My Expectations

Brantley's 2012 Spring Training #s are as follows:
 
batting average: .286

OBP: .367

SLG: .571

OPS: .939


Michael played in 16 spring training games. he missed a week with a tight right hamstring. because of this, his numbers resulted from only 42 at bats, a low for him in ST.

he did however have:

2 home runs, his first ever in ST

7 RBIs

4 doubles

1 triple

6 walks

6 strikeouts

0 stolen bases and was caught stealing once. had he not had the hamstring injury, i imagine he would have attempted to steal more.

he also scored 5 runs.


his offseason routine was altered due to him still recovering from his August 31, 2011 hamate surgery. normally he would have worked with his father taking swings every day, and he had to really cut that back to ensure his recovery would be 100% and that he'd be ready to go for the 2012 season. all things considered, i think he still fared well in Spring Training this year.


here are my game-by-game notes and numbers.

1st game: 2-3, leadoff double, run scored. AVG: .666

2nd game: 1-3, leadoff triple, run scored. AVG: .500

3rd game: 3-4, leadoff single, run scored, single, RBI double. AVG: .600

4th game: 0-2, walk. AVG: .500

5th game: 0-1, RBI sac fly, walk. AVG: .462

6th game: 0-3. AVG: .375

7th game: 0-1, leadoff walk, caught stealing, walk. AVG: .353

8th game: 1-4, 2-run double. AVG: .333

9th game: 0-3. AVG: .292

10th game: 0-1. left game with tight hamstring. AVG: .280

11th game: 1-2, single. AVG: .296

12th game: 1-3, home run. AVG: .300

13th game: 0-2, walk. AVG: .281

14th game: 2-4, leadoff home run, double. AVG: .306

15th game: 0-3, walk, fielder's choice RBI. AVG: .282

16th game: 1-3, single. AVG: .286

Brantley also had an RBI in the game the Indians played against the Mudcats.


my expectations for Brantley, assuming he stays healthy and plays a full season, are that he maintain a batting average between .280-290. will that be enough for Tribe fans to be content with his production and not consider him a mediocre player? i think he's got a chance to hit 10-12 home runs this year and drive in 50-60 runs. i love him in the leadoff spot and think he will get on base and set the table plenty. i wanna see him steal around 20 bases, because i believe he can. i also expect to get his autograph on my baseball card this year too lol


my prediction for the Tribe's 2012 season, assuming everyone plays to the max of their abilities and we don't get hit with too many major injuries, is we go 84-78. yeah, that seems high, i know. but you won't see me going into the season being negative, i don't operate that way. last year i said we'd finish 82-80, and we were 80-82.

what can make a difference this year that we didn't have last year:

--a full season with Kipnis in the lineup

--not losing Brantley for most of August and all of September

--Choo getting back to his normal Choo self

--improved defense at 1st base and possibly a better batting average coming from there as well

if we can get a decent left fielder at some point, and if Jimenez can pitch somewhat respectably, i think we can improve from last season. will that be enough to win our division though? probably not. will it be good enough for the 2nd wild card spot? here's hoping. i'm all in for 162 regardless and i'm very excited that the season is about to get started again. LET'S GO TRIBE!