Brantley's September 2013 #s

knowing how the last 2 seasons have ended for Michael, i desperately wanted the end of 2013 to be different. i didn't want him to miss any unnecessary games, and i wanted him to finish the year out strong. when he started September on a 5-game hitting streak and extended that to 8 games, i felt fairly confident that i would get my wish. however, soon after this, he was inconsistently up-and-down again and the doubts crept in. he left the team for 3 days for the birth of his child in Florida and when he came back, he looked very lost at the plate. his momentum and focus were gone and i feared the worst as i watched his numbers go down.

thankfully, Michael's troubles didn't last long. something started to click for him around September 16 and he became almost unstoppable. Michael got insanely hot and went on an 11-game hitting streak. he worked very hard to get his batting average up from .273 to .284 this month and he annihilated his .233 August batting average with his American League 3rd best .345 September batting average. yes, Michael ended this year going 0-for-11, but he did well enough during his hitting streak to finish with a more respectable batting average and on base percentage. Michael got back to where i thought he should have been all along, set new career highs in home runs and RBI for himself, and accomplished some things that haven't been done with the Tribe in over half a century.

unfortunately for me and my blog break downs, Michael once again bat in several different spots in the lineup this month. he had been batting 5th against righties and 7th against lefties regularly, but at some point Tito started batting him 8th against lefties and put Gomes ahead of him. Michael also came in to pinch hit one game in the 3 hole. something that actually thrilled me, on the other hand, was that when Bourn had a wrist issue and was out for a few games towards the end of the month, Michael was back to leading off regardless of the opposition's starting pitcher.

"Michael's hit everywhere in our order," Francona said on September 27. "i don't think he's hit ninth. he's hit everywhere--probably one through eight. that's been the luxury of him. we can hit him everywhere and it allows us to keep everybody else right where they are. he may not enjoy it, but he handles it. he's hit eighth against some lefties. he's hit first. he's hit fifth more often than not, just because he's such good protection for those guys in the middle. he's a professional. he can hit anywhere. he's just a good hitter."

that is some high praise, but i have to correct Francona. anyone who's been following my blogs knows that Michael has in fact hit 9th. he hasn't started 9th, but he has hit there before. he was subbed into one game as a left fielder and then went up to bat in the 9 hole. furthermore, Michael pinch hit for a pitcher in that 9th spot one time this season during a game in a National League park. i also think it's telling that Francona finally hinted at Michael not exactly being pleased about the constant BOP movement. i've said that many times before. everyone is just lucky that the batting order doesn't seem to phase Michael. although, if he'd been worse at it, maybe he'd end up with a more stable spot in the lineup...

on September 27, Michael was asked if he liked leading off. he smiled and said, "it doesn't make a difference. i just want to do the best i can for my team in any situation. the game of baseball is so tricky. the game of baseball throws you so many curves that you've just got to be ready to handle anything." his smile tells me everything i already knew, and that is yes, he would much rather be the leadoff man because that's what he was in the minors and that's the player the Indians told him he was being groomed to become.

when asked about his approach when leading off, Michael said he doesn't approach anything differently. "after the first AB, no. the first AB, the object of the game is to get on base. after that, the game dictates how everything else is going to play out--whether you're going to drive somebody in, or whether you have to get back on base again for your teammates."

Michael had a hit in 16 of the 22 games he played in in September and reached base safely in 16 games, 11 straight during the streak. throughout Michael's 11-game hitting streak from September 11-27, he bat .467 (21-for-45) with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 6 runs scored, 2 walks and 2 stolen bases. "the balls that i'm hitting hard are finding holes," he said of his hot streak. "and the balls i'm hitting okay are still finding a hole. it's just good placement, along with good hitting. any time that happens, it's going to be successful for anybody."

his hot streak this month helped push Michael back to finishing the season with the highest batting average on the team, beating out Kipnis by a mere 5 ten thousandths of a point. Michael hit .375 (45-for-120) with runners in scoring position, good for the 3rd highest batting average in the American League. he also hit .364 (24-for-66) with two outs and runners in scoring position. as was the case last month, both of these RISP numbers were the highest on the Tribe. additionally, Michael ended the year hitting .338 (27-for-80) in a 1-2 count. he more than lived up to his "Clutch" moniker.

also of note is that Michael ended 2013 batting .276 (48-for-174) against lefties and .288 (110-for-382) against righties, both very good numbers for a left-handed hitter. "i've never worried whether the pitcher's right-handed or left-handed," he said. "as soon as you do that, you're in trouble. the pitcher's got to throw it over the white part of the plate, regardless."

now i want to get into the big events of the month. on September 6, Michael was a late scratch and news broke that his wife was going into labor. i was aware of her pregnancy, but when i saw her on July 27, she didn't look anywhere near ready to pop. so i was completely taken aback that Michael would have to miss time during the season and i was upset about it. prior to this day, he had just been getting on track and was on an 8-game hitting streak. it looked like things were coming around for him and he was back to his old self. he missed 3 games for the birth, the entire NY Mets series, which angered me because so many players were getting lots of hits off the Mets' pitchers and i kept thinking about how Michael's batting average and hitting streak could have grown had he been here.

another thing that i did not care for at all is how his wife was in Florida giving birth. if she stayed in Ohio, he probably could have at least played one game, if not two, in the series. don't get me started on that. i know people will disagree with me about this but i really don't care because where it concerns Michael, i get heated. i don't want him missing any time that could have been prevented, and this little paternity leave resulted in the least amount of games he played in any month this season (none due to injury).

and because the baby was born in Florida, it was safe to assume that his wife and newborn would be staying there for the duration of this season. therefore, i figured Michael would be sad about that, and maybe somewhat distracted. case in point, when he came back on September 9, he reverted back to his struggling ways of August. he wasn't working many counts and some of his at bats looked atrocious. he was playing way below his ability. it appeared as though he just wanted every one of his at bats to be over with as quickly as possible so he could get closer to the end of the season and reunite with his family. his mind seemed everywhere except on baseball and it was so upsetting to me. i won't accuse him of quitting, he was just obviously distracted. "you are not the first baseball player to have a baby and then have to go back to work. figure it out!" i screamed to myself. luckily, he soon did.

on September 11, Michael set a new career high in RBI by recording his 61st and 62nd RBI. it was questionable if he would pass his RBI total from last season because of his offensive struggles from the previous month as well as his ups and downs to start September. but not only did he pass his total, he crushed it, finishing with 73 runs batted in. considering some of his new teammates' abilities to get on base frequently, along with him being almost automatic at the plate with runners in scoring position, it should have been inevitable that he would reach more than 60 this season, and his hot streak to end the year really helped him out there.

on September 13, Michael recorded his 57th strikeout of the year, officially giving him a higher strikeout total in 2013 than 2012. after that, he continued adding to his strikeout total. i was really hoping he could keep his strikeout number around 50 for the year. i know that's incredibly hard to do, even when you are a good contact hitter like Michael. but seeing that did make me a little sad. his BB:SO ratio isn't quite where i would have liked it to be either (and i will discuss that further--and more--in a future wrap up blog). however, his strikeout total is still way lower than most of the other guys on the team so that has to count for something.

on September 21, Michael hit his 9th home run of the season, adding to his career high HR total. then on September 24, he hit his 10th home run of the season, a 410-footer to deep right at Progressive Field. these 2 home runs took place within a span of 4 days and just 3 games. it was also revealed on September 24 that Michael was playing through a head cold. "Tribe fans wouldn't have it if i called off sick, now would they?'" Michael said with a chuckle. "i'm good to go." i'll say he was lol

on September 26, Michael recorded his 4th straight 3-hit game. this streak began once he started using a bat from Carlos Santana. oddly enough, once that bat broke, the streak and his multi-hit games ended lol of course, he would give no credit to the bat. "absolutely not," Michael laughed. "i just picked it up. it felt good in my hands. it was just sitting there. so i started swinging it and i said, 'oh, that feels good, i'll start using it.' sometimes you've just got to try it out. every now and then you need a change."

Michael's 2+ hits and 1+ RBI in 4 straight games is a career best streak for him. it's also the longest streak by an Indians hitter since Ryan Garko had 5 in a row in July 2007. no Cleveland hitter has had 3+ hits in 4 straight games since Kenny Lofton did it in 1995. Michael's streak of 4 straight games with at least 3 hits and 1 RBI is only the 4th by an Indians hitter (dating back to 1916) and ties a club record. no one else has done it since Minnie Minoso in 1959. the previous 2 Indians to accomplish this are Ken Keltner in 1939 and Joe Vosmik in 1935.

Michael is only the second player in the major leagues to have 3 hits and at least 1 RBI in 4 straight games this season. the first to do it was New York Yankee Alfonso Soriano from August 13-16. Michael is now the 5th major league player to have 4 straight games of 3+ hits and 1+ RBI since 2000. besides Soriano, the others are Magglio Ordonez and Cody Ross both in 2008, and Johnny Damon in 2006. the major league record (since 1916) is 5 straight games of 3+ hits and 1+ RBI, dating back to 1936 and held by Gee Walker.

add another month of errorless defense in left field to Michael's resume, and that keeps his fielding percentage at a perfect 1.000 for the season, highest on the team out of the regular players. he recorded 38 putouts in September, but no more outfield assists. i think that's because less players are attempting to run on him. word is finally spreading around the league that he has a great arm and guys don't want to chance being thrown out by him. #respect

Michael also stretched his career high and club record to 245 consecutive games in the outfield without an error. i have faith that this number will continue to increase next season. make it untouchable, Michael! among left fielders with at least 70 starts, Michael is now the only player with zero errors, because Kansas City's Alex Gordon and Baltimore's Nate McLouth finally recorded 1 error each in September. there are only 4 outfielders in the majors with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and of those 4, Michael has the most assists.

Michael's 11 assists for the season are a career high and the 3rd most for left fielders in the American League. Alex Gordon finished with 17 and Chicago's Dayan Viciedo had 12. Gordon actually topped all AL outfielders with his assists, and finishes as the major league leader. same as last month, Michael's 11 assists are the most by an Indians outfielder since Shin-Soo Choo recorded 14 in 2010. in addition, he remains tied in the Tribe record books with Albert Belle, who had 11 assists in 1996, for the most assists in one season by an Indians left fielder.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his September #s, the 5th spot #s, the 7th spot #s, the PH #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 8th spot #s, the #s of everything not leadoff combined, the leadoff #s, as well as the left field #s, overall left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


September batting average: .345 (3rd highest in the AL)

OBP: .364

SLG: .464

OPS: .828


Michael played in 22 (of 27) games in September. he started and played left field in 21 games and he came in to PH in late innings in 1 game. after he PH'd, he remained in that game as the left fielder and played a total of 3 innings in left field. he also had an additional plate appearance and at bat in the game that he did not start. he missed 3 games due to the birth of his child, had 2 complete games off, and did not play any center field this month.


Michael bat 5th in 11 games.

Michael bat 7th in 4 games.

Michael bat 3rd in 1 game. (PH/defensive sub: 3 innings)

Michael bat 8th in 3 games.

Michael bat leadoff in 3 games. (Bourn out with wrist injury.)


Michael played left field in all 22 games.

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael played in 21 complete games.


in September, Michael had a total of 89 plate appearances and 84 at bats. here is how he fared:

29 hits

23 singles

4 doubles

2 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

8 runs scored

3 walks

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

1 sac bunt

14 strikeouts

9 first at bat hits


33 left on base

38 putouts

190 innings, 22 games

September batting average: .345 (29-84) (22 games)


now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.


when Michael bat 5th in September, he had a total of 44 plate appearances and 42 at bats in 11 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

12 hits

9 singles

2 doubles

1 home run

6 RBI

3 runs scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

1 sac bunt

8 strikeouts

4 first at bat hits


18 left on base

24 putouts

98 innings, 11 games

September batting average in the 5th spot: .286 (12-42) (11 games)
September batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .286 (12-42) (11 games)


overall batting average in the 5th spot: .259 (59-228) (62 games) (553 innings)
overall batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .259 (59-228) (62 games) (553 innings)


when Michael bat 7th in September, he had a total of 16 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

2 singles

1 RBI

1 sac fly

1 walk

1 caught stealing

4 strikeouts

1 first at bat hit


10 left on base

1 putout

36 innings, 4 games

September batting average in the 7th spot: .143 (2-14) (4 games)
September batting average in the 7th spot while playing left: .143 (2-14) (4 games)

overall batting average in the 7th spot: .240 (24-100) (29 games) (248.1 innings)
overall batting average in the 7th spot while playing left: .232 (23-99) (29 games) (248.1 innings)
overall batting average as a PH in the 7th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (2 games)


when Michael bat 3rd in September, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits


3 putouts

3 innings, 1 game

September batting average in the 3rd spot: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
September batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .000 (0-1) (1 game)

overall batting average in the 3rd spot: .353 (6-17) (5 games) (38 innings)
overall batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .375 (6-16) (5 games) (38 innings)


when Michael bat 3rd, he was the PH in September for 1 game. he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits


1 game

September batting average as a PH in the 3rd spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)

overall batting average as a PH in the 3rd spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael came in to PH in September, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits


1 game

September batting average as a PH: .000 (0-1) (1 game)

overall batting average as a PH: .333 (1-3) (4 games)


when Michael bat 8th in September, he had a total of 11 plate appearances and 11 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

8 hits

6 singles

1 double

1 home run

4 RBI

4 runs scored

1 stolen base

1 strikeout

3 first at bat hits


2 left on base

4 putouts

26 innings, 3 games

September batting average in the 8th spot: .727 (8-11) (3 games)
September batting average in the 8th spot while playing left: .727 (8-11) (3 games)

overall batting average in the 8th spot: .455 (15-33) (10 games) (80 innings)
overall batting average in the 8th spot while playing left: .455 (15-33) (10 games) (80 innings)


when Michael was not leading off in September, he had a total of 73 plate appearances and 69 at bats in 19 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

22 hits

17 singles

3 doubles

2 home runs

11 RBI

1 sac fly

7 runs scored

2 walks

2 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

1 sac bunt

13 strikeouts

8 first at bat hits


30 left on base

32 putouts

163 innings, 19 games

September batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .319 (22-69) (19 games)
September batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .324 (22-68) (19 games)

overall batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .274 (122-446) (126 games) (1074.1 innings)
overall batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .273 (121-443) (126 games) (1074.1 innings)


when Michael led off in September, he had a total of 16 plate appearances and 15 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

6 singles

1 double

3 RBI

1 run scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

1 strikeout

1 leadoff/first at bat hit


3 left on base

6 putouts

27 innings, 3 games

September batting average in the leadoff spot: .467 (7-15) (3 games)
September batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left: .467 (7-15) (3 games)

overall batting average in the leadoff spot: .327 (36-110) (25 games) (223 innings)
overall batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left: .330 (36-109) (25 games) (219 innings)
overall batting average in the leadoff spot while playing center: .000 (0-1) (1 game) (4 innings)


now let's break down his numbers based on where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in September, he had a total of 88 plate appearances and 83 at bats in 22 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

29 hits

23 singles

4 doubles

2 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

8 runs scored

3 walks

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

1 sac bunt

14 strikeouts

9 first at bat hits


33 left on base

38 putouts

190 innings, 22 games

(21 complete games)

September batting average while playing left: .349 (29-83) (22 games)

overall batting average while playing left: .284 (157-552) (151 games) (1293.1 innings)



September #s while playing left: 38 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (190 innings, 22 games)

overall #s while playing left: 257 putouts, 11 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (1293.1 innings, 151 games)

overall #s while playing center: 0 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (4 innings, 1 game)

overall #s while playing the outfield: 257 putouts, 11 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (1297.1 innings, 151 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Michael started the month on a 5-game hitting streak.

Game 130/Game 1, September 1: 1-3, single, stolen base, walk, run scored. AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 131/Game 2, September 2: 3-4, single (first at bat), single, double. AVG: .278
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 132/Game 3, September 3: 1-3, sac bunt, double, run scored. AVG: .278
(5th/LF/CG)
^^Michael's 8-game hitting streak ends.^^

September 4: not in lineup.

September 6: late scratch, headed to FL for birth of his baby.
(5th/LF)

September 7: still in Florida.

September 8: baby born last night, expected back tomorrow.

Game 133/Game 4, September 9: 0-3. AVG: .276
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 134/Game 5, September 10: 2-4, RBI single (first at bat), single. AVG: .278
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 135/Game 6, September 11: 1-4, 2-run single. AVG: .278
(5th/LF/CG)

September 12: not in lineup.

Game 136/Game 7, September 13: 0-3, RBI sac fly. AVG: .276
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 137/Game 8, September 14: 0-5. AVG: .273
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 138/Game 9, September 15: 0-2. AVG: .272
(3rd/PH-LF/3 innings)
^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the top of the 7th inning. then he stayed in the game as a defensive substitution for the bottom of the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. he had 1 other official at bat during that time.^^

Game 139/Game 10, September 16: 2-4, single, single. AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 140/Game 11, September 17: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 141/Game 12, September 18: 2-3, double (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .276
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 142/Game 13, September 19: 1-4, single, walk, caught stealing. AVG: .276
(7th/LF/CG11)

Game 143/Game 14, September 20: 1-3, single (first at bat), reached on force attempt/fielding error. AVG: .276
(7th/LF/CG7)

Game 144/Game 15, September 21: 1-4, 2-run home run (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .276
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 145/Game 16, September 22: 3-4, single (first at bat), RBI single, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .280
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 146/Game 17, September 24: 3-4, RBI single (first at bat), home run, run scored, single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .283
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 147/Game 18, September 25: 3-5, single (first at bat), RBI single, stolen base, double, run scored. AVG: .286
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 148/Game 19, September 26: 3-5, single, RBI single, RBI single. AVG: .289
(leadoff/LF/CF)

Game 149/Game 20, September 27: 1-5, single, walk. AVG: .288
(leadoff/LF/CG)
^^Michael's 11-game hitting streak ends.^^

Game 150/Game 21, September 28: 0-4. AVG: .286
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 151/Game 22, September 29: 0-4. AVG: .284
(7th/LF/CG)



in 2013, Michael had a total of 611 plate appearances and 556 at bats in 151 games (1297.1 innings). in total, he had 158 hits, 119 singles, 26 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs, 73 RBI, 8 sac flies, 66 runs scored, 40 walks, 1 intentional walk, 4 hit by pitches, 17 stolen bases, 4 caught stealing, 3 sac bunts, 67 strikeouts, 42 first at bat hits, 222 left on base, 257 putouts, 11 assists, and 1 double play.

2013 batting average: .284 (158-556)

OBP: .332

SLG: .396

OPS: .728



just like last year, i have several more blogs planned, including Michael's 2nd half numbers, all of Michael's game-by-game #s and notes, and all of Michael's total #s according to where he hit in the lineup. i will also be writing about his postseason numbers, series by series, as far as the Indians make it. once the postseason is over, i will blog my thoughts on Michael's 2013 season and compare it to his 2012 season. i also want to write a wrap up blog including how my preseason 2013 Tribe expectations did or did not come to fruition along with other thoughts on the year, and a blog with my hopes for the 2014 season. i may throw in another surprise blog or 2 along the way. so keep an eye out.