to avoid monotony, i have stepped up my game yet again as far as Brantley documentation goes this season. i have added righty vs. lefty pitcher details in my notebook, as well as outs when he comes to the plate. i've also included his at bats with runners in scoring position and his 2 out hits. last year, i kept track of some of these numbers in a Word document only. this year, i thought it would be better to just add the stats to my notebook.
one other thing i must note: i "watched" all the spring training games on my gameday. however, this season i did not have audio for every game. for the first time, some spring games were broadcast on Cleveland FM stations, which i had no way of hearing. also, a couple games that were supposed to be free webcasts online during the week ended up not being free. sadly for me, that resulted in an inability to record the pitch count for every at bat Michael had. gameday was not specific in that regard, and so with no audio i was SOL. i did the absolute best i could with the spring details, and anything that did not get documented was not my fault.
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his ST #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 5th spot #s, the 4th spot #s, the leadoff #s, the 6th spot #s, and the #s of everything not leadoff combined, as well as the left field #s, the center field #s, and the overall outfield #s.
Brantley's 2014 Spring Training #s are as follows:
batting average: .500
OBP: .552
SLG: .740
OPS: 1.292
Michael played in 18 (of 31*) games in spring training. he started and played left in 15 games, and he started and played center in 3 games. he did not play in 13 games due to just not being in Tito's lineup.
Michael had a hit in 13 of the 18 games he played and reached base in 15 games. he had a 7-game hitting streak and reached base in 8 straight games at one point. he bat .500 (18-for-36) against right-handed pitchers and .500 (7-for-14) against left-handed pitchers. consistent much? lol
Michael hit .471 (8-for-17) with runners in scoring position. he also hit 1.000 (2-for-2) with no outs and runners in scoring position, .375 (3-for-8) with 1 out and RISP, and .429 (3-for-7) with 2 outs and RISP. he finished with a team high 14 RBI. additionally, Michael hit .688 (11-for-16) with 2 outs.
Michael also finished with the spring with the highest batting average not only on the Indians, but out of every player in the league in spring training. his OBP was also the highest of all spring training players, while his OPS was the 2nd highest, and his SLG was 7th highest.
*on 1 day in spring, there was a split squad, where the team played 2 games at the same time. clearly Michael could not play in both games, so if you wanna get technical, he really only had an opportunity to play in 30 of the 31 spring games.
Michael bat 3rd in 1 game.
Michael bat 5th in 12 games.
Michael bat 4th in 3 games.
Michael led off 1 game.
Michael bat 6th in 1 game.
Michael played left in 15 games.
Michael played center in 3 games.
in ST, Michael had a total of 58 plate appearances and 50 at bats. here is how he fared:
25 hits
15 singles
8 doubles
2 triples
14 RBI
1 sac fly
7 runs scored
5 walks
2 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
1 GIDP
2 strikeouts (looking)
5 first at bat hits
37 total bases
14 left on base
21 putouts
94 innings
ST batting average: .500 (25-50) (18 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 3rd in ST, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
0 hits
1 walk
1 left on base
2 innings
ST batting average in the 3rd spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
ST batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
when Michael bat 5th in ST, he had a total of 41 plate appearances and 35 at bats in 12 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
22 hits
12 singles
8 doubles
2 triples
13 RBI
1 sac fly
6 runs scored
3 walks
2 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
1 GIDP
1 strikeout (looking)
5 first at bat hits
34 total bases
7 left on base
17 putouts
67 innings
ST batting average in the 5th spot: .629 (22-35) (12 games)
when Michael bat 5th and played left in ST, he had a total of 35 plate appearances and 31 at bats in 10 games.
19 hits
10 singles
8 doubles
1 triple
11 RBI
1 sac fly
6 runs scored
1 walk
2 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
1 GIDP
1 strikeout (looking)
3 first at bat hits
29 total bases
5 left on base
15 putouts
56 innings
ST batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .613 (19-31) (10 games)
when Michael bat 5th and played center in ST, he had a total of 6 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 2 games.
3 hits
2 singles
1 triple
2 RBI
2 walks
2 first at bat hits
5 total bases
2 left on base
2 putouts
11 innings
ST batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .750 (3-4) (2 games)
when Michael bat 4th in ST, he had a total of 9 plate appearances and 8 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 RBI
1 walk
1 total base
5 left on base
1 putout
16 innings
ST batting average in the 4th spot: .125 (1-8) (3 games)
ST batting average in the 4th spot while playing left: .125 (1-8) (3 games)
when Michael bat 6th in ST, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
0 hits
2 putouts
4 innings
ST batting average in the 6th spot: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
ST batting average in the 6th spot while playing center: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
when Michael was not leading off in ST, he had a total of 54 plate appearances and 46 at bats in 17 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
23 hits
13 singles
8 doubles
2 triples
14 RBI
1 sac fly
6 runs scored
5 walks
2 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
1 GIDP
1 strikeout (looking)
5 first at bat hits
35 total bases
13 left on base
20 putouts
89 innings
ST batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .500 (23-46) (17 games)
when Michael was not leading off and played left in ST, he had a total of 46 plate appearances and 40 at bats in 14 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
20 hits
11 singles
8 doubles
1 triple
12 RBI
1 sac fly
6 runs scored
3 walks
2 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
1 GIDP
1 strikeout (looking)
3 first at bat hits
30 total bases
11 left on base
16 putouts
74 innings
ST batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .500 (20-40) (14 games)
when Michael was not leading off and played center in ST, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 6 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
3 hits
2 singles
1 triple
2 RBI
2 walks
2 first at bat hits
5 total bases
2 left on base
4 putouts
15 innings
ST batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing center: .500 (3-6) (3 games)
when Michael bat leadoff in ST, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
2 hits
2 singles
1 run scored
1 strikeout (looking)
2 total bases
1 left on base
1 putout
5 innings
ST batting average in the leadoff spot: .500 (2-4) (1 game)
ST batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left: .500 (2-4) (1 game)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left in ST, he had a total of 50 plate appearances and 44 at bats in 15 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
22 hits
13 singles
8 doubles
1 triple
12 RBI
1 sac fly
7 runs scored
3 walks
2 hit by pitches
1 stolen base
1 GIDP
2 strikeouts (looking)
3 first at bat hits
32 total bases
12 left on base
17 putouts
79 innings
ST batting average while playing left: .500 (22-44) (15 games)
when Michael played center in ST, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 6 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
3 hits
2 singles
1 triple
2 RBI
2 walks
2 first at bat hits
5 total bases
2 left on base
4 putouts
15 innings
ST batting average while playing center: .500 (3-6) (3 games)
other ST #s while playing left: 17 putouts, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (79 innings, 15 games)
other ST #s while playing center: 4 putouts, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (15 innings, 3 games)
overall ST #s while playing the outfield: 21 putouts, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (94 innings, 18 games)
here are my game-by-game notes and numbers for Brantley's Spring Training 2014.
February 26: not in lineup.
Game 1, February 27: 0-1, walk. AVG: .000
[3rd/LF/2 innings]
February 28: not in lineup.
March 1: game rained out.
[3rd/LF]
Game 2, March 2: 3-3, single (first at bat), single, stolen base, single. AVG: .750
[5th/LF/5 i]
March 3: not in lineup.
Game 3, March 4: 0-3. AVG: .429
[5th/LF/5 i]
March 5: not in lineup.
Game 4, March 6: 1-2, double (first at bat), hit by pitch. AVG: .444
[5th/LF/6 i]
March 7: not in lineup.
Game 5, March 8: 4-4, RBI single (first at bat), single, double, double. AVG: .615
[5th/LF/7 i]
March 9: not in lineup.
Game 6, March 10: 1-2, RBI sac fly (first at bat), single. AVG: .600
[5th/LF/5 i]
Game 7, March 11: 1-3, RBI single. AVG: .556
[4th/LF/5 i]
March 12: not in lineup.
Game 8, March 13: 1-3, single. AVG: .524
[5th/LF/6 i]
Game 9, March 14: 0-3. AVG: .458
[4th/LF/5 i]
March 15: not in lineup.
Game 10, March 16 (split squad): 0-2, walk. AVG: .423
[4th/LF/6 i]
March 17: not in lineup.
Game 11, March 18: 3-4, RBI double, run scored, double, run scored, double. AVG: .467
[5th/LF/6 i]
March 19: not in lineup.
Game 12, March 21: 3-4, RBI single, run scored, single, 2-run double. AVG: .500
[5th/LF/5 i]
Game 13, March 22: 2-4, RBI double, 2-run triple. AVG: .500
[5th/LF/7 i]
March 23: not in lineup.
Game 14, March 24: 2-4, single, run scored, single. AVG: .500
[leadoff/LF/5 i]
Game 15, March 25: 1-2, single (first at bat), walk. AVG: .500
[5th/CF/7 i]
Game 16, March 26: 2-2, 2-run triple (first at bat), single, walk. AVG: .522
[5th/CF/4 i]
March 27: late lineup change, given day off.
[6th/LF]
Game 17, March 28: 1-2, RBI hit by pitch (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, run scored, walk, run scored. AVG: .521
[5th/LF/4 i]
**Michael's 7-game hitting streak ends**
Game 18, March 29: 0-2. AVG: .500
[6th/CF/4 i]
for the first time in 2 years, Michael did not have to spend his offseason recovering from an injury. therefore, he was able to keep his ideal offseason routine as far as preparation and training for the upcoming season went. as a result, he had a scorching hot spring. i mean, how many players typically hit .500 after 50 at bats in spring? i couldn't be happier. (the only thing i could complain about is all the number of games Tito decided to give Michael off. normally he plays more spring games but oh well.) a big highlight for me was that he only had 2 strikeouts. he was very consistent--he bat .500 in almost every category i broke down lol--and his swing looked smooth as usual. it looked like he just picked up right where he left off at the end of last year. one could argue he was ready for the season to begin weeks before March 31.
Michael bat in 5 different spots in the order this spring. he had his best numbers in the 5th and leadoff spots during camp. while it's not necessarily fair to draw conclusions from BOP in spring training because the sample size is very small, it's completely unwarranted to say Michael can't bat 3rd, 4th, or 6th just because he didn't put up good numbers in the combined 5 games he hit there. Michael has proven in the past that he's more than capable to bat in every spot in the lineup. however, it's been speculated he will spend most of his time batting 5th this year, like he did in spring, though that may not be the case at the start of the season.
after it was revealed that Michael Bourn would be opening the season on the disabled list, Brantley was inserted into the leadoff spot for one game in spring. however, it doesn't appear as though Tito wants Brantley to lead off while Bourn is out during the regular season. he really likes Brantley to bat in the middle of the order, where he did exceptionally well last season.
also due to Bourn's injury, Brantley played a few games in center field this spring. even when Bourn returns, it's presumed Brantley will still see some time in center field this year, unlike last year, because we traded away back up CF Drew Stubbs. i expect him to spend the majority of his games this season manning left though.
and speaking of defense, it's important to note that Michael is beginning the season on a 245 errorless game streak. he has not made an error in the outfield since June 3, 2012. this is a current franchise record and i'm very excited to see how much longer he can go without committing any OF errors.
My Predictions/Hopes for Brantley's 2014 Season:
Michael managed to get through last year without injury, so first and foremost i really hope he can replicate that in 2014. as far as all Michael's numbers go, i am probably going to predict and hope for close to everything i wished for him last season. he set several new highs for himself last year, so some categories will be tough to top. considering he's now earning a 5 million dollar paycheck for this season, i imagine he will try extra hard to put up the very best numbers he can. if he can at least maintain around what he did last year, then i'll be happy.
i again want to see Michael get close to a .300 batting average. of course i'll settle with a BA between .295-.300 lol i continue to have the utmost confidence that he can do it. he continues to get better and better every year, and i truly believe this year could finally be the year he accomplishes that. for the past 2 seasons, he's finished with the highest BA on the team. can he do it a third time? i don't know, but it's an obvious call to say he will remain one of our most consistent and clutch hitters.
the next category to predict is home runs. ah, my favorite statistic lol because of Michael's style of play, he does not need to hit for power. he hits his line drives well enough into the ballpark gaps and uses all parts of the field to get on base and get guys home. so despite the fans' complaints that Michael is not a big long ball hitter, that is not important. if he can go yard at least 8 times this year, that's more than fine for him.
assuming Michael has the majority of his at bats in the middle of the order again, he should at least match his RBI total from last year. i'll predict/expect at least 75. as long as the top of the order gets themselves on base so Michael can drive them in, then this is a very realistic prediction.
other numbers i predict for Brantley in 2014:
stolen bases: 22
runs scored: 65
doubles: 40
triples: 5
walks: 50
fielding percentage: .998
so good luck this season, Michael! stay confident, keep doin' what you do, and show 'em what you got =D
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