and to everyone else who viewed my blog last month, whatever your
intentions, i thank you, too. getting more views really does help my blogspot. but
now i have this to say. this is my All Things Brantley, All Things Tribe blog.
you won't find any other content here. if you're not interested in reading
about Michael and the Tribe, simply do not come here. i will not approve any
comments that attack me, or contain any non-Brantley/non-Indians discussions.
if you don't like what i write here, you know where the X button is in your top
right corner. bye Felicia! now back to business.
Michael started the month of July with the best numbers he's ever had because his June was the best June of his career. but something happened after the All Star break, and he went through a mini-slump where it seemed like he couldn't hit anything all the sudden. he just couldn't catch a break when he came to bat with runners in scoring position, against left-handed pitching, and with 2 outs in an inning. Michael played in the All Star game this month, so he didn't get the full break that the other players got, but i don't think you can use that as an excuse. i know he wouldn't. so i can't really explain his struggles. yes, he once again was robbed of several hits due to stellar defense from the opposition, but there was also a short stretch where he didn't have quality at bats (imo). we finally didn't have any interleague games at the end of the month, but the Indians did face 2 tough Seattle pitchers, which didn't help Michael finish the month on a high note. however, he did still rack up some more career highs, mostly (and thankfully) due to his hot start to July.
Michael started the month of July with the best numbers he's ever had because his June was the best June of his career. but something happened after the All Star break, and he went through a mini-slump where it seemed like he couldn't hit anything all the sudden. he just couldn't catch a break when he came to bat with runners in scoring position, against left-handed pitching, and with 2 outs in an inning. Michael played in the All Star game this month, so he didn't get the full break that the other players got, but i don't think you can use that as an excuse. i know he wouldn't. so i can't really explain his struggles. yes, he once again was robbed of several hits due to stellar defense from the opposition, but there was also a short stretch where he didn't have quality at bats (imo). we finally didn't have any interleague games at the end of the month, but the Indians did face 2 tough Seattle pitchers, which didn't help Michael finish the month on a high note. however, he did still rack up some more career highs, mostly (and thankfully) due to his hot start to July.
his
batting average increased yet again, albeit only up by .002 from the end
of last month. but it was almost a tale of 2 Julys. he played very well up to
the All Star break, then hit a snag after. he got his BA all the way up to .329,
and it dipped down as low as .313 before he finished July with a .316
batting average. that currently ranks 5th in the American League, 7th in the
majors, and 2nd among major league outfielders. i tell ya, for a guy
who has never been batting over .300 at this point in the season, to be
able to sustain this is extremely impressive. and if he continues to hit the
way he has been and doesn't fall into any long-term slumps, then he could have a real
shot at the AL batting title. i
never thought i'd be able to say that lol =D
speaking of a batting race, there have been 2 players on the Indians who have excelled in hitting pretty much all year. Michael has led the team in batting average steadily since he got past that April slump. but on July 9, Lonnie Chisenhall finally had enough plate appearances to become a qualifier. Chisenhall had a higher batting average than Michael for most of the year, but it took him 90 games into the season to qualify. Chiz was, as i refer to it, "babied" at the beginning of the season. he only started in games against right-handed pitchers and was removed later when lefties came out of the bullpen. this strategy was carried out by Francona in order to give Chiz confidence. and Chiz did very well against an all righties mound squad. so after a while, Francona gradually allowed Chiz to hit against lefties, and with his newfound confidence, he started doing well against the left-handed pitchers, too. because of this, he was able to retain a batting average in the upper .300s for the majority of the 1st half of the season, before recently coming back down to earth in late-June and July.
speaking of a batting race, there have been 2 players on the Indians who have excelled in hitting pretty much all year. Michael has led the team in batting average steadily since he got past that April slump. but on July 9, Lonnie Chisenhall finally had enough plate appearances to become a qualifier. Chisenhall had a higher batting average than Michael for most of the year, but it took him 90 games into the season to qualify. Chiz was, as i refer to it, "babied" at the beginning of the season. he only started in games against right-handed pitchers and was removed later when lefties came out of the bullpen. this strategy was carried out by Francona in order to give Chiz confidence. and Chiz did very well against an all righties mound squad. so after a while, Francona gradually allowed Chiz to hit against lefties, and with his newfound confidence, he started doing well against the left-handed pitchers, too. because of this, he was able to retain a batting average in the upper .300s for the majority of the 1st half of the season, before recently coming back down to earth in late-June and July.
Chiz passed Michael's batting average on July 11, officially taking the team lead. then they pretty much
went back and forth, trading the lead until the end of the month. (Chiz finished July batting .307, 9 points behind Michael.) this will probably continue
for the rest of the season unless someone gets really hot, goes
really cold, or god forbid gets hurt and misses significant time.
on July 20, Chiz suggested that there should be a friendly wager between himself and Michael about who finishes the year with the highest batting average. before the July 21 game, Michael said a wager hadn't yet been made. "i said this in the past, i don't look at stats. stats are something i look back on at the end of the year. he can play chase or i can play chase, it doesn't really matter to me whatsoever. the only thing that matters at the end of the year is that we go to the postseason." (well don't i feel like a dipshit then for doing all these lengthy break down blogs every month. facepalm lol)
on July 20, Chiz suggested that there should be a friendly wager between himself and Michael about who finishes the year with the highest batting average. before the July 21 game, Michael said a wager hadn't yet been made. "i said this in the past, i don't look at stats. stats are something i look back on at the end of the year. he can play chase or i can play chase, it doesn't really matter to me whatsoever. the only thing that matters at the end of the year is that we go to the postseason." (well don't i feel like a dipshit then for doing all these lengthy break down blogs every month. facepalm lol)
i'm
curious to know what Chiz's average would have been had he played
regularly, like Michael, from the start of the year and faced all the tough
pitchers that Michael had to go against. so while Chiz does have the
2nd highest BA on the team right now, i'm just not sold on it because of the way it was
accomplished. not to mention he's really starting to lose steam, having
dropped 54 points in the last 2 months, while Michael, even through his
struggles, has maintained above average numbers.
similarly to June, Michael again had quite a few loud outs in July. he is not letting up on the gas pedal where that is concerned, as he currently leads the team in line drive outs. still, most of his outs are coming by way of groundouts. he now has 145 grounders vs. 110 flyouts through July, and leads the team in those particular outs as well. so how can it be possible that he leads the team in 3 different types of outs when he has the highest batting average? well that's probably because Michael has a team low in strikeouts. in his 452 plate appearances, he's compiled an 8.4% strikeout rate, also lowest among outfielders in the American League. Michael remains one of the toughest batters to strike out in the AL. he also rates among the best in the majors at hitting pitches in the upper half of the strike zone, and had a hard-hit rate of 22.2% on July 27, ranking him 15th in the majors.
similarly to June, Michael again had quite a few loud outs in July. he is not letting up on the gas pedal where that is concerned, as he currently leads the team in line drive outs. still, most of his outs are coming by way of groundouts. he now has 145 grounders vs. 110 flyouts through July, and leads the team in those particular outs as well. so how can it be possible that he leads the team in 3 different types of outs when he has the highest batting average? well that's probably because Michael has a team low in strikeouts. in his 452 plate appearances, he's compiled an 8.4% strikeout rate, also lowest among outfielders in the American League. Michael remains one of the toughest batters to strike out in the AL. he also rates among the best in the majors at hitting pitches in the upper half of the strike zone, and had a hard-hit rate of 22.2% on July 27, ranking him 15th in the majors.
but
let's go back to Michael's loud outs for a minute. a lot of the outs that occurred
during his slump on the post-All Star break road trip were loud line drive
outs. that's nothing new. even Francona simply said, "good hitters are going to
line out" about it. and Michael was also unphased by his bad luck. "my goal is to keep doing the same thing i'm
doing. i know that stats don't look like that, but i'm happy with the way i'm
swinging the bat. i'm still putting the barrel on the ball consistently,
swinging at good quality strikes, and hitting the ball hard. as long as i
continue to do that, good things are going to continue to happen. if you look
at the stats, it doesn't look like i'm swinging the bat that well. but in my
mind and what i'm doing on film, everything is correct. so i've got to stay
right there."
i'm
sure Michael was also talking to his father about his performance to get his
opinions and advice. i trust what Michael said, that he's looked at film and
doesn't think there's anything that he needs to change right now. so hopefully
the balls he's hitting hard will start finding holes again and some of his stats
will look better soon.
okay now, stop me if you've heard this one. during the July 5 game, Michael Bourn re-injured his hamstring, so (my) Michael was moved over to center field. when Bourn went on the DL the very next day, Michael began seeing regular playing time in center again. (and it sounds as though Michael will continue to play center at least through the beginning of August as well.) on the one hand, i was all for that because i know that the center fielder generally records more putouts in games than the left fielder. not only that, but because the one blemish on Michael's fielding percentage came while he was playing center, the more putouts he can now get as a center fielder, the higher his CF fielding percentage will become.
okay now, stop me if you've heard this one. during the July 5 game, Michael Bourn re-injured his hamstring, so (my) Michael was moved over to center field. when Bourn went on the DL the very next day, Michael began seeing regular playing time in center again. (and it sounds as though Michael will continue to play center at least through the beginning of August as well.) on the one hand, i was all for that because i know that the center fielder generally records more putouts in games than the left fielder. not only that, but because the one blemish on Michael's fielding percentage came while he was playing center, the more putouts he can now get as a center fielder, the higher his CF fielding percentage will become.
but
on the other hand, the one disadvantage of playing center is there are usually
a lot less opportunities for outfield assists. this is mostly because you are getting more
putout chances since you're covering more ground in the outfield. runners are more likely to test a player's arm when the
ball goes into one of the outfield corners as opposed to bloops in center and
balls hit off the center field wall. plus, sometimes it's harder when you're back in the
furthest part of the park/deep center field to get a throw in to the cutoff man in time to nail the runner at 2nd or 3rd base. as a result, Michael did not have any
assists while playing center this month.
Michael
is a great defender whether he's playing left or center, but sometimes when
he's not manning that left field wall, his backups can have some serious
blunders. at one point this month, Tom Hamilton even eluded to how Michael's
defense in left was missed. there's an article written about past Indian left
fielders here, though Meisel left out that one time when Carlos Santana played
left. i remember it because i was there for it.
in
regards to the batting order, Michael again continued to bat 3rd for almost the
whole month. he pinch hit once in the 5th spot on a day he was supposed to have
off and hit a double and scored a run. Kipnis was then promoted to the
leadoff spot once Bourn went on the DL. Kip had his ups and downs, and the
player in the #2 spot seemed to be revolving all month. similarly to last
month, Michael came to bat so many times with 2 outs in the 1st inning because
the first 2 guys couldn't get on base, and if i didn't personally keep track of
this number to know exactly how many times this occurred, i wouldn't be able to
count it. needless to say, this did not help Michael increase his RBI total. in fact, approximately 23%
of his RBIs this month came from the 3 solo home runs he hit.
you
know what else didn't help him acquire more RBIs? all the times that Michael
would come to bat with runners on base when he couldn't manage to get a hit. as i
mentioned above, he was struggling for a significant stretch almost immediately
after the All Star break and then had to bat so much with 2 outs in an inning.
consequently, his numbers in this category dropped substantially, but because
they were higher prior to July, the overall numbers are still respectable. he
did miss out on a lot of RBIs though.
if i had to pinpoint one more reason for his missed RBI opportunities, it would have to be his continued aggressive hitting. and it looks like that's here to
stay. Michael's having a lot of quick at bats. sometimes he gets on base, sometimes he doesn't. and although this continues to irk me because i'd much prefer
him to work the count, i'm not going to question him because he knows pitches
better than i do. but where his left-handed hitting, 2-out hitting, and RISP
with 2 outs numbers are concerned, i wanna see improved and more quality at
bats so he can get those numbers back up to where i believe they should be, and drive in those runners when they're on base waiting for him. i know he can do it.
Michael had a hit in 18 of the 26 games he played in July and reached base safely in 23 games. Michael reached base in 11 straight games from July 1-12. he had 8 0-fers this month, including 4 in 5 games from July 20-24. however, he did still safely reach base in 5 of the 8 games he went hitless in.
Michael had a hit in 18 of the 26 games he played in July and reached base safely in 23 games. Michael reached base in 11 straight games from July 1-12. he had 8 0-fers this month, including 4 in 5 games from July 20-24. however, he did still safely reach base in 5 of the 8 games he went hitless in.
Michael had a 9-game hitting streak this month from July 4-12. during his streak, he bat .436 (17-for-39) with 17 hits, 5 for extra bases. he hit 2 doubles and 3 home runs, giving him 28 total bases. he had 9 RBI, 1 sac fly, 7 runs, 1 walk, 2 GIDP and only 2 strikeouts. his OBP was .439, his SLG was .718, and his OPS was 1.157.
Michael
had 5-straight
multi-hit games from July 4-8, his second such streak of the season.
during this streak, he bat .571 (12-for-21) with 12 hits and 20 total bases. he
hit 2 doubles and 2 home runs, giving him 4 extra base hits. he also had 6 RBI,
3 runs, and 0 strikeouts. his OBP was .571, his SLG was .952, and his OPS was
1.524. the last Cleveland Indian to have two 5 multi-hit game streaks was
Omar Vizquel in 1999, so Michael's in some good company right there. almost as if déjà vu though, this streak ended on July 9 after Michael got hit
in the head running to 2nd base on a throwing error by Yankee 1st baseman Mark Teixeira. and while
Michael did not leave the game this time, he oddly could not record another hit in 6 further plate appearances.
Michael is now batting .344 (95-for-276) against right-handed
pitchers and .256 (33-for-129) against left-handed
pitchers. his average against righties increased once again, but it was
struggle city against the lefties for Michael this month and that overall BA
went down 31 points. you can continue to make the argument that he faces way
more right-handed pitchers than left, but still, at some point he needs to hit
more consistently against those lefties. and the fact that he's doing so
outstanding this season against righties only makes the BA against lefties look
worse. nevertheless, i remain confident that he will do better in the
final 2 months of the season.
Michael's batting .354 (68-for-192) at home, with
40 RBI and .282 (60-for-213) on the road. his home BA ranks near the top
in all of the American League. he's been very consistent with his road hitting as
well to keep that BA almost identical to what it was at the end of last month. and i know his home and
road BAs seem very far apart, but i can't complain. he seems to be on a serious
tear when he's in his own backyard, which is great. but get rid of that and just
look at the road BA for a second. i think you have to be satisfied with it
because that's still very good. some players are batting a lot worse than that.
Michael continues to put up good numbers when the team needs him. he's now batting .344 (33-for-96) with runners in scoring position, totaling 50 RBI, which is yet another increase from the end of last month. he's also hitting .353 (6-for-17) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, an increased .421 (16-for-38) with 1 out and RISP, and an improved .268 (11-for-41) with 2 outs and RISP and 17 RBI. Michael is batting .346 (56-for-162) with 54 RBI with runners on base, and .545 (6-for-11) with 17 RBI when the bases are loaded. he had a lot of at bats with 2 outs again this month, and he's now down to batting .273 (39-for-143) with 23 RBI with 2 outs in an inning.
Michael hit 3 more (solo) home runs in July. add that to the new career high he set last month, and he now has 15 homers total. but it wasn't enough to hold onto the team lead, as he's now 2nd in home runs. (i go into more detail about this further down in the blog.) on a happier note, Michael has now tied his father's career high home run total of 15. with 2 months to go, he is assuredly going to become the new Brantley in the family with the most home runs hit in one season.
Michael continues to put up good numbers when the team needs him. he's now batting .344 (33-for-96) with runners in scoring position, totaling 50 RBI, which is yet another increase from the end of last month. he's also hitting .353 (6-for-17) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, an increased .421 (16-for-38) with 1 out and RISP, and an improved .268 (11-for-41) with 2 outs and RISP and 17 RBI. Michael is batting .346 (56-for-162) with 54 RBI with runners on base, and .545 (6-for-11) with 17 RBI when the bases are loaded. he had a lot of at bats with 2 outs again this month, and he's now down to batting .273 (39-for-143) with 23 RBI with 2 outs in an inning.
Michael hit 3 more (solo) home runs in July. add that to the new career high he set last month, and he now has 15 homers total. but it wasn't enough to hold onto the team lead, as he's now 2nd in home runs. (i go into more detail about this further down in the blog.) on a happier note, Michael has now tied his father's career high home run total of 15. with 2 months to go, he is assuredly going to become the new Brantley in the family with the most home runs hit in one season.
he may no longer be the team's home run leader, but Michael does remain the team leader with his 66 RBI, also a career high for him through July. his 66th RBI didn't come last year until September 21. it's a very safe assumption that Michael will definitely set a new RBI career high for himself in August. he only needs 7 to tie and 8 to break it. his 66 RBI currently rank 5th among American League outfielders, 13th in the American League, and 16th overall in the majors.
so i didn't get the 15 RBI that i wanted from him this
month. and as i said earlier, Michael had plenty of chances to get at least
that, and then some. but i've noticed he's trending downward monthly in the RBI
department. he had 20 in March/April, 19 in May, 14 in June, and now 13 in
July. i know it's not realistic to expect him to drive in 20 guys every month, and
he's certainly not going to be able to drive home every guy who's on base when
he comes up to bat. but he left 35 runners on base in 26 games this month. i'd
really like to see that improve, aka him not leave so many guys on in August
and September.
since Michael hit another 3 solo homers this month, let me redo
the HR/RBI ratio stats. 12 of his 15 home runs have been solo, while the other 3 were 2-run
homers. this means 12 of his 66 RBI (18.2%) have come from solo homers, and 18
of his 66 RBI (27.3%) have come from all 15 of his home runs. Michael continues
to have the majority of his at bats (243) when no one is on base, but i'm still
hoping in these last 2 months that Michael can hit at least one 3-run bomb for
me.
Michael set another career high this month in the runs scored category. when he came in to pinch hit in the July 21 game, he scored a run after initially getting on base with a double, giving him his 67th run scored. last season he had a total of 66 runs scored, and that was his career best until now. when the month of July ended, Michael had a total of 71 runs. every other run he scores through the end of the season will add to his new career high. i wrote a short blog about this here.
aside from once again leading the team in RBI (66)* and runs (71)*, Michael also leads the team with: 128 hits*, 44 extra base hits*, 204 total bases*, 84 singles*, 27 doubles, 104 games*, 452 plate appearances*, 405 at bats*, .316 BA*, .378 OBP*, .504 SLG*, and .882 OPS*. he also leads the outfielders with 10 assists* and has the best stolen base:caught stealing ratio (12-for-13) on the team*.
he's 2nd on the team with 15 home runs*, 4 sac flies, 37 walks*, 6 hit by pitches*, and 12 stolen bases. he has the least amount of strikeouts with 38* as well.
Michael set another career high this month in the runs scored category. when he came in to pinch hit in the July 21 game, he scored a run after initially getting on base with a double, giving him his 67th run scored. last season he had a total of 66 runs scored, and that was his career best until now. when the month of July ended, Michael had a total of 71 runs. every other run he scores through the end of the season will add to his new career high. i wrote a short blog about this here.
aside from once again leading the team in RBI (66)* and runs (71)*, Michael also leads the team with: 128 hits*, 44 extra base hits*, 204 total bases*, 84 singles*, 27 doubles, 104 games*, 452 plate appearances*, 405 at bats*, .316 BA*, .378 OBP*, .504 SLG*, and .882 OPS*. he also leads the outfielders with 10 assists* and has the best stolen base:caught stealing ratio (12-for-13) on the team*.
he's 2nd on the team with 15 home runs*, 4 sac flies, 37 walks*, 6 hit by pitches*, and 12 stolen bases. he has the least amount of strikeouts with 38* as well.
(*denotes these are also career highs for Michael through July. these rankings include qualifiers only.)
this was definitely not the best July Michael's ever had. he set several career highs in 2012 that he's yet to break. but after doing more research, i found that Michael set career highs for himself in the month of July with the following: 34 hits, 12 extra base hits, 53 total bases, 8 doubles, 2 sac flies, 17 runs, 117 plate appearances, and 106 at bats.
now let's get into some other facts about Michael's season thus
far. he's hit safely in 40 of 49 home games and 80 of 104 games overall.
he now has 36 multi-hit games, meaning he's multi-hit in 34.6% of the games
he's played in. (wow.) he has 15 multi-RBI games along with 19
go-ahead hits and 21 go-ahead RBI. plus, he's recorded
a total of 10 games with 3 or more hits so far this season, leading the
team.
comparing his numbers to the other qualifying outfielders in
the American League, Michael is 1st in batting average (.316), 2nd in hits
(128) and runs scored (71), 3rd in OBP (.378) and OPS (.882), tied for 3rd in
doubles (27), 4th in SLG (.504), 5th in RBI (66) and total bases (204), tied for
5th in extra base hits (44), and tied for 7th in home runs (15). furthermore, his
OBP ranks 6th, his SLG ranks 9th, and his OPS ranks 8th overall in the AL.
how about some July standout moments? on July 6, it was announced that Michael had made the American League All Star team. he was voted in as a reserve by his peers. i was so happy and proud of him, and of course i wrote a blog about it here.
how about some July standout moments? on July 6, it was announced that Michael had made the American League All Star team. he was voted in as a reserve by his peers. i was so happy and proud of him, and of course i wrote a blog about it here.
on
July 8, Michael became just the third player this year to record three hits off
New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. the other players who had 3 hits off
Tanaka are Dustin Pedroia and former Cleveland Indian Luis Valbuena. Michael's 3 hits in
this game gave him a team high 9 games with 3 or more hits this season. also at
this time, he had a team high 30 multi-hit games, making him the most recent
Indians player to have at least 30 multi-hit games within the ballclub's first
89 games of the season. the last player to achieve this was Grady Sizemore in
2006.
also
on July 8, Michael became the first Indians player to have at least 60 RBI in a
1st half since Victor Martinez in 2007. dating back to 1914, Michael is now
only the 2nd Indians player to have hit .300 or more with at least 35 extra
base hits, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in the 1st half of the season. Roberto
Alomar previously did it in 1999. i wrote a blog with all of Michael's 1st half
numbers here.
additionally
on July 8, Michael and LA Angels outfielder Mike Trout were the only two
players in the major leagues with at least a .300 batting average, 35 extra
base hits, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. not only that, but Michael was the only
major league player at that time with at least a .310 batting average, 10+ home
runs, 20+ doubles, 60+ RBI, 50+ runs, and 10+ stolen bases. work lol
but
alas, not all of these events can be good. on July 9, Michael struck out
(looking) for the first time since June 22. he went 60 plate appearances
without a strikeout, the longest active streak in the major leagues at that
time. it was also the longest streak by a Cleveland Indian since Matt Lawton
had 61 straight plate appearances without a strikeout in 2004. so close! as you already know, Michael is one of the hardest batters in the
league to strike out. before his strikeout in this game, he was the 3rd hardest
batter in the American League to strike out.
the July 9 game also brought about another
injury scare, for me anyways. in a game against the Yankees in
the bottom of the 1st inning, Michael hit a single and was on base at 1st. Santana
was the next batter and when he made contact at the plate, Mark Teixeira threw
the ball to 2nd base to get Michael out, but the ball accidentally hit Michael in
the head. and i was like omg not again. after that clunk to the head, Michael
kept playing and thankfully there was no sign of another possible concussion. but his 5 multi-hit game streak did come to an end. oh, and that strikeout that he recorded? yeah that was in his first at bat
after the head plunk. typical.
also
during the July 9 game, Michael lost his team lead in the stolen bases category.
however, he currently has the best stolen base/caught stealing ratio on the team.
on July 10, a day after he recorded his first strikeout in 17 days, Michael
grounded into his first double play since June 2.
on July 12, Michael
took sole possession of the team lead in home runs when he hit his 15th homer. but he lost his (tied) team lead in home runs for good on July 25
after Santana hit 2 homers in one game. and by July 28, Santana had hit 3 more
home runs, making it clear that Michael would probably not be able to get the
team lead back or even just tie it again. for what it's worth, the fact that Michael
ever led the team in home runs, and that he did it for as long as he did, is quite remarkable. no worries though, he's still the team leader in several
other important facets of the game.
on
July 15, Michael played in his first All Star game. he went 0-for-1, played 4
innings in center field, and recorded 1 putout. he was very excited to share the
experience with his family, his father especially, who he credits for helping
him become a successful big league player. "he's
probably the biggest influence on my career. he's here to have this with me,
this experience. without him, i don't know if i could be here right now at this
level. he taught me a lot of what i know. i still use him for information
today." i wrote a blog about Michael's entire All Star experience
here.
on
July 18, the first game back after the All Star break, Michael went 4-for-5,
totaling 4 hits in 1 game for the first time this season, and 7th time in his
career. he had 3 singles, 1 double, 2 runs, and 1 stolen base. that brought his
BA up to .329, allowing him to retake the team lead in batting average.
during
Game 1 on July 19 against Detroit, Michael
was caught stealing for the first time in 12 attempts. then during Game 2 on
July 19, he was intentionally walked for the first time this year.
on
July 22, Michael was named the Indians recipient of the 2014 MLBPAA Heart &
Hustle Award. one player from every team in the league is chosen for this
preliminary honor and then one final winner is picked, through voting, at the
end of the year. i wrote a blog with all the details about this award here.
on
July 24, for the first time in Michael's career, he went 0-for-6 in a 14-inning
game. it marked the 3rd straight game where he was hitless, and brought him to
1-for-18 in his last 5 games from July 20-24. ouch. this is when his
left-handed pitching and 2-out stats really went down. he also left 9 guys on
base in 2 games (July 23-24). anyway you slice it, he was struggling.
during
the Indians' 4-game Kansas City
series from July 24-27, Michael was robbed of 3 hits by center fielder Jarrod
Dyson. "he's a great defender with
above-average speed. i couldn't get a ball away from him. he told me on one
ball he didn't even see it. he just dove, stuck his glove out and the ball went
in. so that was the kind of luck i was having."
on July 29, Michael drew just the 3rd 4-pitch walk of the season issued by Seattle Mariner Hisasha Iwakuma. it was the first walk Iwakuma had allowed in 36.1 innings in his last 6 starts. Iwakuma had only given up 9 walks total in 117.2 innings in 17 starts. Michael was only the 8th batter to even see a 3-0 count from Iwakuma this season.
on July 29, Michael drew just the 3rd 4-pitch walk of the season issued by Seattle Mariner Hisasha Iwakuma. it was the first walk Iwakuma had allowed in 36.1 innings in his last 6 starts. Iwakuma had only given up 9 walks total in 117.2 innings in 17 starts. Michael was only the 8th batter to even see a 3-0 count from Iwakuma this season.
on
July 31, Michael recorded at least 1 triple, 1 run, 2 walks, and 1 stolen base
against the Seattle Mariners. in doing so, he became the first Indian with at
least those marks in a game since Albert Belle on September 1, 1993.
well i think i've given more than enough attention to Michael's July offense, so now let's talk about his defense. Michael saw most of his time in center field this month, playing just 3 games in left. for a third straight month, he did not commit any errors, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in July. because he played almost all center, he had 70 putouts, the most he's had in one month this season. i'm glad he finally got to play a lot of center field so he could make more catches and add to his putout total. plus i love it when he gets to be the captain of the outfield.
well i think i've given more than enough attention to Michael's July offense, so now let's talk about his defense. Michael saw most of his time in center field this month, playing just 3 games in left. for a third straight month, he did not commit any errors, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in July. because he played almost all center, he had 70 putouts, the most he's had in one month this season. i'm glad he finally got to play a lot of center field so he could make more catches and add to his putout total. plus i love it when he gets to be the captain of the outfield.
Michael played in another 13.1 inning game and also a 14
inning game this month, and he finally recorded some putouts during them
(because he was playing CF, obviously lol). thus, it still seems as though Chuck Hinton's
major league record (zero putouts in 18 innings on June 14, 1963) is in no immediate danger of being
broken.
Michael added 1 more assist to his total this month. his 10 total outfield assists are tied for 3rd most in the American League and in the major leagues, and are a career high. shout out to Jordan Bastian, who wrote a very in-depth article breaking down all 10 of Michael's assists here. but the most exhilarating thing about his 10th assist that came on the road at Dodgers Stadium on July 1? it was the first assist of a triple play, the first Michael's ever been involved in.
Michael added 1 more assist to his total this month. his 10 total outfield assists are tied for 3rd most in the American League and in the major leagues, and are a career high. shout out to Jordan Bastian, who wrote a very in-depth article breaking down all 10 of Michael's assists here. but the most exhilarating thing about his 10th assist that came on the road at Dodgers Stadium on July 1? it was the first assist of a triple play, the first Michael's ever been involved in.
to sum up, Dee Gordon was on 3rd and Yasiel Puig was on 1st base when Kyle
Crockett came on in relief of Justin Masterson to face Adrian Gonzalez. after
1-2 count, Gonzalez hit a fly ball to left field. Michael caught it, then threw
out Gordon at home when Yan Gomes applied the tag. then Gomes caught Puig
trying to go to 2nd on the play at the plate, so Gomes threw the ball to Kipnis
who then got Puig out at 2nd base. but Puig was initially called safe, so
Francona had to challenge the play, and the call was overturned to complete the
triple play. and then Don Mattingly decided he wanted the out call at home plate challenged. but the out call stood, and at that point, the triple play was
officially official. Michael was credited with the 1st assist of the triple
play, as the scoring went 7-4-2.
it was the first triple play completed by the Indians since April 3, 2011 against the White Sox. i
have more details about this, including photos and the video, in the blog i wrote here.
when asked if he wants runners to keep testing his arm,
Michael replied, "why not? i'm
always up for the challenge. it helps the baseball team out if i can throw
somebody out. i take great pride in it and i'm going to continue to do the best
job i can each and every day."
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his July #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 5th spot #s, and the PH #s, as well as the left field #s, center field #s, and overall outfield #s.
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his July #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 5th spot #s, and the PH #s, as well as the left field #s, center field #s, and overall outfield #s.
July batting average: .321
OBP: .368
SLG: .500
OPS: .868
Michael played in 26 (of 26) games, 25 complete, in July. he started and played left in 3 games, completing 2 of those games. he was part of a defensive switch in 1 game, moving from left to center. he played 1 inning when moved over to center, with no official at bats. he started and played center in 22 complete games. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game, and then played 1 inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution.
Michael bat 3rd in 25 games.
Michael bat 5th in 1 game. (PH)
Michael played left field in 3 games. (2 complete, 1 started: 8 innings)
Michael played center field in 24 games. (22 complete, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning, 1 defensive sub (PH): 1 inning)
Michael played left field in 3 games. (2 complete, 1 started: 8 innings)
Michael played center field in 24 games. (22 complete, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning, 1 defensive sub (PH): 1 inning)
Michael was the PH in 1 game.
Michael played in 25 complete games.
in July, Michael had a total of 117 plate appearances and 106 at bats. here is how he fared:
34 hits
Michael played in 25 complete games.
in July, Michael had a total of 117 plate appearances and 106 at bats. here is how he fared:
34 hits
22 singles
8 doubles
1 triple
8 doubles
1 triple
3 home runs
13 RBI
13 RBI
2 sac flies
17 runs scored
9 walks
17 runs scored
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
9 first at bat hits
53 total bases
35 left on base
70 putouts
1 assist
3 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
9 first at bat hits
53 total bases
35 left on base
70 putouts
1 assist
231.1
innings, 26 games
(25 complete games)
July batting average: .321 (34-106) (26 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
(25 complete games)
July batting average: .321 (34-106) (26 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 3rd in July, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
33 hits
22 singles
7 doubles
1 triple
3 home runs
13 RBI
3 home runs
13 RBI
2 sac flies
16 runs scored
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
16 runs scored
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
51 total bases
35 left on base
70 putouts
1 assist
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
51 total bases
35 left on base
70 putouts
1 assist
230.1 innings, 25 games
(25 complete games)
(25 complete games)
July batting average in the 3rd spot: .314 (33-105) (25
games)
overall batting
average so far in the 3rd spot: .327 (98-300) (74 games) (656 innings)
when Michael bat 3rd and played left in July, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
7 hits
5 singles
1 double
1 home run
3 RBI
when Michael bat 3rd and played left in July, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
7 hits
5 singles
1 double
1 home run
3 RBI
3 runs scored
2 first at bat hits
11 total bases
2 left on base
6 putouts
1 assist
2 first at bat hits
11 total bases
2 left on base
6 putouts
1 assist
26 innings, 3 games
(2 complete games)
July batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .500 (7-14) (3 games)
(2 complete games)
July batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .500 (7-14) (3 games)
overall batting
average so far in the 3rd spot while playing left: .354 (70-198) (50 games) (433.2
innings)
when Michael bat 3rd and played center in July, he
had a total of 102 plate appearances and 91
at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as
follows:
26 hits
17 singles
26 hits
17 singles
6 doubles
1 triple
2 home runs
10 RBI
2 sac flies
13 runs scored
9 walks
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
6 first at bat hits
40 total bases
33 left on base
40 total bases
33 left on base
64 putouts
204.1 innings, 23 games
(22 complete games)
204.1 innings, 23 games
(22 complete games)
July batting average
in the 3rd spot while playing center: .286 (26-91) (23 games)
overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing center: .276 (27-98) (27 games) (222.1 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing center: .276 (27-98) (27 games) (222.1 innings)
when Michael bat 5th in July, he had a total of 1
plate appearance and 1 at
bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 double
1 run scored
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
1 inning, 1 game
July batting average in the 5th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
overall batting average in the 5th spot: .290 (20-69) (19
games) (158.2 innings)
when Michael bat 5th and played center in July, he
had a total of no plate appearances and no at bats in 1 game.
breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 inning, 1 game
1 inning, 1 game
July batting average
in the 5th spot while playing center: N/A (0-0) (1 game)
overall batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (3 games) (14 innings)
when Michael bat 5th, he was the PH in July for 1 game. he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 double
overall batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (3 games) (14 innings)
when Michael bat 5th, he was the PH in July for 1 game. he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 double
1 run scored
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
1 game
July batting average as a PH in the 5th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
when Michael came in to PH in July, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 double
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
1 game
July batting average as a PH in the 5th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
when Michael came in to PH in July, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 double
1 run scored
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
1 game
July batting average as a PH: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
overall batting average so far as a PH: 1.000 (2-2) (2 games)
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
1 game
July batting average as a PH: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
overall batting average so far as a PH: 1.000 (2-2) (2 games)
now let's break down his outfield numbers.
when Michael played the outfield in July, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
33 hits
22 singles
7 doubles
when Michael played the outfield in July, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
33 hits
22 singles
7 doubles
1 triple
3 home runs
13 RBI
3 home runs
13 RBI
2 sac flies
16 runs scored
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
16 runs scored
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
51 total bases
35 left on base
70 putouts
1 assist
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
51 total bases
35 left on base
70 putouts
1 assist
231.1 innings, 26 games
(25 complete games)
July batting average while playing the outfield: .314 (33-105) (26 games)
overall batting average so far while playing the outfield: .313 (125-399) (102 games) (900 innings)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left in July, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
7 hits
5 singles
1 double
1 home run
3 RBI
(25 complete games)
July batting average while playing the outfield: .314 (33-105) (26 games)
overall batting average so far while playing the outfield: .313 (125-399) (102 games) (900 innings)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left in July, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
7 hits
5 singles
1 double
1 home run
3 RBI
3 runs scored
2 first at bat hits
11 total bases
2 left on base
6 putouts
1 assist
26 innings, 3 games
(2 complete games)
July batting average while playing left: .500 (7-14) (3 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .333 (91-273) (71 games) (605.1 innings)
2 first at bat hits
11 total bases
2 left on base
6 putouts
1 assist
26 innings, 3 games
(2 complete games)
July batting average while playing left: .500 (7-14) (3 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .333 (91-273) (71 games) (605.1 innings)
when Michael played center in July, he had a total of
102 plate appearances and 91 at bats in 24 games. breaking
down the numbers are as follows:
26 hits
17 singles
26 hits
17 singles
6 doubles
1 triple
2 home runs
10 RBI
2 sac flies
13 runs scored
9 walks
9 walks
1 intentional walk
3 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
4 GIDP
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)
6 first at bat hits
40 total bases
40 total bases
33 left on base
64 putouts
205.1 innings, 24 games
(22 complete games)
July batting average while playing center: .286 (26-91) (24 games)
overall batting average so far while playing center: .270 (34-126) (37 games) (294.2 innings)
July #s while playing left: 6 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (26 innings, 3 games)
overall #s so far while playing left: 102 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (605.1 innings, 71 games)
205.1 innings, 24 games
(22 complete games)
July batting average while playing center: .286 (26-91) (24 games)
overall batting average so far while playing center: .270 (34-126) (37 games) (294.2 innings)
July #s while playing left: 6 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (26 innings, 3 games)
overall #s so far while playing left: 102 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (605.1 innings, 71 games)
July #s while playing center: 64 putouts, 0 errors, 1.000
fielding percentage (205.1 innings, 24 games)
overall #s so far while playing center: 88 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.989 fielding percentage (294.2 innings, 37 games)
July #s while playing the outfield: 70 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (231.1 innings, 26 games)
overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 190 putouts, 10 assists, 1 double play, 1 error, 0.995 fielding percentage (900 innings, 102 games)
now my game-by-game numbers and notes.
Game 79/Game 1, July 1: 2-5, RBI double (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9)
^^Michael starts triple play with his 10th OF assist^^
Game 80/Game 2, July 2: 0-4, reached on fielding error (first at bat), walk, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 81/Game 3, July 4: 2-4, single, home run, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/LF/CG9)
overall #s so far while playing center: 88 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.989 fielding percentage (294.2 innings, 37 games)
July #s while playing the outfield: 70 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (231.1 innings, 26 games)
overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 190 putouts, 10 assists, 1 double play, 1 error, 0.995 fielding percentage (900 innings, 102 games)
now my game-by-game numbers and notes.
Game 79/Game 1, July 1: 2-5, RBI double (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9)
^^Michael starts triple play with his 10th OF assist^^
Game 80/Game 2, July 2: 0-4, reached on fielding error (first at bat), walk, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 81/Game 3, July 4: 2-4, single, home run, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 82/Game 4, July 5: 3-5, single (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF - 8 i, CF - 1 i/CG9)
Game 83/Game 5, July 6: 2-4, single, RBI single. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 84/Game 6, July 7: 2-4, single, single. AVG: .323
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 85/Game 7, July 8: 3-4, RBI double (first at bat), RBI double, home run, run scored. AVG: .328
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 86/Game 8, July 9: 1-6, single (first at bat),
run scored, walk. AVG: .325
(3rd/CF/CG14)
Game 87/Game 9, July 10: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI sac fly, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 88/Game 10, July 11: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG14)
Game 87/Game 9, July 10: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI sac fly, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 88/Game 10, July 11: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 89/Game 11, July 12: 1-4, home run, run scored. AVG: .326
(3rd/CF/CG9)
**Michael's 9-game
hitting streak and 11-game reached base streak end**
Game 90/Game 12, July 13: 0-4. AVG: .322
(3rd/CF/CG9)
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 91/Game 13, July 18: 4-5, single, single, stolen base, run scored, single, double, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 92/Game 14, July 19 (Day Game): 1-5, bunt single (first at bat), caught stealing. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 93/Game 15, July 19 (Night Game): 2-4, double (first at bat), single, intentional walk, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 94/Game 16, July 20: 0-3, walk. AVG: .326
(3rd/CF/CG8)
(3rd/CF/CG8)
Game 95/Game 17, July 21: 1-1, double (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .328
(5th/PH-CF – 1 i/8-GF)
^^Michael sets new career high in runs scored with 67^^
Game 96/Game 18, July 22: 0-4, walk. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 97/Game 19, July 23: 0-4. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/CG8)
(3rd/CF/CG8)
Game 98/Game 20, July 24: 0-6. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG13.1)
Game 99/Game 21, July 25: 1-4, single, run scored.
AVG: .315
(3rd/CF/CG8)
(3rd/CF/CG8)
Game 100/Game 22, July 26: 2-5, RBI double, single.
AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG8)
(3rd/CF/CG8)
Game 101/Game 23, July 27: 2-4, RBI sac fly, single,
run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .318
(3rd/CF/CG9)
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 102/Game 24, July 29: 0-3, walk (first at bat).
AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 103/Game 25, July 30: 0-3, walk. AVG: .313
(3rd/CF/CG9)
(3rd/CF/CG9)
Game 104/Game 26, July 31: 2-3, RBI single (first at
bat), triple, run scored, walk, stolen base, walk. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)
so far in 2014, Michael has a total of 452 plate appearances and 405 at bats in 104 games (900 innings). in total, he has 128 hits, 84 singles, 27 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, 66 RBI, 4 sac flies, 71 runs scored, 37 walks, 1 intentional walk, 6 hit by pitches, 12 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing, 12 GIDP, 38 strikeouts (28 swinging, 10 looking), 32 first at bat hits, 204 total bases, 146 left on base, 190 putouts, 10 assists, 1 double play, and 1 error.
2014 season batting average: .316 (128-405)
OBP: .378
SLG: .504
OPS: .882
(3rd/CF/CG9)
so far in 2014, Michael has a total of 452 plate appearances and 405 at bats in 104 games (900 innings). in total, he has 128 hits, 84 singles, 27 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, 66 RBI, 4 sac flies, 71 runs scored, 37 walks, 1 intentional walk, 6 hit by pitches, 12 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing, 12 GIDP, 38 strikeouts (28 swinging, 10 looking), 32 first at bat hits, 204 total bases, 146 left on base, 190 putouts, 10 assists, 1 double play, and 1 error.
2014 season batting average: .316 (128-405)
OBP: .378
SLG: .504
OPS: .882
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