Sunday, October 5, 2014

Brantley's 2014 Batting Order Position & LF/CF/DH/PH #s

Michael only bat in 4 different spots in the order this season, a dramatic decrease from last year. it would have been just 3 spots if not for coming in to pinch hit for a pitcher in one National League game that he was originally supposed to have off. and like most years, the Indians' starting lineup in March/April was very different from September, including Michael's place in it. so let's get into the details.

when the season began, Francona had Michael batting 5th and playing left field against right-handed pitchers, while batting 6th and playing center field against left-handed pitchers. the left field-center field switch off was due to Michael Bourn being out injured to start the year, and his CF replacement--Nyjer Morgan--not being able to hit lefties. when Bourn came back, the formula wasn't always so cut and dry, but Michael continued to rotate between left and center as well as the 5th and 6th spots. he had 20 hits in 19 games in the 5th spot, driving in 18 runs and scoring 10 runs. in only 10 games batting 6th, Michael had 9 hits and 5 RBI. his overall batting average in this spot wasn't very high, but i'm sure that wouldn't have been the case had he hit more there throughout the season.

on May 2, Michael began hitting in the 3rd spot. that started because Jason Kipnis suffered an oblique injury and went on the DL. but even when Kip came back on May 28, Francona did not want to move Michael and actually kept him in the 3 hole. and that's where he found his home for the rest of the season (minus 2 PH appearances in the 9th and 5th spots.) i was so grateful that Michael finally had some regularity in the lineup and wasn't being jumbled around anymore. i do question whether or not he will "own" the 3rd spot next year, or if Francona will decide he wants someone else 3rd. considering that Michael did such a phenomenal job there, i'm hoping that's now where he'll stay. in 126 games, Michael had 170 hits, 39 doubles, 15 home runs, 74 RBI, 78 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases while batting 3rd. so i think he's earned it to at least start out there next year and see how things go.

Bourn had another DL stint from July 6 to August 15, giving Michael more playing time in center field. in 46 total games, Michael compiled 46 hits, including 10 doubles, and 24 RBI. his CF batting average was respectable, but 51 points lower compared with LF. and Michael went through both of his slumps this year all while playing left field, if you can believe that. the overall numbers mask those slumps quite well, as he had 138 hits in 107 games, along with 31 doubles, 14 homers, and 66 RBI.

in 2 games as a PH, Michael got on base both times, once with a single and once with a double. he also did very good in 8 games as a DH. he had 14 hits, including 3 doubles and 2 home runs, drove in 7, scored 6 times, and drew 5 walks, all in the designated hitter role.

no matter where Michael hit in the order or played in the outfield (if he played in the outfield), one thing remained consistent--his ability to hit in the clutch. this year, he had the highest batting average on the team with RISP at .376. that was also 1st in the American League. additionally, he had 76 RBI. last season, Michael bat .375 with RISP and had 59 RBI. so 2014 showed an increase on both counts.

Michael also performed well against both right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers. he ended the year batting .337 against righties and .307 against lefties, both outstanding averages. in 2013, he bat .288 and .276, respectively. Michael's clearly starting to develop more power and his swing has gotten even smoother, if that's possible, resulting in more hits and therefore better batting averages. for the third straight season, Michael finished with the highest batting average on the team, this time a career best .327.



Michael played in 156 (of 162) games in 2014.


Michael bat 3rd in 126 games. (3 left early w/ injury: 14.1 innings, 4 subbed out: 27 innings, 1 lifted for PR: 8 innings, 8 DH)

Michael bat 5th in 19 games. (1 PH/defensive sub: 1 inning)

Michael bat 6th in 10 games.

Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (PH)


Michael was the DH in 8 games.

Michael was the PH in 2 games.

Michael played in 146 complete games.


Michael played left field in 107 games, for a total of 931.1 innings. (106 started, 95 complete, 5 started: 31 innings, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning, 2 left early w/ injury: 8 innings, 3 subbed out: 22 innings, 1 lifted for PR: 8 innings)

Michael played center field in 46 games, for a total of 373 innings. (40 started, 37 complete, 1 started: 8 innings, 5 defensive switches: 15 innings, 1 defensive sub (PH): 1 inning, 1 subbed out: 5 innings, 1 left early w/ injury: 6.1 innings)

Michael missed 3 games due to injury. he missed 1 game with mid-back tightness from playing on astroturf and he missed 2 games with a mild concussion.

Michael had 3 complete games off. 



in 2014, Michael had a total of 676 plate appearances and 611 at bats in 156 games. here is how he fared:

200 hits

133 singles

45 doubles

2 triples

20 home runs

97 RBI

5 sac flies

94 runs scored

52 walks

4 intentional walks

8 hit by pitches

23 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

16 GIDP

56 strikeouts (38 swinging, 18 looking)

51 first at bat hits

309 total bases


211 left on base

271 putouts

12 assists

2 double plays

1 error

1304.1 innings, 156 games

(146 complete games)

2014 batting average: .327 (200-611) (156 games)


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


when Michael bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 559 plate appearances and 506 at bats in 126 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

170 hits

114 singles

39 doubles

2 triples

15 home runs

74 RBI

4 sac flies

78 runs scored

42 walks

4 intentional walks

7 hit by pitches

19 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

13 GIDP

47 strikeouts (32 swinging, 15 looking)

43 first at bat hits

258 total bases


161 left on base

224 putouts

9 assists

2 double plays

1060.1 innings, 126 games

(118 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 3rd spot: .336 (170-506) (126 games)


when Michael bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 76 plate appearances and 69 at bats in 19 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

20 hits

12 singles

5 doubles

3 home runs

18 RBI

1 sac fly

10 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

4 first at bat hits

34 total bases


39 left on base

29 putouts

3 assists

1 error

158.2 innings, 19 games

(18 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 5th spot: .290 (20-69) (19 games)


when Michael bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 40 plate appearances and 35 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

6 singles

1 double

2 home runs

5 RBI

6 runs scored

5 walks

1 stolen base

2 GIDP

4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

16 total bases


11 left on base

18 putouts

85.1 innings, 10 games

(10 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 6th spot: .257 (9-35) (10 games)


when Michael bat 9th in 2014, 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 single

1 first at bat

1 total base


1 game

(0 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 9th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)



defensively, Michael played both left and center field this season, but mainly left field. and because he played several games as a DH and was a PH twice, his numbers while playing the outfield are not all the same as the numbers above. so next i will get into the break down of his numbers based on where he played in the outfield, along with where he hit in the lineup while playing left field, center field, as a DH, and PH.

Michael played 147 games total where he was in the outfield for some portion of the game. he started 146 games in the outfield, completing 138 of those games. he left 3 games early with injury after playing a total of 14.1 innings. he was subbed out of 4 games after playing a total of 27 innings. he was lifted for a pinch runner in 1 game after playing 8 innings. he was a defensive substitute into the outfield in 1 game after PHing and played 1 inning.

Michael played 107 games total where he was the left fielder for some portion of the game. he started and played left in 106 games, completing 95 of those games. he was part of a defensive switch into left field (from center) for 1 game and played 1 inning with no official at bats. he left 1 game early with mid-back tightness after playing 4 innings. he left 1 game early after a blow to the head/neck after playing 4 innings. he was subbed out of 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were winning a blowout. he was subbed out of 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were getting blown out. he was subbed out of 1 game after 8 innings because the Indians were losing. he was lifted for a pinch runner in 1 game after hitting a double and playing 8 innings in left field prior to his final at bat of the night in a game where the Indians were getting blown out.

Michael played 46 games total where he was the center fielder for some portion of the game. he started and played center in 40 games, completing 37 of those 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. he was subbed out of 1 game after 5 innings because the Indians had a solid lead. he left 1 game early after banging his right knee into the right-center field wall and played 6.1 innings.

additionally, Michael was part of a defensive switch into center field (from left) for 5 games and played 15 innings with 6 official at bats. breaking those 5 games down are as follows. he played 4 innings and had 2 official at bats in 1 game. he played 6 innings and had 2 official at bats in 1 game. he played 2 innings and had 1 official at bat in 1 game. he played 2 innings and had 1 official at bat in 1 game. he played 1 inning and had no official at bats in 1 game.

Michael started and was the DH for 8 complete games.

Michael was a PH in 2 games. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning in 1 game, and then played 1 inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution. he also came in to PH in the bottom of the 9th inning in 1 game.



when Michael played in the outfield in 2014, he had a total of 637 plate appearances and 578 at bats in 147 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

184 hits

123 singles

41 doubles

2 triples

18 home runs

90 RBI

4 sac flies

87 runs scored

47 walks

4 intentional walks

8 hit by pitches

23 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

16 GIDP

53 strikeouts (36 swinging, 17 looking)

46 first at bat hits

283 total bases


204 left on base

271 putouts

12 assists

2 double plays

1 error

1304.1 innings, 147 games

(138 complete games)

2014 batting average while playing in the outfield: .318 (184-578) (147 games)


when Michael played the outfield and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 522 plate appearances and 475 at bats in 118 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

156 hits

105 singles

36 doubles

2 triples

13 home runs

67 RBI

3 sac flies

72 runs scored

37 walks

4 intentional walks

7 hit by pitches

19 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

13 GIDP

44 strikeouts (30 swinging, 14 looking)

40 first at bat hits

235 total bases


154 left on base

224 putouts

9 assists

2 double plays

1060.1 innings, 118 games

(110 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing the outfield: .328 (156-475) (118 games)


when Michael played the outfield and bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 75 plate appearances and 68 at bats in 19 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

19 hits

12 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

18 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

32 total bases


39 left on base

29 putouts

3 assists

1 error

158.2 innings, 19 games

(18 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 5th spot while playing the outfield: .279 (19-68) (19 games)


when Michael played the outfield and bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 40 plate appearances and 35 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

6 singles

1 double

2 home runs

5 RBI

6 runs scored

5 walks

1 stolen base

2 GIDP

4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

16 total bases


11 left on base

18 putouts

85.1 innings, 10 games

(10 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 6th spot while playing the outfield: .257 (9-35) (10 games)


now let's break down the numbers based on where he hit in the lineup while playing left field.


when Michael played left field in 2014, he had a total of 458 plate appearances and 415 at bats in 107 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

138 hits

92 singles

31 doubles

1 triple

14 home runs

66 RBI

2 sac flies

67 runs scored

33 walks

3 intentional walks

8 hit by pitches

19 stolen bases

9 GIDP

37 strikeouts (27 swinging, 10 looking)

34 first at bat hits

213 total bases


151 left on base

165 putouts

10 assists

2 double plays

931.1 innings, 107 games

(95 complete games)

2014 batting average while playing left field: .333 (138-415) (107 games)


when Michael played left and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 375 plate appearances and 340 at bats in 86 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

117 hits

79 singles

27 doubles

1 triple

10 home runs

49 RBI

1 sac fly

56 runs scored

27 walks

3 intentional walks

7 hit by pitches

15 stolen bases

8 GIDP

31 strikeouts (23 swinging, 8 looking)

30 first at bat hits

176 total bases


110 left on base

135 putouts

8 assists

2 double plays

759.2 innings, 86 games

(76 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .344 (117-340) (86 games)


when Michael played left and bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 70 plate appearances and 63 at bats in 17 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

17 hits

10 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

8 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

30 total bases


38 left on base

28 putouts

2 assists

144.2 innings, 17 games

(16 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .270 (17-63) (17 games)


when Michael played left and bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 13 plate appearances and 12 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

4 hits

3 singles

1 home run

3 RBI

3 runs scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

1 strikeout (swinging)

1 first at bat hit

7 total bases


3 left on base

2 putouts

27 innings, 4 games

(3 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .333 (4-12) (4 games)


now let's break down the numbers based on where he hit in the lineup while playing center field.


when Michael played center field in 2014, he had a total of 179 plate appearances and 163 at bats in 46 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

46 hits

31 singles

10 doubles

1 triple

4 home runs

24 RBI

2 sac flies

20 runs scored

14 walks

1 intentional walk

4 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

7 GIDP

16 strikeouts (9 swinging, 7 looking)

12 first at bat hits

70 total bases


53 left on base

106 putouts

2 assists

1 error

373 innings, 46 games

(37 complete games)

2014 batting average while playing center field: .282 (46-163) (46 games)


when Michael played center and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 147 plate appearances and 135 at bats in 36 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

39 hits

26 singles

9 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

18 RBI

2 sac flies

16 runs scored

10 walks

1 intentional walk

4 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

5 GIDP

13 strikeouts (7 swinging, 6 looking)

10 first at bat hits

59 total bases


44 left on base

89 putouts

1 assist

300.2 innings, 36 games

(30 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center: .289 (39-135) (36 games)


when Michael played center and bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

2 singles

4 RBI

1 run scored

2 total bases


1 left on base

1 putout

1 assist

1 error

14 innings, 3 games

(1 complete game)

2014 batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (3 games)


when Michael played center and bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 27 plate appearances and 23 at bats in 7 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

5 hits

3 singles

1 double

1 home run

2 RBI

3 runs scored

4 walks

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

9 total bases


8 left on base

16 putouts

58.1 innings, 7 games

(6 complete games)

2014 batting average in the 6th spot while playing center: .217 (5-23) (7 games)




2014 #s while playing the outfield: 271 putouts, 12 assists, 2 double plays, 1 error, 0.996 fielding percentage (1304.1 innings, 147 games)

2014 #s while playing left: 165 putouts, 10 assists, 2 double plays, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (931.1 innings, 107 games)

2014 #s while playing center: 106 putouts, 2 assists, 1 error, 0.991 fielding percentage (373 innings, 46 games)




now let's break down his DH numbers.

when Michael was the DH in 2014, he had a total of 37 plate appearances and 31 at bats in 8 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

14 hits

9 singles

3 doubles

2 home runs

7 RBI

1 sac fly

6 runs scored

5 walks

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

23 total bases


7 left on base

(8 complete games)

2014 batting average as the DH: .452 (14-31) (8 games)


when Michael was the DH and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 37 plate appearances and 31 at bats in 8 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

14 hits

9 singles

3 doubles

2 home runs

7 RBI

1 sac fly

6 runs scored

5 walks


3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

23 total bases


7 left on base

8 games

(8 complete games)

2014 batting average as the DH in the 3rd spot: .452 (14-31) (8 games)


now let's break down his PH numbers.


when Michael came in to PH in 2014, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

1 single

1 double

1 run scored

2 first at bat hits

3 total bases


2 games

(0 complete games)

2014 batting average as a PH: 1.000 (2-2) (2 games)


when Michael came in to PH and bat 5th in 2014, 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

(0 complete games)

2014 batting average as a PH in the 5th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)


when Michael came in to PH and bat 9th in 2014, 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 single

1 first at bat hit

1 total base


1 game

(0 complete games)

2014 batting average as a PH in the 9th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)



the next blog i will be writing is a "wrap-up" of Michael's season, if i can somehow manage to wrap up all the amazing things he did this year lol, and it should be posted in a few days.

previous blogs:
Brantley's 2014 Career Highs, Career Firsts, & Franchise Records
Brantley's 2014 Game-by-Game Numbers and Notes

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