What's New This Year
--new look: because i have a tendency to write a lot [more than i used to] in the beginning of my blogs before getting into Michael's numbers for the month, i am using some dividers so readers can clearly see what topic(s) i'm going to be talking about. then if you don't want to read about that particular thing, you can simply skip it and scroll down to another section.
--new links: any blog that i've previously written and want to re-link in a monthly blog will be a bold hyperlink so it stands out better for you to see.
--new addition: i'm documenting Michael's #s against the
Tribe's AL Central Division rivals, so you'll see how he stacks up against Detroit, Kansas City, Chicago, and Minnesota's pitching staffs on a monthly basis.
--new citation: as for citing my sources, i promise to provide links to any stat or quote that i read online. i probably should have been doing that all along, instead of simply saying who reported it.
--new setup: i've decided to change things up a bit regarding the break downs of Michael's monthly numbers and overall numbers, but you won't notice anything different there until next month.
What's Still The Same
--i'm still keeping track of many circumstantial statistics, including Michael's #s versus right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers; at home and away; with RISP; with RISP and 0 outs, 1 out, and 2 outs; with runners on base; with bases loaded; and with 2 outs in an inning. i also document his hitting streaks, on-base streaks, multi-hit games, 3+ hit games, multi-RBI games, go-ahead hits, go-ahead RBI, and the team's win-loss record when Michael plays. now as i said last season, there's just no way i can include all those stats here in these blogs--they're already long enough as it is lol but because i document them daily in my Brantley notebook, you can trust that what i post here is accurate.
--i will continue to include anything i consider to be a highlight or special occasion in my monthly blogs.
--any pertinent quotes from Michael or Terry Francona or anyone else on the team that i come across will once again be included here, with all of Michael's quotes being italicized.
and now, without further ado, let's get into the first official Brantley blog of the 2015 regular season.
before the season began, some people questioned if Michael would be capable of having another stellar year like he did in 2014. i argued that he would because his new mindset and approach at the plate was not suddenly going to change. why revert back to his old approach when he had so much success with his new approach? proving me right, Michael continued to be aggressive at the plate in April. unfortunately, he is not yet seeing the same results because he's not playing at full strength. that is because Michael is battling through an injury, which i worry he'll be fighting the entire season.
it all started when Michael reported to camp on February 22. he let the trainers know that he was feeling some soreness in his lower back. (while we currently don't know how it originated, i attributed it to the extra hard training he did in the offseason.) the soreness/stiffness/tightness lingered on and off all throughout spring training, causing him to miss a handful of games. when the Indians broke camp, it appeared as though Michael was okay. but appearances can be deceiving.
Michael played in just two of the Indians first four regular season games. he missed the last two games of the team's first three-game series in Houston against the Astros because his back was acting up. he had an MRI the morning of April 10 before the Indians home opener game and was diagnosed with a lower back strain. however, it wasn't serious enough for him to go on the disabled list, which i thought was a miracle. everyone said he was doing much better and Michael himself convinced Terry Francona that he was good enough to play in the opener. it was a decision that Francona regretted because late during that game, Michael felt spasms in his back. that's when something had to be done. the Indians formally listed him as "day-to-day," but he was going to be out for a while.
i previously wrote a day-by-day account of Michael's back strain to cut back on the length of this blog. if you would like more specific details, i encourage you to refer to my Brantley Lower Back Strain Timeline blog.
so after playing in those two games, Michael was only batting .125 (1-for-8). that made it clear to me that his back was still bothering him and hindering his play. following the home opener game, Michael got four games off over a six-day timeframe to rest his back. when he resumed playing, it was apparent that he still wasn't his normal self. he had some hits, mostly singles, but he wasn't trying to steal bases and he was being a little cautious going after balls hit to left field.
it wasn't until the series in Detroit from April 24-26 that i could see the beast in Michael had awoken. he had a tremendous series, going 8-for-13, raising his batting average up 115 points from .226 to .341. you'd never suspect that Michael's back was acting up again at that time, which it was according to both Tom Hamilton and Zack Meisel.
on the other hand, when that series commenced, Michael cooled off. he went 2-for-11 in the three-game Kansas City series, going hitless in one game. any time he has an 0-for game, i go right to the back, assuming the strain is rearing its ugly head again. and if it was bothering him when he did so well in Detroit, it very well could have been the cause of his cool down when the Indians came home to face the Royals.
despite that, Michael still finished the month with a .339 batting average thanks to his performance in the final game of April. he went 3-for-4 against Toronto with two doubles and an RBI single. there's nothing like closing out a month with a great offensive game, which certainly boded well for a few of his situational statistics. but playing with a back injury and still batting .339? i tell ya, this man never ceases to amaze.
as you'll see when you scroll down more in this blog, Michael's overall April stats are a bit underwhelming, but honestly he did a lot better than i expected him to do. i mean, when word came out after the first game that his back problem had recurred, i thought he'd be lucky to finish the month batting .200 and wondered if he'd even play 100 games this year. so whatever the medical staff has him doing to keep his back healthy enough for Michael to play, it seems to be working.
speaking of, the doctors Michael was examined by were hopeful that the strain wouldn't linger all year. so much for that. the issue had Francona perplexed and Michael frustrated, to say the least. it's been a big concern to the Indians (especially since Michael is one of the best players on the team), big enough in fact that there have been certain "restrictions" on Michael thus far. on more than one occasion, when the team played a night game followed by a day game, Francona made Michael DH in one of them. that was never an issue before. also, there was one opportunity for Michael to play center field when Michael Bourn got a day off, but Francona opted to play Mike Aviles in center instead. last season, Michael always got time in center when Bourn wasn't playing. again, the back has to be the reason. and finally, any chance Francona gets to pull Michael out of a game before it's over, he takes. case in point, Michael was subbed out defensively in two different games after 7 innings this month. i'm sure that was simply to give him as much of a break as possible in hopes that his back strain won't get worse.
presently, i know Michael is playing at less than 100% and fighting against that back strain every day. it's surely the explanation for his continued hesitation on the bases, his cautiousness in the field, and his lack of home runs this month. however, it's no longer affecting his ability at the plate or to get on base. a quick comparison shows Michael bat .250 (7-for-28) in his first seven games of April and .464 (13-for-28) in his last seven games. maybe in time he will feel better running the bases and in left field. but all things considered, i think every Indians fan should just be very relieved that Michael can even play with this strain and that he's hitting at all, let alone how well he's hitting.
back issue or not, this was just about a typical month of April for Michael. he's known to start out somewhat slow with the bat and then turn on the heat, unlike last season when Michael came into the year with the hot stick and then slumped at the end of the month. ugh, i know, i know. i shouldn't be doing comparisons to last year or it'll drive me mad but... it's hard not to. and right now it's necessary.
way before this year got started, i was really excited for Michael. after setting an abundance of career highs last season, i couldn't wait to see what he would accomplish in 2015. but eight games in and we already knew something he would not accomplish: one career high Michael definitely will not be setting this year is in games played. the six games he missed because of his back eliminated that prospect. everyone--fans and media alike--has to come to terms with the possibility that Michael may not put up the sizzling numbers that he did just one year ago. it's ill-fated and a bit of a bummer, but it is what it is. there's only so much a guy can do when he's constantly playing through a back injury.
the scary thing about his back is nobody knows for sure if it's going to cause Michael to need to sit out for multiple games again later in the season. he's gonna fight through it for as long as he can because that's the kind of player he is. but will playing through the injury so much now lead to an eventual DL stint? and in due course, will it not force Michael into a slump at the plate that he can't get out of? those are unanswerable questions at this particular point of the year. i'll boldly declare if Michael can play at least 135 games with his back strain and maintain a batting average around .285, then we should consider it a successful season.
at the end of the day, the stats don't lie. and while it's true that Michael didn't do a whole lot this month, he is not alone. the Tribe only went 7-14 this month thanks to the struggles of several of his teammates. the top of the order struggled mightily at times in April, and that had a negative impact on Michael's RBI total. he was also left on base quite a bit, resulting in a low runs scored total. (i'm about to get into all of that in greater detail.) i'm really hoping the team can get it together and greatly improve in May, not just for the purpose of increasing Michael's stats, but for the team's sake as well.
BOP, Home Runs, RBI, K Rate, and Outs
in happier news, Michael has his BOP locked up for the first time: he will be batting 3rd for the entire season. he's undoubtedly earned that place in the lineup and i'm thrilled with it. this is a spot i know he's going to thrive in. the RBI total may dip a bit (i'll get more into that in a second), depending on whether Bourn, Jason Kipnis, Aviles, and/or Jose Ramirez get themselves on base in the 1, 2, and 9 spots, but i know Michael's still going to get his hits and get on base.
Michael didn't hit any home runs this month (Bourn is the only other regular player currently without a home run), and i know that's a result of his injured back. the newfound "power" that Michael developed last season may be on hiatus until his back gets to 100%, if it ever does this year. i know homers are the sexy baseball stat that a lot of people (both fans and media) love to harp on and use to weigh a player's value, but i think everybody needs to understand that Michael may not be hitting a lot of balls out of the park this year. yes, it would be nice if he could have another 20-20 season, but i'd rather Michael just be well enough to stay on the field and continue to be a positive contributor to the team.
Michael only tallied 7 RBI in April and there are a couple of reasons for that. one is, he didn't always take advantage of his chances to drive players in. he stranded 14 guys in 15 games, which is kind of a lot. another reason is Michael came to bat on many occasions and no one was on base. Bourn had been killing the team at the top of the order with his lack of offense, so much so that Francona eventually moved him down to the 8th and 9th spots. but his inability to get on base affected Michael's RBIs. same with Kipnis, who was also having a rough start to the year batting 2nd in the order and later replacing Bourn as the leadoff man. at certain times this month, Kip wasn't doing much hitting either, though he's finally looking better lately at the plate. consequently, Michael not only had a lot of at bats with nobody on, but also with 2 outs in an inning. and if you want to point fingers at the player in the 9th spot, Jose Ramirez was doing the worst overall, rarely getting on base. again, that did not help Michael at all.
one other thing contributed to his low RBI total for April as well. there were a lot of times when Michael would come to bat with a runner on 1st base and not in scoring position. so if Michael hit a single, something he often did, that wouldn't be enough to score the runner. then Carlos Santana or Brandon Moss (batting behind him) would get the RBI(s). they currently have the most RBIs on the club with 11 and 14, respectively. couple all those reasons together, then add how Michael may not be hitting a lot of home runs this year, and it just doesn't seem like Michael will be repeating as the RBI leader for the team this season.
since Michael didn't hit any homers this month, i can't do a HR to RBI ratio. so i'll move on to his strikeout rate. Michael's K rate in April was 4.8% (3 K/63 PA). even with being hurt, playing less games, and having less plate appearances than a large portion of his teammates, it's still very impressive that he made so much contact. of his three strikeouts, two came via called strike 3s, though one of those was debatable. (see the April Standout Games section of this blog.)
Michael had 18 groundouts versus 19 flyouts this month, proving that he repeatedly put the bat on the ball. this bucks the trend that Michael developed last season, however, when more of his outs came from grounders. but with him not hitting any home runs, it makes sense that he'd have more fly balls this month. and as usual, Michael was also robbed of several hits when he hit eight line drives right at opposing position players.
Situational Statistics
Michael had a hit in 10 of the 15 games he played in April and reached base safely in 13 games. Michael reached base in 12 straight games from April 10-28 as well. he had 5 hitless games, but still reached base in 3 of those. Michael had 6 multi-hit games, 3 3+ hit games, and no multi-RBI games. because the opportunities didn't usually present themselves, he had no go-ahead hits or go-ahead RBI this month. the Indians were 4-11 in games that Michael played in and 3-3 in the games he sat out.
for the month of April, Michael bat .378 (14-for-37) against right-handed pitchers and .273 (6-for-22) against left-handed pitchers. i don't expect either of those BAs to keep up as the season continues, the reason being that he's known to hit both righties and lefties similarly, so there probably won't be a 105 point difference at the end of the year lol going forward, Michael should still hit righties quite well, though probably not THAT well, and his hitting against lefties should improve as he faces more southpaws.
Michael bat .316 (6-for-19) with 2 RBI at home and .350 (14-for-40) with 5 RBI away from Progressive Field. he played a lot more games on the road this month, explaining his better numbers. he hit safely in 3 of the 5 home games he played and safely got on base in 4 of them. he also hit safely in 7 of 10 road games and got on base safely in 9 of them. he currently has a 9-game on-base streak on the road as well.
Michael hit .500 (6-for-12) with runners in scoring position with 6 RBI in April. breaking that down, he hit 1.000 (1-for-1) with RISP and 0 outs, .429 (3-for-7) with RISP and 1 out, and .500 (2-for-4) with RISP and 2 outs.
with 2 outs in an inning, Michael bat .417 (10-for-24). he hit 4 doubles, had 3 RBI, drew 1 walk, and struck out looking once.
additionally, he bat .450 (9-for-20) with 7 RBI with runners on base and 1.000 (1-for-1) with 1 RBI when the bases were loaded.
Michael had the majority of his at bats this month when no one was on base. i found it very interesting that he did the "worst" in those situations, batting only .282 (11-for-39) with the bases empty. five of his 11 hits were doubles though. and all three of his strikeouts in April came with nobody on, which is probably the "best" time to K if you're going to.
moreover, in April, Michael had a 0.5 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 139 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), a -0.3 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings), and a 1.1 UZR (ultimate zone rating). [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.] at this juncture, i get why he has such a poor BsR, but i'm hoping for improvement as the year progresses.
Versus AL Central Division Teams
vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael bat .529 (9-for-17) in 4 games in April. (he missed 2 games because he was out resting his back.) of his 9 hits, 3 were doubles, giving him 12 total bases. he also had 3 RBI, 3 runs, and 1 stolen base. he only had 1 strikeout (looking), left 3 men on base, and recorded 5 putouts in left field. clearly, he had the Tigers' number.
vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael bat .182 (2-for-11) in 3 games in April. he had 1 double, 1 run, 2 walks, and 3 total bases. he stranded 1 and recorded 3 putouts. sadly, the Royals pitching was too much for him at this time.
vs. the Chicago White Sox, Michael bat .273 (3-for-11) in 3 games in April. (he missed 2 games because of his back.) he had 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 run, 1 walk, and 4 total bases. he had 2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking), left 4 guys on, and recorded 4 putouts. i'll take that for right now.
vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael bat .250 (3-for-12) in 3 games in April. all 3 hits were singles for 3 total bases. he also had 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 GIDP, and left 6 guys on base. defensively, he recorded 7 putouts and 1 outfield assist, and was part of 1 double play as well. the Twins are still arguably the worst team in our division, so i expect to see him perform better offensively against them as the season goes on.
Team Leads, Career Highs, and Just Missing Out on Being a Qualifier
because Michael missed six games, he is not currently a qualifying player. he needs 3.1 plate appearances per game (or 502 PA at the end of the year) to be considered a qualifier. at the conclusion of April, Michael did not have enough plate appearances to be an official qualifying player. right now he's got 63 plate appearances, which equals out to exactly 3.0 PA per game. so if i figured this out correctly, Michael should qualify in two more days (on May 2), just as long as he plays the next two games and has at least five PA. (how typical, he just missed out in April lol) but since Michael is not technically a qualifying player, that complicates what categories he leads the team in. read on for that explanation.
as a result of there only being 21 games this month and Michael only playing 15 of them, Michael does not lead the team in many categories. it's really not likely that he'll be much of a stats leader this year, especially if the top of the order continues to struggle and nobody's in scoring position when he comes to bat. (that again makes me ponder how special 2014 really was. everything aligned perfectly for Michael. he was destined for that outstanding year. now, maybe not so much.)
anyways, Michael currently leads the team outright with 20 hits and 7 doubles. he leads the outfielders with 1 double play.
BUT, if you compare his numbers to the regular Indians players with at least 59 at bats, then you could say he also leads the team with his .339 batting average and .839 OPS. using that same logic, he has the least amount of strikeouts with 3 as well.
he's 2nd on the team with 13 singles and tied for 2nd with 7 extra base hits.
BUT, once again, if you apply the 59 at bats filter, Michael is also 2nd with his .381 OBP and .458 SLG.
in addition, he's 3rd with 27 total bases.
as for career highs for Michael in the month of April, there are a few, but i have some "exceptions" here too. since the Indians had a short month, and Michael had to miss six games with the back strain, i'm not sure if he even technically played a "full" month. he played in 71.4% of the total games. is that enough to declare a batting average as a career high? or a strikeout number a career low? i'm just gonna go with yes to try and make this a little less complicated.
after consulting with my personal record books, i found that Michael set career highs for himself in April with 7 doubles, .339 BA, .458 SLG, and .839 OPS. he also tied a career high from 2011 with his .381 OBP. furthermore, Michael set career lows in April with 1 GIDP and 3 strikeouts.
when Michael becomes a qualifier in May, i can do comparisons of his numbers to other outfielders in the majors (if he builds his stats up more) in the next monthly blog. had Michael qualified this month, he would have had the 2nd highest BA among AL outfielders and 4th highest of all MLB outfielders. i couldn't resist checking lol
April Standout Games, Spotlights, and Quotes
before the April 12 game at home versus the Detroit Tigers, which Michael did not play in, he received his 2014 AL OF Silver Slugger Award. i blogged about it and included pictures here.
in the April 24 game against the Tigers, Michael went 3-for-4 with 3 singles, 1 RBI, and 2 runs. before the game, Terry Francona commended Michael's ability to get on base even though he probably wasn't yet in midseason form.
then on April 25, Michael had his best game of the season, going 4-for-4 against the Tigers. that marked the 3rd four-hit game of his career against Detroit and his 9th career four-hit game overall. he had 2 singles, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, and stole his 1st base of the year. after the game's conclusion, Michael had a total of 41 plate appearances, and in those 41 PA, he had only struck out twice (once swinging, once looking). those 2 strikeouts were the fewest out of every major league player with at least 41 PA at that time.
Michael had this to say about his perfect night at the plate. "it feels good. you always want to contribute and do the best that you can for your team each and every day. i'll continue to work hard and keep pushing the guys like they are pushing me and we're going to be fine."
when asked if he thinks his back strain would be a problem all season, he replied frankly, "i hope not. we'll take it day by day. we have a great medical staff with a great game plan. the only thing i care about is being out there with my teammates." then, in what comes off to me as an admittance that he's playing hurt, he added, "no one is always 100% healthy all the time. you have to grind it out and be tough mentally."
Francona praised Michael for his performance at the plate despite his back strain. "he's a good hitter and he's starting to feel good which is great for us. i think his back's probably not perfect but i don't think it's getting in the way right now. sometimes you make a move and it grabs at you a little bit. it doesn't seem to be affecting his swing."
i had to wonder, though, how long Michael would be able to keep that up. eventually, wouldn't playing at less than 100% and doing as much swinging as he does irritate his back to the point where he'll need to sit out for a significant period of time again? the answer might have come sooner than i wanted it.
during the April 26 game against Detroit, Tom Hamilton mentioned how Michael had to step out of the batter's box and take another swing during one of his at bats. he then went on to say that Michael's still not 100% and sometimes he'll tweak his back when he's at the plate swinging. i did not like learning that.
also in this game, Michael struck out looking in his first at bat. as i've said many times in the past, a lot of the called strike 3s on Michael are bogus. this was no different. Michael's got a great eye at the plate, that's why he has one of the lowest K rates in the league. and on this date, he did not agree with Jim Joyce, everyone's favorite umpire behind the plate, or his strike zone.
on April 30, the final game of the month, Michael went out with a real bang against Toronto. he had another 3-hit game, going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI single. it astonishes me how there are times when he can be so productive despite playing through an active back strain.
In Indians History
thanks to my favorite Tribe stats man, Mr. Jordan Bastian, i learned that for the second time in Michael's career, he had at least 20 hits, 4 walks, and no more than 3 strikeouts in a month. the first time he did it was in September 2012. not only that, but he is the only Indians hitter in the last 12 years to do so. who was the Tribe player with those numbers prior to Michael? Victor Martinez in September 2003. and also like Michael, he had an .839 OPS for that month as well. additionally, if we throw Michael's .458 SLG into the mix, the last Indian to total a minimum of those stats in one month was Tony Fernandez in 1997.
In The Field
defensively, Michael provided many superb highlights. he played strictly left field and did not commit one error, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. he only had 22 putouts this month, due to the games he missed and being the team's DH for a few games. it's also arguable that Michael was being cautious when going after some balls hit to left field on account of his back. but, if you want his bat in the lineup, that's something you're just gonna have to live with. in spite of his wariness, Michael still made some difficult catches. #warrior
going back to the end of 2014, Michael had played 144 consecutive games in the outfield without committing an error. combine that with this month, and he's currently at 157 straight games without an error. his previous franchise record, set in 2014, is 247 games. i think it's highly probable that he could break that record and set another new one in 2015.
also this month, Michael had 2 outfield assists and was part of 1 double play. his 2nd assist came on April 18 in the game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Eduardo Nunez was at 1st base with 1 out in the bottom of the 5th inning and the Indians up, 2-1. Jordan Schafer was at the plate facing Danny Salazar. he swung at the first pitch and flew out to shallow left field. Michael made the catch and then fired the ball in to Carlos Santana at 1st base. Nunez had advanced too far on Schafer's flyout and couldn't get back to 1st base in time, thus he was out and that completed the double play to end the inning. with much more time to come for Michael in left, i'm sure that assist total will increase, and maybe, if his back doesn't affect him too much, he might finally get that Gold Glove at the end of this year.
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his April #s, the 3rd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s and overall outfield #s.
April batting average: .339
OBP: .381
SLG: .458
OPS: .839
Michael played in 15 (of 21) games, 13 complete, in April. he started and played left in 13 games, completing 11 of those games. he was subbed out of 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were losing by a lot. he was subbed out of 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more than enough in the game. he started and was the DH for 2 games. he missed 6 games because of his lower back strain.
Michael bat 3rd in 15 games.
Michael played left field in 13 games. (11 complete, 2 subbed out: 14 innings)
Michael was the DH in 2 games.
Michael played in 13 complete games.
in April, Michael had a total of 63 plate appearances and 59 at bats. here is how he fared:
20 hits
7 extra base hits
13 singles
7 doubles
0 home runs
7 RBI
6 runs
4 walks
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
3 strikeouts (2 looking, 1 swinging)
5 first at bat hits
27 total bases
14 left on base
22 putouts
2 assists
1 double play
109.1 innings, 15 games
(13 complete games)
April batting average: .339 (20-59) (15 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 3rd in April, he had a total of 63 plate appearances and 59 at bats in 15 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
20 hits
7 extra base hits
13 singles
7 doubles
0 home runs
7 RBI
6 runs
4 walks
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
3 strikeouts (2 looking, 1 swinging)
5 first at bat hits
27 total bases
14 left on base
22 putouts
2 assists
1 double play
109.1 innings, 15 games
(13 complete games)
April batting average in the 3rd spot: .339 (20-59) (15 games)
when Michael bat 3rd and played left in April, he had a total of 54 plate appearances and 51 at bats in 13 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
18 hits
7 extra base hits
11 singles
7 doubles
0 home runs
7 RBI
6 runs
3 walks
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking)
4 first at bat hits
25 total bases
9 left on base
22 putouts
2 assists
1 double play
109.1 innings, 13 games
(11 complete games)
April batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .353 (18-51) (13 games)
when Michael bat 3rd, he was the DH in April for 2 games. he had a total of 9 plate appearances and 8 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
2 hits
2 singles
1 walk
1 strikeout (looking)
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
5 left on base
April batting average in the 3rd spot as the DH: .250 (2-8) (2 games)
April/overall batting average so far as the DH: .250 (2-8) (2 games)
when Michael played the outfield in April, he had a total of 54 plate appearances and 51 at bats in 13 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
18 hits
7 extra base hits
11 singles
7 doubles
0 home runs
7 RBI
6 runs
3 walks
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking)
4 first at bat hits
25 total bases
9 left on base
22 putouts
2 assists
1 double play
109.1 innings, 13 games
(11 complete games)
April batting average while playing the outfield: .353 (18-51) (13 games)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left in April, he had a total of 54 plate appearances and 51 at bats in 13 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
18 hits
7 extra base hits
11 singles
7 doubles
0 home runs
7 RBI
6 runs
3 walks
1 stolen base (2nd)
1 GIDP
2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking)
4 first at bat hits
25 total bases
9 left on base
22 putouts
2 assists
1 double play
109.1 innings, 13 games
(11 complete games)
April batting average while playing left: .353 (18-51) (13 games)
April #s while playing left: 22 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (109.1 innings, 13 games)
April #s while playing the outfield: 22 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (109.1 innings, 13 games)
now my game-by-game numbers and notes.
Game 1, April 6: 0-4. AVG: .000
(batting 3rd/LF/CG8)
April 8: late scratch with lower back stiffness. he reached for something and it grabbed at him. currently day-to-day.
(3rd/LF)
April 9: still out with lower back stiffness, team being cautious. he will be examined and have an MRI in Cleveland on April 10.
April 10: morning MRI showed lower back strain, but he said he could play so...
Game 2, April 10: 1-4, RBI double, run. AVG: .125
(3rd/LF/CG9)
April 11: out again with lower back strain and could be out a couple games. he experienced lower back spasms late in the game on April 10 and Francona admitted he should have sat him another day. no one thinks a DL stint is necessary.
April 12: back feeling slightly better. hope is he'll play April 14.
April 14: went through full pregame workout. possible return April 15, but the team is really aiming for April 17. saw specialists beyond team doctors and they don't think the issue will linger.
April 15: hit in batting cage and did work in the outfield before the game. should be in starting lineup on April 17.
Game 3, April 17: 2-5, single (first at bat hit), single. AVG: .231
(3rd/DH/CG)
Game 4, April 18: 0-3, walk. AVG: .188
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 5, April 19: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .200
(3rd/LF/GS7)
Game 6, April 20: 1-4, RBI double. AVG: .208
(3rd/LF/CG8.1)
Game 7, April 21: 2-4, single, run, RBI single. AVG: .250
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 8, April 22: 0-3, walk. AVG: .226
(3rd/DH/CG)
Game 9, April 24: 3-4, single (first at bat), run, RBI single, run, single. AVG: .286
(3rd/LF/GS7)
Game 10, April 25: 4-4, single (first at bat), stolen base, RBI single, double, double. AVG: .359
(3rd/LF/CG8)
Game 11, April 26: 1-5, single, run. AVG: .341
(3rd/LF/CG8)
Game 12, April 27: 0-2, walk (first at bat), walk. AVG: .326
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 13, April 28: 2-5, double (first at bat), single, run. AVG: .333
(3rd/LF/CG9)
**Michael's 12-game on-base streak ends**
Game 14, April 29: 0-4. AVG: .309
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 15, April 30: 3-4, double (first at bat), RBI single, double. AVG: .339
(3rd/LF/CG9)
~~Michael ends the month with an active 9-game on-base streak on the road~~
one last thing before i close the book on Michael's April. it's very easy to support a player when he's having an extraordinary season. on the contrary, it's not easy for some people to stand by a player when he's struggling. i've long claimed that some Cleveland fans live by a 'what have you done for me lately' attitude. when a team or player is going well, they're all on board. but when bumps in the road occur and things aren't going as fans had hoped, they bitch and they bail. the true test for fans will now be, will you still support a player, in this case Michael Brantley, when he's facing adversity and if he's not necessarily putting up "sexy" numbers? you already know my answer. and if your answer is yes like mine, then be sure to show your Brantley pride and vote for Michael to go to this year's All Star game in Cincinnati. details on how to vote can be found here.
in case you missed any of my offseason blogs:
Brantley Ranked 3rd in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now
Brantley Ranked 21st in MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now
Brantley Ranked 1st in Baseball Tonight's Top 10 Left Fielders
Brantley's On the Cover of Sports Illustrated!
Brantley Ranked 43rd in Baseball Tonight's Top 100 Players
Brantley's Spring Training 2015 #s and My Expectations
and don't forget to follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for daily updates on Michael Brantley's health and in-game happenings.
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