Sunday, August 2, 2015

Brantley's 2015 #s Through July

sorry for the delay on this blog. as i said in the blog i posted yesterday, the worst thing that can happen at the end of a month is the Indians playing late night West Coast games because it cuts my calculation time in half. but everything's all done now so let's jump right into it.

Michael's been looking really good since he got those 4 days off during the All Star break, but as a whole, his stats so far just don't rank very high around the league. it's no secret he's been dealing with a back strain since the first day he reported to spring training, so i don't think you can expect much more from him at this point. that's not to say he's doing bad, but he won't be in the MVP race this year or win another Silver Slugger award. nonetheless, his numbers through July are much better than what some other players would be putting up if they had been playing hurt all season. (just check the stats of some of the Indians who played hurt last year.) with 2 months left in 2015, anything can happen, and for Michael, i hope it's nothing but positive things so he can finish the year out strong.



so far in 2015, Michael has a total of 408 plate appearances and 357 at bats in 93 games (734.0 innings). in total, he has 107 hits, 38 extra base hits, 69 singles, 30 doubles, 8 home runs, 56 RBI, 4 sac flies, 41 runs, 46 walks, 5 intentional walks, 1 hit by pitch, 11 stolen bases (10 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 9 GIDP, 30 strikeouts (19 swinging, 11 looking), 28 first at bat hits, 161 total bases, 149 left on base, 145 putouts, 7 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play.

2015 batting average through July:
.300 (107-357)

OBP: .377

SLG: .451

OPS: .828


Michael's .300 batting average is currently the 2nd highest on the team out of all the qualifying players. only Jason Kipnis is ahead of him right now, batting .329.


note: this season, a few of Michael's numbers through July are lower than what he usually totals by now, which is obviously due to the 9 games he missed because of his back hindrance. but i wanted to point them out just for comparison. in the past, Michael's had at least 2 triples, 43 runs (he had 71 last year!), 369 at bats, 100 games played, and 855.2 innings in the field after 4 months of baseball. the big discrepancy with his total innings comes from playing more games than normal as the DH this year.


Team Leads and Career Highs

through July, Michael leads the team with 56 RBI, 5 intentional walks, 11 stolen bases (tied), and 11:1 stolen base:caught stealing ratio. he has the least amount of strikeouts among qualifying players as well, with 30.

he leads the outfielders with 7 assists and 734.0 innings in the field. he's also tied for 1st with 84 games. he's 2nd with 145 putouts, 1 double play, and a .993 fielding percentage.

Michael is 2nd on the team with 107 hits, 38 extra base hits, 69 singles, 30 doubles, 8 home runs, 4 sac flies, 161 total bases, 408 plate appearances, 357 at bats, .300 batting average, .377 OBP, .451 SLG, and .828 OPS.

additionally, he's 3rd with 41 runs and 46 walks.

when comparing Michael's stats from previous seasons to this year, i found that Michael set career highs for himself through July with 30 doubles, 46 walks, and 5 intentional walks. he also has a career low 30 strikeouts at this point.


HR:RBI, K Rate, and Outs

ladies and gentlemen, Michael is back in the game regarding the home run race. he hit 4 bombs in July, doubling his total to 8 through 4 months of play. Brandon Moss was the team leader with 15 homers, but he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30, removing him from the rankings by default. therefore, the new official team leader is Carlos Santana with 12 home runs, moving Michael up to 2nd with 8. Jason Kipnis is 3rd with 6, and Yan Gomes, Francisco Lindor, and Roberto Perez are all 4th with 5 homers. (David Murphy also had 5 home runs, but he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels on July 29.)

Michael came into July with the team lead in RBI, but after the very first game, Moss took the title back after driving in 5 runs. it was a while before Michael finally drove home enough runners to tie him, but he did on July 11. both men had 46 runs batted in at the All Star break. once the guys got back to action, Michael earned the sole lead on July 18 when he hit his first 3-run homer of the year, giving him a team high 49 RBI. he continued to rack up the ribbies and, even before Moss was traded, he had a solid lead on the category. he currently boasts bragging rights with 56 total RBI. that's more like what i expect out of him. i hope the guys in front of him keep getting on so he can keep bringing 'em home.

now let's do the new HR:RBI ratio. 4 of Michael's 56 RBI so far (7.1%) have come from his solo homers, while 14 of his 56 RBI (25%) have come from all 8 of his home runs.

Michael's K rate so far in 2015 is 7.4% (30 K/408 PA). he remains the toughest hitter in the American League to strike out, and he's tied for the 2nd toughest overall in the majors. only Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves has a lower K rate at 7.0%. at present, Michael's averaging 1 strikeout for every 13.6 plate appearances.

through 4 months, Michael continues to get most of his outs by making contact with the ball. only 30 of his total outs have come via the strikeout. he also has 128 groundouts versus 105 flyouts, as well as 38 lineouts.


Situational Statistics

Michael had a hit in 73 of the 93 games he's played thus far in 2015 and reached base safely in 81 games. he has 20 hitless games, but still reached base in 8 of those. Michael has 25 multi-hit games, 7 3+ hit games, and 10 multi-RBI games. he has at least 1 RBI in 43 games. in addition, he has 14 go-ahead hits and 16 go-ahead RBI. the Indians are now 44-49 in games that Michael played in and 4-5 in the games he sat out.

currently, Michael is batting .305 (64-for-210) against right-handed pitchers and .293 (43-for-147) against left-handed pitchers. he ended July in a bit of a slump against southpaws, so that BA dipped down a bit, creating some separation between his righty and lefty splits.

Michael's hitting .289 (50-for-173) with 22 RBI at home. he has 15 doubles and 5 home runs (20 extra base hits) at Progressive Field, along with 21 runs, 23 walks (2 intentional), 1 hit by pitch, 7 stolen bases (1 - 3rd), 4 GIDP, 17 strikeouts (10 swinging, 7 looking), and 80 total bases while playing 46 out of 52 total home games. he hit safely in 34 of the 46 home games he's played in and safely got on base in 39 of them. he has 12 hitless games at home, reaching base in 5.

outside Cleveland, Michael's now hitting .310 (57-for-184) with 34 RBI away from Progressive Field. he has 15 doubles and 3 home runs (18 extra base hits) on the road, along with 20 runs, 23 walks (3 intentional), 4 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing (3rd), 5 GIDP, 13 strikeouts (9 swinging, 4 looking), and 81 total bases while playing 47 of 50 total road games. he also hit safely in 39 of 47 road games he's played in and got on base safely in 42 of them. he has 8 hitless games away from home, reaching base in 3.

once again, Michael increased his RISP average, batting .348 (32-for-92) with runners in scoring position with 47 RBI through July. breaking it down, he's hitting .400 (8-for-20) with RISP and 0 outs, .485 (16-for-33) with RISP and 1 out, and .205 (8-for-39) with RISP and 2 outs. he has yet to improve in those 2-out RISP situations.

with 2 outs in an inning, Michael continues to trend downward, presently batting .256 (34-for-133). he has 7 doubles, 1 home run, 13 RBI, 21 walks, and 14 strikeouts (9 swinging, 5 looking). this is another area of his game that is a definite cause for concern right now.

additionally, he's batting .339 (56-for-165) with 52 RBI with runners on base and .200 (2-for-10) with 7 RBI with bases loaded through July. those were both increases from the end of June. however, i wish he could do better when coming to bat with the bags juiced.

on the contrary, Michael's hitting .266 (51-for-192) with the bases empty now, a minor decrease from a month ago. he currently has 16 doubles, 4 home runs, 4 RBI, and 19 walks when batting with nobody on base.

after 4 months of play, Michael has a 2.5 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 133 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), a 1.6 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings), and a -3.8 UZR (ultimate zone rating). among qualifying AL left fielders, Michael's wRC+ ranks 1st, while his WAR and BsR rank 3rd. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]


Versus AL Central Division Teams

vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael's now batting .366 (15-for-41) in 10 games. (he missed 2 games because he was out resting his back.) of his 15 hits, 5 are extra base hits--all doubles--giving him 20 total bases. he also has 5 RBI, 5 runs, 2 walks (1 intentional), 1 stolen base, and 3 first at bat hits. in addition, he now has 1 GIDP, 3 strikeouts (2 looking, 1 swinging), and 15 men left on base. defensively, he has 12 putouts in 84 total innings--58 innings in 7 games in left field and 26 innings in 3 games in center.

vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael's batting .292 (7-for-24) in 6 games. he has 1 home run, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 3 walks, 1 stolen base, and 10 total bases. he has 1 GIDP and left 8 runners on base. defensively, he's got 12 putouts, 3 outfield assists, and 1 double play in 42 innings as the left fielder. (he was the DH for 1 game.)

vs. the Chicago White Sox, Michael's down to batting just .214 (9-for-42) in 11 games. (he missed 2 games because of his back.) he has 4 doubles, 6 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 run, 3 walks, 3 first at bat hits, and 13 total bases. he's grounded into 2 double plays, struck out 7 times (5 swinging, 2 looking), and left 20 guys on base. between left and center field, he's played 90.0 total innings (53.1 in left in 6 games and 36.2 in center in 4 games), and recorded 14 putouts. (he was the DH for 1 game.)

vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael's batting .289 (11-for-38) in 11 games. (he missed 1 game to rest his back.) he has 1 double and 2 home runs to go along with 5 RBI, 8 runs, 9 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 3 stolen bases (1 - 3rd), 4 first at bat hits, and 18 total bases. he also has 1 GIDP, 1 strikeout swinging, and 12 left on base. in the field, he's recorded 14 putouts in 79 innings (65 in left in 8 games and 14 in center in 2 games). (he was the DH for 2 games.)


Spotlight On 2-Baggers

from the beginning of 2014 through July of 2015, Michael now leads the American League with 75 doubles. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera and Houston's Jose Altuve are behind him with 68 doubles. at the end of last month, Michael was tied for the lead with Cabrera, but Cabrera was put on the DL with a strained calf in early July and probably won't be back to playing until mid-August. so until then, that's less competition for Michael and it gives him more time to add on to his lead.

(this information was first brought to my attention on May 12 via Hoynsie, and i've been keeping tabs on it ever since and will continue to for the remainder of the season.)


League Rankings

as per usual, i'm only including those statistics of Michael's that rank in the top 10 while comparing them around the league. 

among other qualifying players in the American League, he's ranked 2nd in doubles (30), 7th in OBP (.377), and 10th in walks (46) and batting average (.300). at present, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera leads the AL with a .350 BA. Michael is also ranked 82nd out of 82 players in strikeouts (30), meaning he has the least amount of Ks in the AL. 

among qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael is 1st in doubles, 3rd in walks and OBP, tied for 3rd in sac flies (4), 4th in batting average, tied for 4th in intentional walks (5), tied for 7th in hits (107) and RBI (56), tied for 8th in extra base hits (38), and 9th in OPS (.828). plus, out of 25 players, he's 25th in strikeouts. 

among qualifying left fielders in the American League, Michael ranks 1st in doubles, walks, batting average, and OBP; 2nd in extra base hits, RBI, and intentional walks; tied for 2nd in sac flies; 3rd in hits, stolen bases (11), total bases (161), and OPS; 4th in plate appearances (408), at bats (357), games played (93), and SLG (.451); 6th in runs (41); and tied for 9th in home runs (8). additionally, he ranks 5th out of 5 qualifiers in strikeouts. 

among all major league left fielders, Michael is 1st in doubles, walks, and OBP; 2nd in batting average; tied for 2nd in extra base hits, RBI, and sac flies; 4th in hits and plate appearances; tied for 4th in intentional walks; 5th in total bases and OPS; 6th in at bats; 8th in stolen bases and SLG; 10th in runs; and tied for 10th in games played. he's also 14th of 14 in strikeouts.

among all major league outfielders, Michael ranks 1st in doubles, 5th in OBP, tied for 6th in sac flies, 7th in batting average, tied for 8th in intentional walks, and 9th in walks. he ranks 54th out of 54 in strikeouts as well.


In The Field

besides one little gaffe on his defensive record this season, Michael continues to display some strong defense in the outfield. he has a combined 145 putouts between left and center field in 2015 so far. he also has 7 outfield assists, 1 error, 1 double play, and a .993 fielding percentage.

as the left fielder, Michael has 105 putouts, 6 assists, 1 error, 1 double play, and a .991 fielding percentage after 4 months this year.

as the center fielder, he has 40 putouts, 1 assist, and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage thus far.

Michael's 6 assists in left field rank 2nd among all AL left fielders. he's now 3 assists behind Yoenis Cespedes (who still has 5 errors compared to Michael's 1). BUT Cespedes was just traded on July 31 to the New York Mets, so Michael could potentially be at the top of this category at the end of next month--as long as nobody else passes him. Michael's 1 double play ranks tied for 5th along with 7 other AL left fielders right now as well. he is also currently 3rd with his .991 fielding percentage. 

among all MLB left fielders, Michael's 6 assists rank tied for 4th with San Diego's Justin Upton and LA Dodgers' Scott Van Slyke. Chris Coghlan of the Chicago Cubs and Starling Marte of the Pittsburgh Pirates are tied for 2nd with 8 assists. 

among all AL outfielders, Michael's 7 total assists rank tied for 11th (with 3 other players).

among all MLB outfielders, Michael's 7 assists rank tied for 15th (with 4 other players).



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his 2015 #s through July, the 3rd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, the center field #s, and overall outfield #s.


2015 batting average through July: .300

OBP: .377

SLG: .451

OPS: .828


Michael played in 93 (of 102) games, 86 complete, in 2015 through July.

he started and played left in 60 games, completing 50 of those games, appearing in 67 total. he was subbed out of 6 games after 43 innings; 2 games after 14 innings (7 innings/7 innings per game) because the Indians were losing by a lot, and 4 games after 29 innings (7 innings/8 innings/8 innings/6 innings per game) because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more than enough in the game.

he started and played center in 24 games, completing 16 of those games, appearing in 28 total. he was subbed out of 1 game after 6 innings because the Indians were getting blown out.

he was part of a defensive switch in 11 games, moving from center to left in 7 games and moving from left to center in 4 games.

when moved over to left, he played:
3 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game,
3 innings with no official at bats (but 1 plate appearance) in 1 game,
2 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game,
1 inning with 1 official at bat in 1 game,
2 innings with no official at bats in 1 game,
2 innings with no official at bats in 1 game, and
1 inning with no official at bats in 1 game.

when moved over to center, he played:
2 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game,
6 innings with 3 official at bats in 1 game,
1.1 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game, and
1 inning with no official at bats in 1 game.

he started and was the DH for 9 games.

he missed 6 games because of his lower back strain. he got 3 games off to rest his back.


Michael bat 3rd in 93 games.


Michael played left field in 67 games. (50 complete, 6 subbed out: 43 innings, 7 defensive switches: 14 innings, 4 started: 24.2 innings)

Michael played center field in 28 games. (16 complete, 7 started: 49 innings, 4 defensive switches: 10.1 innings, 1 subbed out: 6 innings)

Michael was the DH in 9 games.

Michael played in 86 complete games.



through July 2015, Michael has a total of 408 plate appearances and 357 at bats. here is how he fared:

107 hits

38 extra base hits

69 singles

30 doubles

8 home runs

56 RBI

4 sac flies

41 runs

46 walks

5 intentional walks

1 hit by pitch

11 stolen bases (10 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (3rd)

9 GIDP

30 strikeouts (19 swinging, 11 looking)

28 first at bat hits

161 total bases


149 left on base

145 putouts

7 assists

1 error

1 double play

734.0 innings, 93 games

(86 complete games)

2015 batting average through July: .300 (107-357) (93 games)


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


when Michael bat 3rd in 2015, he had a total of 408 plate appearances and 357 at bats in 93 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

107 hits

38 extra base hits

69 singles

30 doubles

8 home runs

56 RBI

4 sac flies

41 runs

46 walks

5 intentional walks

1 hit by pitch

11 stolen bases (10 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (3rd)

9 GIDP

30 strikeouts (19 swinging, 11 looking)

28 first at bat hits

161 total bases


149 left on base

145 putouts

7 assists

1 error

1 double play

734.0 innings, 93 games

(86 complete games)

2015 batting average in the 3rd spot through July: .300 (107-357) (93 games)


when Michael bat 3rd and played left in 2015, he had a total of 265 plate appearances and 228 at bats in 67 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

66 hits

21 extra base hits

45 singles

17 doubles

4 home runs

38 RBI

3 sac flies

26 runs

34 walks

5 intentional walks

9 stolen bases (8 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

4 GIDP

13 strikeouts (8 swinging, 5 looking)

16 first at bat hits

95 total bases


93 left on base

105 putouts

6 assists

1 error

1 double play

528.0 innings, 67 games

(50 complete games)

2015 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left through July: .289 (66-228) (67 games)


when Michael bat 3rd and played center in 2015, he had a total of 104 plate appearances and 96 at bats in 28 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

14 extra base hits

16 singles

12 doubles

2 home runs

13 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs

7 walks

2 stolen bases (2nd)

1 caught stealing (3rd)

4 GIDP

14 strikeouts (9 swinging, 5 looking)

10 first at bat hits

48 total bases


36 left on base

40 putouts

1 assist

206.0 innings, 28 games

(16 complete games)

2015 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center through July: .313 (30-96) (28 games)


when Michael bat 3rd, he was the DH in 2015 for 9 games. he had a total of 39 plate appearances and 33 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

11 hits

3 extra base hits

8 singles

1 double

2 home runs

5 RBI

6 runs

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

1 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

18 total bases


20 left on base

2015 batting average in the 3rd spot as the DH through July: .333 (11-33) (9 games)


overall 2015 batting average as the DH through July: .333 (11-33) (9 games)


when Michael played the outfield in 2015, he had a total of 369 plate appearances and 324 at bats in 84 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

96 hits

35 extra base hits

61 singles

29 doubles

6 home runs

51 RBI

4 sac flies

35 runs

41 walks

5 intentional walks

11 stolen bases (10 - 2nd, 1 -3rd)

1 caught stealing (3rd)

8 GIDP

27 strikeouts (17 swinging, 10 looking)

26 first at bat hits

143 total bases


129 left on base

145 putouts

7 assists

1 error

1 double play

734.0 innings, 84 games

(77 complete games)

2015 batting average while playing the outfield through July: .296 (96-324) (84 games)


now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in 2015, he had a total of 265 plate appearances and 228 at bats in 67 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

66 hits

21 extra base hits

45 singles

17 doubles

4 home runs

38 RBI

3 sac flies

26 runs

34 walks

5 intentional walks

9 stolen bases (8 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

4 GIDP

13 strikeouts (8 swinging, 5 looking)

16 first at bat hits

95 total bases


93 left on base

105 putouts

6 assists

1 error

1 double play

528.0 innings, 67 games

(50 complete games)

2015 batting average while playing left through July: .289 (66-228) (67 games)


when Michael played center in 2015, he had a total of 104 plate appearances and 96 at bats in 28 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

14 extra base hits

16 singles

12 doubles

2 home runs

13 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs

7 walks

2 stolen bases (2nd)

1 caught stealing (3rd)

4 GIDP

14 strikeouts (9 swinging, 5 looking)

10 first at bat hits

48 total bases


36 left on base

40 putouts

1 assist

206.0 innings, 28 games

(16 complete games)

2015 batting average while playing center through July: .313 (30-96) (28 games)



2015 #s so far while playing left: 105 putouts, 6 assists, 1 error, 1 double play, .991 fielding percentage (528.0 innings, 67 games)

2015 #s so far while playing center: 40 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (206.0 innings, 28 games)

2015 #s so far while playing the outfield: 145 putouts, 7 assists, 1 error, 1 double play, .993 fielding percentage (734.0 innings, 84 games)



if you would like to see Michael's monthly game-by-game numbers and notes, please refer back to:
Brantley's April 2015 #s blog,
Brantley's May 2015 #s blog,
Brantley's June 2015 #s blog, and
Brantley's July 2015 #s blog.

see you next month with another recap of Michael's overall numbers so far!

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