Brantley's 2016 #s Through August

by now i'm sure everybody has heard that Michael Brantley's 2016 season officially came to an end when he underwent biceps tenodesis for his chronic right biceps tendinitis on August 15. the good news is he's expected to make a full recovery in four months. the bad news is he has no chance to build on his numbers for the year anymore. as a result, this is going to be another "#s Through" blog much like the previous two i've posted. once again, if you see (unchanged) next to a section, it means nothing was added to it, and sections without that marking include new/different information from the last time you viewed them.

note: even though Michael's season is over and his statistics will not be changing, i am going to continue using the present tense when listing them below. i'm also still going to address his numbers and stats throughout this blog using the terms "through August" and "after five months" simply to keep the timeline of the season straight. however, i am no longer using "so far" and "thus far" when describing his stats because they are indeed final.


in 2016, Michael has 43 plate appearances and 39 at bats in 11 games (89.1 innings). in total, he has 9 hits, 2 extra base hits, 7 singles, 2 doubles, 7 RBI, 1 sac fly, 5 runs, 3 walks, 1 intentional walk, 1 stolen base (3rd), 1 GIDP, 6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking), 1 first at bat hit, 11 total bases, 14 left on base, 18 putouts, and 1 assist.

2016 batting average through August:
.231 (9-39)

OBP: .279

SLG: .282

OPS: .561


Just For Shits & Giggles, What Is Michael's Qualifying Status At Now?

the Cleveland Indians have played 132 games through August and Michael has played in a measly 11 of them. that's certainly not how i'd once envisioned things to be going for him at this point. but anyway, in case you forgot, a player needs 3.1 plate appearances per game in order to be considered a qualifier. right now, Michael has an average of 0.3 plate appearances per game. spoiler alert: when all 162 games are done, he'll have the same number thanks to the power of rounding to the nearest tenth.


Team Leads and Career Highs (unchanged)

through August, Michael does not have any team leads.

he is, however, tied for 3rd with 1 intentional walk.

Michael does not have any career highs through August.


HR, RBI, K Rate, LOB, and Outs (unchanged)

after 11 games in 5 months of play, Michael has no home runs.

he has 7 RBI and left a total of 14 men on base.

Michael's K rate in 2016 is 14.0% (6 K/43 PA). that works out to an average of 1 strikeout for every 7.2 plate appearances.

through August, Michael has 11 groundouts, 5 flyouts, 7 lineouts, and 1 pop out versus 6 strikeouts.


Situational Statistics

Michael hit in 6 of the 11 games he's played in 2016 and reached base safely in 7 games. he has 5 hitless games, but still reached base in 1 of those. Michael has 1 multi-hit game, 1 three+ hit game, and 1 multi-RBI game. he has at least 1 RBI in 5 games. in addition, he has 2 go-ahead hits and 2 go-ahead RBI. the Indians are 6-5 in games that Michael played in and 70-51 in the games he sat out/missed.

after five months, Michael is batting .219 (7-for-32) against right-handed pitchers and .286 (2-for-7) against left-handed pitchers.

Michael's hitting .389 (7-for-18) with 6 RBI at home. he has 1 double (1 extra base hit) at Progressive Field, along with 4 runs, 2 walks, 1 GIDP, 2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging), and 8 total bases while playing 5 out of 65 total home games. he hit safely in 4 of the 5 home games he's played in and safely reached base in all 5 of them. he has 1 hitless game at home, but still reached base in it.

on the contrary, Michael's hitting .095 (2-for-21) with 1 RBI away from Progressive Field. he has 1 double (1 extra base hit) on the road, along with 1 sac fly, 1 run, 1 walk (intentional), 1 stolen base (3rd), 4 strikeouts (2 swinging, 2 looking), and 3 total bases while playing 6 out of 67 total road games. he hit safely in 2 of the 6 road games he's played in and safely reached base in 2 of them. he has 4 hitless games away from home, reaching base in none.

Michael's batting .385 (5-for-13) with runners in scoring position, producing 7 RBI through August. breaking that down, he's batting 1.000 (1-for-1) with RISP and 0 outs, .429 (3-for-7) with RISP and 1 out, and .200 (1-for-5) with RISP and 2 outs.

with 2 outs in an inning, Michael's batting .154 (2-for-13). he has 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 walk (intentional), and 4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking).

additionally, he's hitting .333 (5-for-15) with 7 RBI with runners on base and has not come to bat at all with the bases loaded this season.

furthermore, Michael's hitting .167 (4-for-24) with the bases empty. he has 1 double and 4 strikeouts (2 swinging, 2 looking).

at the end of August, Michael has a 0.0 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 42 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), a 0.4 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings), and a 1.3 UZR (ultimate zone rating). even without playing, his wRC+ went down 2 points and his UZR decreased by 0.1 from the end of July due to the league averages of those stats having changed. and as usual, these numbers do not rank among qualifying AL left fielders because Michael is not a qualifier. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]


Versus AL Central Division Teams

vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael's batting .500 (6-for-12) in 3 games. (he missed 9 games/3 series against this team so far. he missed 3 games while on the 15-Day DL recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery/out on a minor league rehab assignment with the Columbus Clippers; he missed 3 games while on the 15-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis and was shut down from baseball activities due to the cortisone shot he'd recently received; and he missed 3 games while on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis, but had just started taking batting practice on the field.) he has 5 singles and 1 double, as well as 5 RBI, 2 runs, and 7 total bases while leaving 2 men on base. in the field, Michael's played 27 innings in left and recorded 5 putouts.

vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael's batting .167 (1-for-6) in 2 games. (he missed 10 games in 3 series against this team so far. he missed 4 games while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and was hitting off a tee; he missed 3 games while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and was doing soft toss; and he missed 3 games while on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis and went for an MRI after his minor league rehab assignment had just been put on hold due to him feeling right shoulder discomfort in the follow-through of his swing. he had 1 scheduled off day.) his lone hit was a single, but he also has 1 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 1 total base. he's grounded into 1 double play, has 2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging), and stranded 3 runners. defensively, Michael's played 18 innings in left field, recording 3 putouts and acquiring 1 outfield assist.

vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael's batting .125 (1-for-8) in 3 games. (he missed 13 games/4 series against this team so far. he missed 1 game because of right shoulder fatigue and had an MRI; he missed 2 games after just being put on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation; he missed 3 games while on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis/out on a minor league rehab assignment with the Akron RubberDucks; he missed 4 games while on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis and was hitting off a pitching machine before advancing to hitting live pitching on the field; and he missed 3 games while on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering from season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery).) he has 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 run, 1 walk (intentional), 1 stolen base (3rd), and 1 total base. he also has 2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking) and 4 left on base. in left field, he's played 18.1 innings and recorded 5 putouts. (he was a PH in 1 game, then played 1 inning in LF after a defensive switch.)

when the Indians played the Chicago White Sox, Michael was on the disabled list and has missed all 12 games/4 series against this team so far. he missed 2 games in the first series while on the 15-Day DL still recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery; he missed 4 games in the second series while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and had just begun some light swinging; he missed 3 games in the third series while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and was doing soft toss; and he missed 3 games in the fourth series while on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering after just having had season-ending biceps tenodesis.


Interleague Play

the Indians have played a total of 17 games against National League opponents through August, but Michael has played in only two games. overall, he's batting .111 (1-for-9) in Interleague Play in 2016.

when the Indians played the New York Mets at Progressive Field, Michael was on the 15-Day DL recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery/out on a minor league rehab assignment with the Akron RubberDucks. he missed all 3 games of their series.

vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .111 (1-for-9) in 2 games. (he had 1 scheduled off day.) he had 1 double equaling 2 total bases. he also struck out twice (1 swinging, 1 looking) and stranded 4 runners. in the field, Michael played 18 innings in left and recorded 5 putouts.

when the Indians played the Cincinnati Reds at both Progressive Field and Great American Ball Park (no designated hitter allowed in the latter), Michael was on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation and a subacromial impingement, for which he received an anti-inflammatory shot. he missed all 4 games in the home-and-home set of series.

when the Indians played the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field (no designated hitter allowed), Michael was still on the 15-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis and had just resumed hitting activities after being shut down for five days. he missed all 3 games in this series.

when the Indians played the Washington Nationals at Progressive Field and Nationals Park (no designated hitter allowed in the latter), Michael was on the 60-Day DL and missed all 4 games/2 series. he missed 2 games in the first (July) series with right biceps tendinitis and had just resumed swinging in the indoor cage after a hydrodissection procedure and three-day shutdown period. he also missed 2 games in the second (August) series with a recent diagnosis of chronic right biceps tendinitis and had been shut down from his rehabilitation.


League Rankings

one month ago, Michael had one stat in the Top 10 around the league and surprisingly, it's still hanging around despite him not playing.

among left fielders in the American League, Michael ranks tied for 8th in intentional walks (1).

will Michael's intent walk finish in the Top 10 once the season comes to its conclusion? find out in early October.


In The Field (unchanged)

in 2016, Michael only played left field for the Tribe and his defense was superb. he has 18 putouts, 1 assist, and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 11 games.

besides that, he's played 30 straight errorless games in the outfield. in 2014, Michael set a new franchise record with 247 errorless games. when he resumes play in 2017, i expect him to get a lot closer to that record once again.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his 2016 #s through August, the leadoff #s vs. the non-leadoff #s combined, the 3rd spot #s, the 4th spot #s, and the PH #s, as well as the left field #s, the BOP + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


2016 batting average through August: .231

OBP: .279

SLG: .282

OPS: .561


Michael played in 11 (of 132) games, 10 complete, in 2016 through August.

he started and played left in 10 games, completing 10 of those games, appearing in 11 total. he was a defensive switch in 1 game for 1 inning after a PH appearance.

he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game.

he missed 16 games because he was still on the 15-Day DL rehabbing from offseason right shoulder surgery/out on a minor league rehab assignment.

he missed 3 games because of shoulder fatigue.

he missed 37 games because he was on the 15-Day DL again with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement.

he missed 11 games because he was on the 15-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis.

he missed 20 games because he was on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis.

he missed 3 games because he was still on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis/out on a minor league rehab assignment.

he missed 3 games because he was still on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis after his rehab assignment was put on hold due to right shoulder discomfort in the follow-through of his swing.

he missed 3 games because he was still on the 60-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis after he underwent a hydrodissection procedure to remove scar tissue from his right biceps tendon and was shut down.

he missed 6 games because he was on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis.

he missed 17 games because he was still on the 60-Day DL with chronic right biceps tendinitis and recovering from season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery).

he had 2 scheduled off days.


Michael bat leadoff in 1 game. (PH)

Michael bat 3rd in 1 game.

Michael bat 4th in 9 games.


Michael played left field in 11 games. (10 complete, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning)

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael played in 10 complete games.



through August 2016, Michael has a total of 43 plate appearances and 39 at bats. here is how he fared:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

14 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

89.1 innings, 11 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average through August: .231 (9-39) (11 games)


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


when Michael bat leadoff in 2016, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

2 left on base


1 inning, 1 game

2016 average in the leadoff spot through August: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat leadoff and played left in 2016, he had no plate appearances and no at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 inning, 1 game

2016 batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left through August: N/A (1 game)


when Michael bat leadoff, he was a PH in 2016 for 1 game. he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

2 left on base


1 game

2016 batting average as a PH in the leadoff spot through August: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael came in to PH in 2016, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

2 left on base


1 game

2016 batting average as a PH through August: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat everywhere other than leadoff in 2016, he had a total of 42 plate appearances and 38 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

12 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

88.1 innings, 10 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average everywhere other than leadoff through August: .237 (9-38) (10 games)
2016 batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left through August: .237 (9-38) (10 games)


now let's break down the numbers when he was not leading off.


when Michael bat 3rd in 2016, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

3 left on base


2 putouts

8 innings, 1 game

(1 complete game)

2016 batting average in the 3rd spot through August: .000 (0-4) (1 game)
2016 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left through August: .000 (0-4) (1 game)


when Michael bat 4th in 2016, he had a total of 38 plate appearances and 34 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

9 left on base


16 putouts

1 assist

80.1 innings, 9 games

(9 complete games)

2016 batting average in the 4th spot through August: .265 (9-34) (9 games)
2016 batting average in the 4th spot while playing left through August: .265 (9-34) (9 games)


when Michael played the outfield in 2016, he had a total of 42 plate appearances and 38 at bats in 11 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

12 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

89.1 innings, 11 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average while playing the outfield through August: .237 (9-38) (11 games)


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


when Michael played left in 2016, he had a total of 42 plate appearances and 38 at bats in 11 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

12 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

89.1 innings, 11 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average while playing left through August: .237 (9-38) (11 games)



other 2016 #s while playing left: 18 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 11 games)

other 2016 #s while playing the outfield: 18 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 11 games)



Michael's game-by-game numbers and notes are not included in my cumulative blogs. if you want to see those, please refer back to my monthlies:
Brantley's April 2016 #s
Brantley's May 2016 #s
Brantley's June 2016
Brantley's July 2016
Brantley's August 2016


just a reminder, i will be tweeting any updates and information i find out about Michael's recovery from biceps tenodesis for his chronic right biceps tendinitis. so make sure you're following me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for that. and if you'd like to, you can also subscribe to my email list on the right side of the page to receive email alerts every time i post a new blog.