Saturday, September 1, 2018

Brantley's 2018 #s Through August

hey, Brantley fans! can you believe we're into September already? seriously, how have five months of baseball season gone by so fast? and it's very bittersweet this year because that means we have also come upon the final month in the regular season that Michael will play as an Indian before he explores the free agent market. the Michael Brantley Era in Cleveland is truly almost over. ugh. i can't even process that reality yet...😞😟😢😭💔

okay, now that i've depressed the hell out of everyone, let me try to pick things back up. Michael's 2018 campaign has gone extremely well so far. he did much better in some months than others, but he's currently on the upswing and right track with his hitting. highlights to this point include his 19-game hitting streak, his career high 27-game on-base streak at home, hitting his first and second career grand slams, hitting his sixth career walk-off, and being named an All Star for the third time. lowlights include difficulty finding consistency out of the break, continued problem areas, specifically hitting with RISP and 2 outs, struggles against left-handed pitching, and an inexplicable inability to hit well on road (until last month, that is). but overall, he's mainly got exceptional season stats.

and let me remind y'all, too, that the most important thing to focus on might just be the fact that he's healthy! for the first time since 2015, Michael is not
going into September on the DL! lol to be serious for a second though, i suggest everyone really take in his final month, enjoy every day, every at bat and hopefully Michael can end his year on a high note and make us all proud. dare i say, he could be the 2018 AL Comeback Player of the Year?😉😉🤞

Go Brantley!!!🤗👊😀💗

now let's check out the numbers. this post is comprised of Michael's 2018 regular season numbers and statistics between March 29 and August 31.


so far in 2018, Michael has 536 plate appearances and 485 at bats in 121 games (963.2 innings). in total, he has 147 hits, 49 extra base hits, 98 singles, 33 doubles, 2 triples, 14 home runs (2 grand slams), 70 RBI, 5 sac flies, 75 runs, 41 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 8 stolen bases (2nd), 3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 7 reached on fielder's choice, 1 reached on forceout, 3 reached on fielding error, 1 reached on throwing error, 1 reached on catcher interference, 1 sac bunt, 12 GIDP, 44 strikeouts (34 swinging, 10 looking), 34 first at bat hits, 226 total bases, 170 left on base, 186 putouts, 5 assists, 1 error, and 2 double plays.

2018 season batting average: .303 (147-485)

OBP: .358

SLG: .466

OPS: .824



Batting Average Competition

Michael's .303 batting average is currently the highest on the team out of all the qualifying players. Jose Ramirez is the closest behind him, batting .288.

screenshot cropped from indians.com



Let Me Clear Up How the Leonys Martin Addition Affects Tribe Rankings

i had to address something like this last season when the Indians acquired Jay Bruce in August. this year, the Tribe got outfielder Leonys Martin, formerly of the Detroit Tigers, at the trade deadline. he came to the team with some season numbers that were better than Michael's; more specifically, his nine outfield assists. but it's not that simple.

if you don't remember how this works, i'll explain. when a player comes to a new team during a season, all of his stats with his old team do not count when ranking his numbers against his new teammates' stats. that means the numbers Martin has with the Tigers this year are not included when comparing his numbers with his Indians teammates--only the numbers he acquires with Cleveland are used. clearly, Martin will not be considered a qualifying player with the Indians since he won't possess enough plate appearances per team game with us.

when Martin's 2018 season stats are measured against other players and teams in MLB, on the other hand, then everything from his time with both the Tigers and Indians are factored in. so while Martin has more total OF assists than Michael (nine versus five) this season, Michael has more assists among Indians outfielders than Martin (five versus zero). but when ranking assists among outfielders around the league, that's where Martin has Michael beat. it's the same thing when looking at Martin's putouts as well.

in summary, Martin's total 2018 numbers are only ranked around the league, not among the Tribe. that's just the way it is when a player gets traded late in a season.

now that i've clarified the specifics here, it's all kind of a moot point because Martin is done for the year after suffering a life-threatening bacterial infection. the Indians say he's recovering well, but the doctors felt it was best that he focus on getting healthy, as opposed to trying to get back in shape to play baseball again this year. so he definitely won't have any Tribe team leads because he only played six games before he was stricken ill.


Team Leads and Career Highs

through August, Michael leads the team with 98 singles and a .303 batting average. he's tied for the team lead with 2 grand slams and 5 sac flies. also, among qualifying players, he has the least strikeouts with 44.

Michael is 2nd on the team with 147 hits. he's tied for 2nd with 33 doubles and 2 triples.

in addition, he's 3rd with 49 extra base hits, 75 runs, 226 total bases, 536 plate appearances, 485 at bats, .358 OBP, and .824 OPS.

he leads the outfielders with 186 putouts, 5 assists, 2 double plays, 963.2 innings, and 113 games played.

after looking through Michael's past season numbers, i saw that Michael still only has a career high through August with 2 grand slams.


HR:RBI Ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs

Michael has 14 home runs in 2018 through August. that's a respectable number for him, as he's not considered a big power hitter. and like i always say, he's never needed to be because he's capable of driving in plenty of runners without the benefit of the long ball. the flip side of that is, not a lot of people talk about you when you don't hit bombs but... oh well. the player leading the team in home runs right now is Jose Ramirez with 37. Edwin Encarnacion and Francisco Lindor both have 29 bombs. Yonder Alsono follows them with 22. Michael's 14 rank 5th. Jason Kipnis and Yan Gomes are the only other Indians with double-digit homers, 13 and 12, respectively.

after five months of the 2018 campaign, Michael has 70 RBI and 170 men left on base. he improved at the plate with runners in scoring position over the last month, but i still feel as though Michael's total ribbies ought to be higher. with him batting 2nd in the lineup, there absolutely have been times when nobody's on base when he bats, but there were still more than enough other opportunities for him to drive guys in and sometimes he just fell short of getting the job done. the Indians have a lot of divisional games coming up in September with teams that Michael generally performs well against, so i'm anxious to see how many RBI he ends up with for the season. Ramirez still leads the team with 94 RBI. Encarnacion is right behind him with 92. Lindor is 3rd with 78 and Alonso is next with 76. Michael's 70 rank 5th. no one else has more than 56 ribbies (Kipnis).

here's the updated HR:RBI ratio: 10 of Michael's 14 home runs were solo, two were 2-run bombs, and two were grand slams. therefore, 14.3% of his 70 RBI have come from his solo homers, while 31.4% of his 70 RBI have come from all 14 of his home runs.

Michael's K rate so far in 2018 is 8.2% (44 K/536 PA). he currently averages 1 strikeout for every 12.2 plate appearances. this continues to decrease and he's still one of the toughest guys in the league to K so i am really happy. there are occasions where he will swing and miss at stuff low or outside the zone, but i think you just have to chalk that up to a really deceptive pitch from a good pitcher or Michael being unfamiliar with a guy's stuff. either way, i can't complain at his overall strikeout rate.

through August, Michael has 159 groundouts, 59 flyouts, 56 lineouts, and 20 pop outs versus 44 strikeouts. so excellent contact rate, obviously. he continues to hit more balls on the ground than gets up in the air, however. i expect this trend to sustain itself next month because that's what's been going on all year. but like i always say, the more he can get off the ground, the better chance he's got for something to drop.


Reached Base vs. Left Stranded

Michael has reached base a total of 204 times in 2018 via hits, walks, hit by pitches, fielder's choices, forceouts, fielding errors, throwing errors, and catcher interference. he's scored 75 runs total, 14 of which came from his own home runs. he's been driven in 61 times by other players and left stranded 116 times. (he was lifted for a pinch runner six times, caught stealing three times, caught in a rundown once, thrown out at 3rd base once, hit a walk-off single once--when he technically was not stranded even though he reached, and thrown out trying to advance to 2nd base once, so i had to subtract 13 from the total count here.) i mean, that's just not good. and it goes to show how the top of the lineup hasn't really been in sync with each other much this season. it always seems like if Michael's hitting, then the guys behind him aren't driving him in, and if he's not hitting, then everybody else gets hits. all i can do is hope this changes for the better in September.


Streaks & Situational Statistics

Michael hit in 92 of the 121 games he's played in so far in 2018 and reached base safely in 106 games. he has 29 hitless games, but still reached base in 14 of those. Michael has 43 multi-hit games, 11 three+ hit games, and 14 multi-RBI games. he has at least 1 RBI in 51 games. in addition, he has 12 go-ahead hits and 14 go-ahead RBI. the Indians are now 72-49 in games that Michael's played in and 5-8 in the games he's missed/sat out.

Michael's had various noteworthy streaks to this point in 2018, including:

--an 18-game on-base streak on the road between July 1 - August 1, 2017, and April 16-22, 2018. it spanned over July 1-2, July 14-19, July 28-29, and July 31 - August 1, 2017, and April 16-17 and April 20-22, 2018.

--a 14-game hitting streak on the road between July 15 - August 1, 2017, and April 16-22, 2018. it spanned over July 15-19, July 28-29, and July 31 - August 1, 2017, and April 16-17 and April 20-22, 2018.

--5 consecutive multi-hit games between April 11-20. they spanned over April 11-12, April 17-18, and April 20.

--a 9-game on-base streak between April 8-22. it began on April 8, then continued over April 10-12, April 17-18, and April 20-22.

--a modest 7-game hitting streak between April 11-22 (over 12 days). it spanned over April 11-12, April 17-18, and April 20-22.

--a 9-game on-base streak at home between April 8-29. it began on April 8, then continued over April 10-12 and April 25-29.

--a 7-game hitting streak at home between April 11-29. it spanned over April 11-12 and April 25-29.

--a 9-game hitting streak on the road between May 9-23. it began on May 9, then continued over May 14-16, May 18-20, and May 22-23.

--a 19-game hitting streak, in which he bat .366, between May 9-30 (over 22 days).

--a 21-game on-base streak between May 8-31. it spanned over May 8-9, May 11-16, May 18-20, and May 22-31.

--an 11-game on-base streak on the road between May 8-31. it spanned over May 8-9, May 14-16, May 18-20, May 22-23, and May 31.

--a 16-game hitting streak at home, in which he bat .394, between May 1 - June 6. it spanned over May 1-3 (including a doubleheader on May 3), May 11-13, May 24-30, and June 5-6.

--a 15-game on-base streak between June 11-27. it spanned over June 11-13, June 15-20, and June 22-27.

--a career high 27-game on-base streak at home between May 1 - July 7. it spanned over May 1-3 (including a doubleheader on May 3), May 11-13, May 24-30, June 5-6, June 15-20, June 22-24, and July 6-7.

--a modest 7-game hitting streak between June 30 - July 7. it spanned over June 30 - July 4 and July 6-7.

--a 7-game on-base streak between June 30 - July 7. it spanned over June 30 - July 4 and July 6-7.

--a 9-game on-base streak at home between July 25 - August 17. it began on July 25, then continued over August 3-9 and August 17.

--a 15-game on-base streak between July 31 - August 17. it began on July 31, then continued over August 3-15 and August 17.

--a 9-game on-base streak on the road between July 31 - August 21. it began on July 31, then continued over August 10-15 and August 20-21.

--a 7-game hitting streak on the road between August 11-21. it spanned over August 11-15 and August 20-21.

Michael is currently batting .322 (118-for-366) against right-handed pitchers and .244 (29-for-119) against left-handed pitchers. the former average went up a bit while the latter went down a bit. those southpaws really have Michael's number this year and i'm baffled as to why Michael can't win more battles against them. with one month left, i don't know how much his average could improve, especially because he faces right-handers far more than lefties, but i'd like to see some kind of progress before the year ends.

Michael's hitting .335 (83-for-248) with 48 RBI at home. he has 22 doubles, 1 triple, and 7 home runs (30 extra base hits) at Progressive Field, along with 3 sac flies, 44 runs, 18 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 8 stolen bases (2nd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 1 sac bunt, 5 GIDP, 18 strikeouts (12 swinging, 6 looking), and 128 total bases while playing 64 out of 67 total home games. he reached base on 4 fielder's choices, 1 forceout, 3 fielding errors, and 1 throwing error as well. he hit safely in 51 of the 64 home games he's played in and safely reached base in 57 of them. he has 13 hitless games at home, reaching base in 6. he has at least 1 RBI in 32 home games.

Michael's hitting .270 (64-for-237) with 22 RBI away from Progressive Field. after a fantastic showing on the road in August, Michael was able to increase his BA here by 21 points. if he can do that once more next month, then he could still end the season with a respectable average away from home. he has 11 doubles, 1 triple, and 7 home runs (19 extra base hits) on the road, along with 2 sac flies, 31 runs, 23 walks, 2 caught stealing (2nd), 7 GIDP, 26 strikeouts (22 swinging, 4 looking), and 98 total bases while playing 57 out of 67 total road games. he reached base on 3 fielder's choices and 1 catcher interference as well. he hit safely in 41 of the 57 road games he's played in and safely reached base in 49 of them. he has 16 hitless games away from home, reaching base in 8. he has at least 1 RBI in 19 road games.

Michael's now batting .264 (25-for-103) with runners in scoring position with 51 RBI through August. after a tremendous performance in July, he increased his BA here by 21 points. it's still not where it should be, but if he can have another strong month in September, then it should be decent when it's all said and done. breaking it down, he's batting .333 (10-for-30) with RISP and 0 outs, .286 (12-for-42) with RISP and 1 out, and .208 (11-for-53) with RISP and 2 outs. he went up in each instance here, but is still having problems with 2 outs specifically.

with 2 outs in an inning, Michael is presently batting .267 (35-for-131). only a mere 2 point drop here. this also is not up to par with Michael's capabilities and is something he needs to keep working on to improve. he now has 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 23 RBI, 12 walks, 1 hit by pitch, and 10 strikeouts (9 swinging, 1 looking).

additionally, he's hitting .322 (66-for-205) with 60 RBI with runners on base and .600 (6-for-10) with 16 RBI with the bases loaded so far this season. both great. not much else to say.

lastly, Michael's hitting .289 (81-for-280) with the bases empty right now. he has 15 doubles, 2 triples, 10 home runs, 10 RBI, 24 walks, 2 hit by pitches, and 30 strikeouts (22 swinging, 8 looking).

through the five months of the season, Michael has a 2.5 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 123 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), a -1.0 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings), a -0.9 UZR (ultimate zone rating), and a -7 DRS (defensive runs saved). his wRC+ ranks 4th, his WAR ranks 7th, and his BsR ranks 11th among 12 qualifying American League left fielders. his UZR ranks 6th and his DRS ranks 7th among 8 qualifying AL LF. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]


Versus AL Central Division Teams

vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael's batting .333 (21-for-63) in 15 of 16 games--6 of the 7 at home and 9 on the road. (he had 1 scheduled day off during one March/April home series.) the Indians are 11-4 in the games he's played in and won the game he did not play in. overall, Michael has 16 singles and 5 extra base hits, including 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run, as well as 6 RBI, 7 runs, 4 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 2 stolen bases (2nd), 5 first at bat hits, and 29 total bases. he's also reached base on 1 fielder's choice, has 5 strikeouts (4 swinging, 1 looking), and left 17 men on base. furthermore, he has a .382 OBP, .460 SLG, and .843 OPS. in left field, Michael's recorded 14 putouts and acquired 1 assist while playing 98 innings, but only 8 complete games. he was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 6th inning in 1 game in March/April because the Indians were winning a blowout and Terry Francona wanted to give him some extra rest, he was lifted for a pinch runner in the top of the 9th inning in 1 game in May because the Indians were winning, he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game in June because he Indians were winning, and he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game in July because the Indians were winning. he was the DH for 3 games.

vs. the Chicago White Sox, Michael's batting .354 (17-for-48) in 12 of 13 games--6 at home and 6 of the 7 on the road. (he had 1 scheduled day off during one June road series.) the Indians are 9-3 in the games he played in and won the game he did not play in. overall, Michael has 12 singles and 5 extra base hits, including 2 doubles and 3 home runs, as well as 5 RBI, 12 runs, 4 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 1 stolen base (2nd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 6 first at bat hits, and 28 total bases. he's also reached base on 1 fielder's choice, reached base on 1 fielding error, reached on catcher interference once, grounded into 3 double plays, has 4 strikeouts swinging, and left 27 men on base. furthermore, he has a .415 OBP, .583 SLG, and .998 OPS. in left field, Michael's recorded 19 putouts while playing 97 innings, but only 9 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 5 innings in 1 game in May because the Indians were winning, he was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 7th inning in 1 game in June because the Indians were winning, and he was lifted for a pinch runner in the top of the 8th inning in 1 game in August because the Indians were winning.

vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael's batting .300 (15-for-50) in 12 games--6 at home and 6 on the road. the Indians are 8-4 in the games he's played in. overall, Michael has 11 singles and 4 extra base hits, including 2 doubles and 2 home runs (1 being a grand slam), as well as 14 RBI, 1 sac fly, 8 runs, 4 walks, 7 first at bat hits, and 23 total bases. he's also reached base on 1 fielder's choice, grounded into 2 double plays, has 5 strikeouts (3 looking, 2 swinging), and left 17 men on base. furthermore, he has a .345 OBP, .460 SLG, and .805 OPS. in left field, Michael's recorded 21 putouts, acquired 1 assist, and turned 1 double play while playing 95 innings, but only 10 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game in July because the Indians were winning a blowout. he was the DH for 1 game.

vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael bat .260 (19-for-73) in 18 of 19 games--8 of 9 on the road and 10 at home. (he had 1 scheduled day off during the August road series.) the Indians went 9-9 in the games he played in and won the game he did not play in. overall, Michael had 13 singles and 6 extra base hits, including 4 doubles and 2 home runs, as well as 6 RBI, 1 sac fly, 8 runs, 7 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 3 stolen bases (2nd), 2 first at bat hits, and 29 total bases. he also reached base on 2 fielder's choices, reached base on 1 fielding error, grounded into 3 double plays, had 4 strikeouts swinging, and left 34 men on base. furthermore, he had a .329 OBP, .397 SLG, and .727 OPS. in left field, Michael recorded 37 putouts and acquired 1 assist while playing 151.1 innings, but only 14 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 8 innings in 1 game in March/April because the Indians were winning and Michael had done more than enough in the game, he was subbed out defensively after 8 innings in 1 game in June because the Indians were losing, and he was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 7th inning in 1 game in August because the Indians were winning. he was the DH for 1 game. the Indians do not play the Twins anymore this season, so all these stats are final for 2018.


Interleague Play

note: there are no more Interleague games left on the schedule for 2018.

the Indians played a total of 20 games against five National League teams through August. Michael played in 19 of those games. the Indians went 12-7 in the games he played in and lost the game he did not play in. overall, Michael bat .310 (22-for-71) in Interleague Play in 2018. i'm very pleased to see this improvement from Michael because in his career, he's generally had trouble with pitchers in the National League. well done!

vs. the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field and Wrigley Field (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .385 (5-for-13) in 3 of the 4 games--1 of the 2 home games in March/April and 2 road games in May. (he had 1 scheduled day off during March/April home series.) the Indians went 3-0 in the games he played in and lost the game he did not play in. overall, Michael had 5 singles, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 walk, 1 caught stealing (2nd), 1 first at bat hit, and 5 total bases. he also had 1 strikeout swinging and left 6 men on base. furthermore, he had a .429 OBP, .385 SLG, and .813 OPS. in left field, Michael played 26 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 8 innings in 1 game in May because the Indians were winning and Michael had done more than enough in the game. he recorded 6 putouts and acquired 1 assist and 1 double play as well.

vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park (no designated hitter allowed) and Progressive Field, Michael bat .286 (4-for-14) in 4 games--2 road games in May and 2 home games in June. the Indians went 3-1 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 3 singles, 1 extra base hit--a double, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 first at bat hit, and 5 total bases. he also reached base on 1 throwing error, had 1 strikeout looking, and left 4 men on base. furthermore, he had a .375 OBP, .357 SLG, and .732 OPS. in left field, Michael played 35 innings/4 complete games and recorded 6 putouts.

vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .200 (2-for-10) in 3 road games in June. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 1 single, 1 extra base hit--a double, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 3 total bases. he also had 1 strikeout swinging and left 2 man on base. furthermore, he had a .385 OBP, .300 SLG, and .685 OPS. in left field, Michael played 24 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game because the Indians were losing a blowout. he recorded 4 putouts and committed 1 error as well. 

vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field, Michael bat .222 (2-for-9) in 3 home games in July. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 2 singles, 1 sac bunt, and 2 total bases. he also had 1 strikeout swinging and left 1 man on base. furthermore, he had a .222 OBP, .222 SLG, and .444 OPS. in left field, Michael played 20 innings, but only 2 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 5 innings in 1 game because the Indians were losing a blowout. he recorded 2 putouts as well.

vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field and Great American Ball Park (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .360 (9-for-25) in 6 games--3 home games in July and 3 road games in August. the Indians went 4-2 in the games he played in. overall, Michael had 7 singles, 2 extra base hits--doubles, 4 RBI, 7 runs, 3 walks, 2 first at bat hits, and 11 total bases. he also reached base on 1 fielding error, had 3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking), and left 5 men on base. furthermore, he had a .429 OBP, .440 SLG, and .869 OPS. in left field, Michael played 48 innings, but only 4 complete games. he was subbed out defensively after 4 innings in 1 game in July because the Indians were winning a blowout, and he was subbed out defensively after 8 innings in 1 game in August because the Indians were winning a blowout. he recorded 12 putouts as well.


League Rankings

Michael continues to have several stats that fall within the Top 10 among qualifying AL and MLB players, especially when compared to AL left fielders. here they are (per mlb.mlb.com/stats): 

among qualifying left fielders in the American League, Michael's ranked 2nd in singles (98) and batting average (.303); 3rd in hits (147), doubles (33), and OBP (.358); 5th in at bats (485) and OPS (.824); tied for 5th in sac flies (5); 6th in total bases (226) and plate appearances (536); tied for 6th in stolen bases (8); 7th in runs (75); 8th in extra base hits (49) and RBI (70); 9th in SLG (.466); 10th in games played (121); and tied for 10th in triples (2), home runs (14), and sac bunts (1). Michael's also ranked 12th out of 12 players in strikeouts (44), making him the hardest AL LF to strike out right now. 

among qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael is 3rd in singles; 5th in hits and batting average; tied for 6th in sac flies; 7th in doubles; 9th in at bats; 10th in OBP; and tied for 10th in RBI. besides that, out of 30 players, he's 30th in strikeouts, meaning he's the toughest outfielder to strike out in the American League.

among qualifying players in the American League, Michael ranks 8th in batting average and tied for 8th in hits and singles. plus, he ranks 75th in strikeouts out of 77 players, so he's currently the 3rd hardest AL player to K.

among all qualifying left fielders in the Major Leagues, Michael is 3rd in doubles and batting average; 4th in hits and singles; 5th in at bats; 6th in OBP; tied for 6th in sac flies; 7th in plate appearances; 8th in OPS; tied for 8th in total bases; 9th in runs; and tied for 10th in stolen bases and sac bunts. he's also 25th of 25 players in strikeouts, or the toughest left fielder in MLB to strike out. 

among all qualifying outfielders in the Major Leagues, Michael ranks 7th in hits and 8th in singles, doubles, and batting average. he additionally ranks 60th out of 60 players in strikeouts, meaning he's the hardest MLB OF to strike out.

among all qualifying players in the Major Leagues, Michael's strikeouts are 151st out of 153 players, making him the 3rd hardest player to strike out in all of Major League Baseball.


In The Field & Defensive League Rankings

in five months of play, Michael has 186 putouts, 5 assists, and 1 error in 192 total chances. he's turned 2 double plays as well and currently has a .995 fielding percentage through August.

after a second straight month of perfect defense in August, Michael now has a 53-game errorless streak in the outfield. his franchise record of 247 consecutive errorless games in the outfield from 2014 probably won't be broken for a long time. however, Michael could have a shot at breaking his career high, next year when he's with his new team after signing with someone else in free agency this offseason, that is...😟😞

here are where some of Michael's defensive stats rank around the league after five months: 

among AL left fielders, Michael's 5 assists in 2018 rank tied for 7th with Nicky Delmonico of the Chicago White Sox. Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox, Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals, and Eddie Rosario of the Minnesota Twins have the most assists right now with 9. in addition, Michael's 2 double plays rank tied for 1st with 3 other players.

among all MLB left fielders, Michael's 5 assists rank tied for 11th (with 4 other players).

among all AL outfielders, Michael's 5 assists rank tied for 23rd (with 4 other players).

among all MLB outfielders, Michael's 5 assists rank tied for 39th (with 11 other players).

the current MLB OF assist leader is Billy Hamilton of the Cincinnati Reds with 12.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his 2018 # through July, the 2nd spot #s, the 4th spot #s, the 5th spot #s, the 6th spot #s, the PH #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, BOP + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.

2018 batting average through August: .303

OBP: .358

SLG: .466

OPS: .824


Michael played in 121 (of 134) games, 98 complete, in 2018 through August.

he started and played left field in 113 games, completing 91 of those games, appearing in 113 total.

he was lifted for a PR in 6 games after playing a total of 42 innings; 1 game in the bottom of the 6th inning because the Indians were winning a blowout, 1 game in the bottom of the 7th inning because the Indians were winning a blowout, 1 game in the top of the 9th inning because the Indians were winning, 1 game in the bottom of the 7th inning because the Indians were winning, 1 game in the bottom of the 7th inning because the Indians were winning, and 1 game in the top of the 8th inning because the Indians were winning.

he was subbed out defensively in 16 games after playing a total of 109 innings; 12 games after playing a total of 81 innings (8 innings/8 innings/8 innings/5 innings/7 innings/7 innings/7 innings/4 innings/5 innings/7 innings/8 innings/7 innings per game) because the Indians were winning and he had done more than enough in the game, and 4 games after playing a total of 28 innings (8 innings/8 innings/7 innings/5 innings per game) because the Indians were losing.

he came in to PH in the bottom of the 7th inning in 1 game.

he was the DH in 7 games.

he missed 6 games while he was on the 10-Day DL as he continued to rehab from offseason right ankle surgery and build up his endurance in extended spring training.

he got 7 scheduled games off.


Michael bat 2nd in 95 games.

Michael bat 4th in 21 games.

Michael bat 5th in 4 games.

Michael bat 6th in 1 game. (1 PH)


Michael played left field in 113 games. (91 complete, 6 lifted for PR: 42 innings, 16 subbed out: 109 innings)

Michael was a PH in 1 game.

Michael was the DH in 7 games.

Michael played in 98 complete games.



through August 2018, Michael had a total of 536 plate appearances and 485 at bats in 121 games. here is how he fared:

147 hits

49 extra base hits

98 singles

33 doubles

2 triples

14 home runs

70 RBI

5 sac flies

75 runs

41 walks

3 hit by pitches

8 stolen bases (2nd)

3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

7 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on forceout

3 reached on fielding error

1 reached on throwing error

1 reached on catcher interference

1 sac bunt

12 GIDP

44 strikeouts (34 swinging, 10 looking)

34 first at bat hits

226 total bases

170 left on base


186 putouts

5 assists

1 error

2 double plays

963.2 innings, 121 games

(98 complete games)

2018 batting average through August: .303 (147-485) (121 games)


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


when Michael bat 2nd in 2018, he had a total of 425 plate appearances and 383 at bats in 95 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

114 hits

36 extra base hits

78 singles

24 doubles

1 triple

11 home runs

52 RBI

3 sac flies

65 runs

35 walks

2 hit by pitches

7 stolen bases (2nd)

2 caught stealing (1 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

6 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on forceout

3 reached on fielding error

1 reached on throwing error

1 reached on catcher interference

1 sac bunt

10 GIDP

35 strikeouts (28 swinging, 7 looking)

26 first at bat hits

173 total bases

138 left on base


153 putouts

5 assists

1 error

2 double plays

749.1 innings, 95 games

(77 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 2nd spot through August: .298 (114-383) (95 games)


when Michael bat 2nd and played left in 2018, he had a total of 396 plate appearances and 357 at bats in 89 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

108 hits

34 extra base hits

74 singles

23 doubles

1 triple

10 home runs

49 RBI

3 sac flies

61 runs

32 walks

2 hit by pitches

6 stolen bases (2nd)

2 caught stealing (1 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

5 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on forceout

3 reached on fielding error

1 reached on throwing error

1 reached on catcher interference

1 sac bunt

9 GIDP

33 strikeouts (26 swinging, 7 looking)

25 first at bat hits

163 total bases

126 left on base


153 putouts

5 assists

1 error

2 double plays

749.1 innings, 89 games

(71 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 2nd spot while playing left through August: .303 (108-357) (89 games)


when Michael bat 2nd and was the DH in 2018, he had a total of 29 plate appearances and 26 at bats in 6 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

6 hits

2 extra base hits

4 singles

1 double

1 home run

3 RBI

4 runs

3 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

1 reached on fielder's choice

1 GIDP

2 strikeouts swinging

1 first at bat hit

10 total bases

12 left on base


(6 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 2nd spot as the DH through August: .231 (6-26) (6 games)


when Michael bat 4th in 2018, he had a total of 95 plate appearances and 87 at bats in 21 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

13 extra base hits

17 singles

9 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

16 RBI

2 sac flies

9 runs

6 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

1 reached on fielder's choice

2 GIDP

7 strikeouts (5 swinging, 2 looking)

7 first at bat hits

50 total bases

28 left on base


27 putouts

178.1 innings, 21 games

(17 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 4th spot through August: .345 (30-87) (21 games)


when Michael bat 4th and played left in 2018, he had a total of 89 plate appearances and 82 at bats in 20 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

26 hits

10 extra base hits

16 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

15 RBI

2 sac flies

7 runs

5 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

1 reached on fielder's choice

2 GIDP

7 strikeouts (5 swinging, 2 looking)

7 first at bat hits

43 total bases

28 left on base


27 putouts

178.1 innings, 20 games

(16 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 4th spot while playing left through August: .317 (26-82) (20 games)


when Michael bat 4th and was the DH in 2018, he had a total of 6 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

4 hits

3 extra base hits

1 single

3 doubles

1 RBI

2 runs

1 walk

7 total bases


(1 complete game)

2018 batting average in the 4th spot as the DH through August: .800 (4-5) (1 game)


when Michael bat 5th in 2018, he had a total of 15 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

3 hits

3 singles

2 RBI

1 run

1 hit by pitch

2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging)

1 first at bat hit

3 total bases

2 left on base


6 putouts

36.0 innings, 4 games

(4 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 5th spot through August: .214 (3-14) (4 games)


when Michael bat 5th and played left in 2018, he had a total of 15 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

3 hits

3 singles

2 RBI

1 run

1 hit by pitch

2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging)

1 first at bat hit

3 total bases

2 left on base


6 putouts

36.0 innings, 4 games

(4 complete games)

2018 batting average in the 5th spot while playing left through August: .214 (3-14) (4 games)


when Michael bat 6th in 2018, 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

2018 batting average in the 6th spot through August: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat 6th and was a PH in 2018, 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

2018 batting average in the 6th spot as a PH through August: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael came in to PH in 2018, 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

2018 batting average as a PH through August: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael was the DH in 2018, he had a total of 35 plate appearances and 31 at bats in 7 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

10 hits

5 extra base hits

5 singles

4 doubles

1 home run

4 RBI

6 runs

4 walks

1 stolen base (2nd)

1 reached on fielder's choice

1 GIDP

2 strikeouts swinging

1 first at bat hit

17 total bases

12 left on base


(7 complete games)

2018 batting average as the DH through August: .323 (10-31) (7 games)


when Michael played the outfield in 2018, he had a total of 500 plate appearances and 453 at bats in 113 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

137 hits

44 extra base hits

93 singles

29 doubles

2 triples

13 home runs

66 RBI

5 sac flies

69 runs

37 walks

3 hit by pitches

7 stolen bases (2nd)

3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

6 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on forceout

3 reached on fielding error

1 reached on throwing error

1 reached on catcher interference

1 sac bunt

11 GIDP

42 strikeouts (32 swinging, 10 looking)

33 first at bat hits

209 total bases

156 left on base


186 putouts

5 assists

1 error

2 double plays

963.2 innings, 113 games

(91 complete games)

2018 batting average while playing the outfield through August: .302 (137-453) (113 games)


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


when Michael played left field in 2018, he had a total of 500 plate appearances and 453 at bats in 113 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

137 hits

44 extra base hits

93 singles

29 doubles

2 triples

13 home runs

66 RBI

5 sac flies

69 runs

37 walks

3 hit by pitches

7 stolen bases (2nd)

3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd)

6 reached on fielder's choice

1 reached on forceout

3 reached on fielding error

1 reached on throwing error

1 reached on catcher interference

1 sac bunt

11 GIDP

42 strikeouts (32 swinging, 10 looking)

33 first at bat hits

209 total bases

156 left on base


186 putouts

5 assists

1 error

2 double plays

963.2 innings, 113 games

(91 complete games)

2018 batting average while playing left field through August: .302 (137-453) (113 games)



2018 #s so far while playing left field: 186 putouts, 5 assists, 1 error, 2 double plays, .995 fielding percentage (963.2 innings, 113 games)

2018 #s so far while playing the outfield: 186 putouts, 5 assists, 1 error, 2 double plays, .995 fielding percentage (963.2 innings, 113 games)



if you want to see any or all of the game-by-game numbers and notes from Michael's season, please refer back to my previous monthly posts (as they are not included here):
Brantley's March/April 2018 #s
Brantley's May 2018 #s
Brantley's June 2018 #s
Brantley's July 2018 #s
Brantley's August 2018 #s


what do you think about Michael's past five months? and what do you hope to see from him in this final month? leave all your thoughts in a comment below!💻

to keep up with all the latest news on Michael, follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 if you're not already. i will be live tweeting as much as i can in his last September as an Indian. i've also got some really good moments from his career to spotlight this month, which you'll be able to see in the #CelebratingMichaelBrantley hashtag. there will be several anniversary date posts in addition to my normal Monday tweets that you won't want to miss. but if you haven't been checking in on the series regularly, you can easily scroll back through everything because it's all in one big thread. and feel free to add your own special memories of Michael's time with the Tribe.🎉 i can't believe it's almost over.😢

if you'd like to receive notifications whenever i publish new blogs, then sign up for my subscription list! just enter your email address in the box underneath the Blog Archive sidebar over on the upper right side of this page, and then you'll get emails every time something new goes live!📧


Coming up at the end of next month:

if you're a long-time reader of this site, then you probably already know what to expect going forward. since September is the final month of the regular season, i won't be posting a #s Through September blog because it's not necessary. what will happen instead is, after September ends, i will be writing a series of season wrap up blogs, including Brantley's Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes, Brantley's BOP & LF/DH/PH #s, and Brantley's Situational #s & Statistics.

in addition, because the Indians will be playing in at least one playoff round, i'll definitely be writing a Brantley's ALDS #s blog. should the Tribe advance to the ALCS and/or World Series, then i will post additional blogs about Michael's #s in those series as well. the format for each will resemble a monthly blog. when the postseason culminates for Michael and the boys, i'll do a cumulative 2018 playoff #s post to boot.

so i've got a lot of stuff planned for publication in October; please bear with me as i will do my best to get everything up as quickly as possible. however, i am going to be at one playoff game per series and that might put me behind some... we'll see! thanks in advance for understanding!

pssst: be on the lookout for a special Indians blog within the next two weeks!😉

No comments:

Post a Comment