Brantley's Career Batting Order Position & LF/CF/PH/DH #s as an Indian

hello again, Brantley fans! this is the second blog in my series analyzing Michael Brantley's career numbers and stats from his 10 years as a Cleveland Indian. it consists of his batting order position numbers, along with his left field, center field, PH, DH, PH for DH, and PR numbers. the format is the same as my typical BOP wrap up blogs, though keen-eyed readers will be quick to spot that there are a few changes.

the thing is, as i mentioned in my previous post, from 2009-2011, i did not document and personally calculate Michael's game stats during his first 214 games in the majors. i very recently researched back through those to complete this. and again, my writing and coverage of Michael's numbers expanded as time went by, so there are certain things that i've been keeping track of in his last few campaigns that i didn't take notes on in the early days even when i was documenting his stats. therefore, i was unable to get an accurate total count for various data and, unfortunately, the following had to eliminated from this blog:
--first at bat hits,
--runners left on base,
--which specific bases Michael stole and which specific bases

Wrapping Up Brantley's 2018 Season + Postseason

hi again, Brantley fans. i'm back with a final blog to wrap up Michael's year. this was extremely hard for me to write, knowing in my heart that 2018 was his last season with the Cleveland Indians. a lot of tears have been shed since October 8 and i'm not afraid to admit it's been difficult looking back on things that we're not going to see Michael do with the Tribe ever again, so i needed extra time to put this together and i apologize that i didn't get it published sooner.😔

the culmination of my wrap up series features a selective set of Michael's final numbers, but it mostly contains a season sum-up, my favorite moments from the year, comparisons to past seasons, and a review of my preseason predictions vs. what really transpired. and at the very end, i also included countdowns to 2019 and personal thank yous to all of my top Tribe sources that i look to for news on Dr. Smooth, as well as the people who visited, read, and shared my posts in 2018!👏

before i get started, here are the previous Brantley wrap up blogs i wrote earlier this month, detailing things like Michael's daily game lines, BOP breakdowns, situational #s, career highs, team leads, league rankings, and

Brantley's 2018 Batting Order Position & LF/PH/DH #s

hi, Brantley fans! hope you are well. this is the second Michael Brantley wrap up blog, which contains all of his number breakdowns based on his batting order positions and LF, PH, and DH #s for the 2018 regular season.

let's take a quick dive back into the past before i get into the present. in case you don't remember, prior to this season, Michael was the Indians' 3 hole hitter. in fact, he'd been regularly batting 3rd in the order since May 3, 2014 (minus the couple of games he played in 2016). even when Michael was out hurt, he would always return to the 3 spot, which he rightfully earned after his outstanding 2014 and 2015 seasons. even manager Terry Francona admitted to essentially building the lineup around Michael in the 3 hole. but while Michael was on the 10-Day DL battling his right ankle sprain in the second half of 2017, Jose Ramirez replaced him in the 3 hole. and Tito liked what he brought to that spot so much that he decided to continue letting Ramirez bat 3rd whether Michael was playing or not.

Michael started the 2018 campaign on the 10-Day DL and he remained in Arizona as he continued to build up endurance after spending another offseason/spring training rehabbing, this time from right ankle surgery. once he returned to the Tribe, Michael alternated between the Tribe's cleanup hitter and 5 hole hitter, depending on

Brantley's 2018 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes

hi again, Brantley fans! it's time for my series of wrap up blogs where i break down Michael's 2018 season numbers in a couple different ways, so as not to overwhelm you all with a plethora of stats and information.🕮

i'm going to begin with a post concentrating on Michael's 2018 Game-by-Game Numbers and Notes.🖩📓


for the third straight year, Michael was behind everyone in spring as he was working to come back from an injury. this time his delay was a result of the right ankle surgery that he had in October 2017 for ankle synovitis and a deltoid ligament sprain. Michael spent most of spring training still rehabbing from his surgery while the rest of the Indians played in Cactus League games. in the middle of March, Michael finally got some game action, first with the minor leaguers before "graduating" to playing with his Tribe teammates. but since he only played in three Cactus League contests, it was decided that Michael would open the season on the 10-Day DL in order to continue building up his endurance to ensure that he'd be capable of playing full games right away upon his return.

Michael only missed the first

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

Brantley's 2018 #s Through July

hi there, Brantley fans! we are two-thirds of the way through with the 2018 baseball campaign, can you believe it? i mean, where has the time gone, am i right? sadder still is this means Cleveland Indians fans only have two months left (in the regular season, at least) to enjoy watching Michael play in a Tribe uniform before he becomes a free agent and most likely signs somewhere else. sigh.😟💔

to give you a brief summary of what's occurred thus far in Michael's season, he put up excellent performances in both April and May, but the past two months have been challenging to say the least. he's been struggling in some areas that he generally does very well in, particularly with runners in scoring position, on the road, and against left-handed pitching. normally one of the most consistent, reliable, and clutch hitters in the game, it's surprising that Michael is having trouble in these specific categories. there is definite room for improvement, as you will soon see, and i know he'd agree. with this being his walk-year especially, him playing well is very important. the good news is, he still has a good amount of time to turn things around. oh and on another positive note, he's remained healthy this year, too!😀🙏

okay, let's get to the numbers. in this blog, you will find Michael's 2018 regular season numbers and statistics covering March 29 - July 31.

so far in 2018, Michael has

Brantley's First Half 2018 #s

hello, Brantley faithful! the All Star Break is finally upon us. why do i say finally? because the break is later than normal this year due to extra off days having been added to the schedule. that makes it even more ironic to call what has passed thus far as the "first half," but that's just how it goes. this part of July has always been considered the halfway point in baseball regardless of teams having played more than 81 games--the true half mark in the sport. the Indians, in particular, have already played 95 games!

it won't be much of a break for those players who are going to the Midsummer Classic in Washington, D.C., however, and that includes our boy, Michael Brantley! in case you missed it, Michael was selected as an OF reserve for the American League team for the second straight ASG, third time overall in his career. so while he and the other All Stars prepare for the 89th annual affair, i shall provide you with Michael's first half numbers of 2018.


so far in 2018, Michael has 372 plate appearances and 341 at bats in 84 games (655.1 innings). in total, he has 105 hits, 38 extra base hits, 67 singles, 25 doubles, 1 triple, 12 home runs (2 grand slams), 56 RBI, 4 sac flies, 55 runs, 25 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 6 stolen bases (2nd), 3 caught stealing (2 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 3 reached on fielder's choice, 1 reached on forceout, 2 reached on fielding error, 1 reached on throwing error, 10

Brantley's 2018 #s Through June (+ All Star Ballot Results)

hey, Brantley fans! so we're already halfway through the season in terms of both games--81 down, 81 to go--and months. the year is just flying by. luckily, i've been keeping busy with my blog work in an attempt to distract myself from the reality that there are only three months left in the Michael Brantley Era in Cleveland... the tears will be coming, but for now, i'm trying to enjoy every day that he's still playing in a Tribe uniform.😔

to recap Michael's season thus far, he had a very hot start to 2018, but has since cooled off. if you read through my Brantley's June 2018 #s blog, then you know he struggled in just about every facet of the game. it was very disheartening to see Michael go from batting .366 (30-for-82) during his 19-game hitting streak in May, to batting .243 (25-for-103) over his next 26 games, including nine 0-fers, since then. however, because he excelled so much in both March/April and May, the majority of his overall numbers and situational statistics remain strong.

another big positive is, he's been healthy. not only that, but the extra off days Terry Francona was giving Michael in the beginning of the campaign are no longer necessary. i think we can officially stop worrying about his ankle now (knock on wood👊). and here's hoping that the new calendar month will bring Michael back to the high level of performance that we're used to and he's capable of.

this post contains Michael's

Brantley's 2018 #s Through May

hey, all! two months of Michael Brantley's final year with the Tribe have already passed, can you believe it?!😔 the season is going by fast, but Michael is making every second of it fun to watch.😎

so this is the second blog of the two that you can expect from me at the end of every month and it includes Michael's overall numbers for the 2018 campaign so far. this specific post covers March 29 through May 31. if you're not that concerned with stats per month and just want to know Michael's total numbers to this point in the year without all the extra detailed information that i provide in my monthlies, then this is the blog for you.

in this and all my future 2018 #s Through... posts, you will find the following sections:
--current overall #s recap
--batting average competition
--team leads and career highs
--HR:RBI ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs
--reached base vs. left stranded
--streaks and situational statistics
--#s versus AL Central Division teams
--Interleague play #s
--league rankings

Brantley's March/April 2018 #s

hi, Brantley fans! i'm back with the first monthly blog of the 2018 regular season!📅 as i left off in my previous post, Michael Brantley was activated from the disabled list on April 6 after opening the year on the 10-Day DL. despite his time in extended spring, Michael received additional days off in April in an effort to make sure the left fielder didn't overexert himself as he continued to get back to playing on a regular basis again. (btw, if you haven't read my two Brantley's Cactus League 2018 Rehab blog posts, i will link them here: Rehab Details and Rehab #s. if you did already read them, thank you so much!🤗)

the team's caution seems to be working because so far, Michael's ankle has been holding up well and he repeatedly says he feels great. (we can't ask for more than that, right?) the DL stint and extra time off, however, resulted in Michael only playing in two-thirds of the games this month. nevertheless, there's a lot of things to discuss and i'm going to get into it all for you shortly. but first, i need to go over some important information.

ordinarily, i like to acknowledge viewers from countries who've never visited my blog before in my intro. well, i didn't see any new countries in my audience over the past month. my readers come from many different places all around the world and at this point, i think it will be a surprise if any newbies pop up here going forward. (i'd love it if they did though!) so instead, when no new views appear, i'm going to shout out the Top 3 countries to view my blog. in April, those include

Brantley Ranked 5th in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now

it's that time again, baseball fans! time to rank the best of the best in Major League Baseball by position. MLB Network began airing their annual Top 10 lists last Sunday, which was oddly changed from Thursdays in past years, i might add. and tonight, on January 22 at 10 pm ET, their "Top 10 Right Now: Left Fielders" show premiered.

screenshot cropped from a video on m.mlb.com

Brian Kenny, who was joined by Eric Byrnes, hosted the reveal of this year's Top 10 Left Field players currently in baseball going into the 2017 season as ranked by MLB Network's Shredder. an analytic methodology known as The Shredder, which operates without emotion or bias, assembles these rankings based on

Brantley's 2015 Batting Order Position & LF/CF/DH/PH #s

thanks largely in part to Michael's performance last season, his batting order position for 2015 was basically set right from the start of spring training. he bat 3rd in the lineup in 135 of the 137 total games that he played this year. now that Terry Francona has appointed Michael as his 3 hole hitter, this is the most stability Michael's ever had in the order. besides 3rd, he also bat 5th once and 7th once, both times coming during pinch hit appearances on days that he was originally supposed to have off to rest. otherwise, he never would have seen any time outside of 3rd this year. it appears as though he has that spot locked down, and judging by his efficiency there, i think that's a great BOP for him to have. his 163 hits, 45 doubles, 15 home runs, 84 RBI, and 60 walks were quite exceptional.

Michael's 68 runs, on the other hand, seem a bit low. let's examine that. overall, he reached base 236 times this season. he brought himself home with his own 15 home runs, and his teammates drove him in the other 53 times. that means the players batting behind him left him on base 168 times total. so while batting 3rd might be the best BOP for Michael, the guys batting after him may need some rearranging. (or upgrading.)

as far as his place in the field, Michael played both left and center field in 2015. he began as the main left fielder, then later saw time as the center fielder. once Michael Bourn began struggling against left-handed starters, Tito decided he would no longer start Bourn in most games that southpaws pitched. therefore,

Brantley's 2015 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes

i'm splitting up some of Michael's overall season stats/numbers, as i've done in the past, so that my readers aren't overwhelmed with one giant blog full of a profuse amount of information. you're welcome lol

this first blog mainly focuses on all of Michael's game-by-game numbers and notes for 2015. he battled through a lot of challenges this season, enduring 3 main injuries: a lower back strain, left shoulder inflammation, and right shoulder inflammation. his right shoulder never fully healed and by late September, the Indians decided to shut him down before the year was over. he missed more games this year than in any of his previous full seasons, yet somehow remained a productive contributor in the lineup. Michael played better while not at full strength than some players did healthy, batting at or above .286 for all but 8 games.

truth be told, 2015 ranked as one of Michael's best seasons in the majors. a new career high, new career low, and walk-off hit marked just a few of the exciting highlights of his campaign. while his stats weren't quite as extraordinary as they were a year ago, he still boasted a few team highs. and, even after a less than stellar finish in September, Michael once again owned the highest batting average (.310) on the team, giving him this honor for the 4th year in a row now. outstanding.


Michael played in 137 of 161* games this season and had

Brantley's 2015 #s Through August

Michael just got done putting together a colossal month in August and that moved him right into the thick of things regarding team highs, league rankings, and even the American League batting race. it was incredible and i am so proud of him! he now has up to 32 games to play in before 2015 comes to an end, and if Michael can do anything close to what he did in August in these final weeks, then strap in tight folks because we are gonna be in for a really fun ride to the finish line. go Brantley!



so far in 2015, Michael has a total of 516 plate appearances and 453 at bats in 117 games (885.1 innings). in total, he has 146 hits, 51 extra base hits, 95 singles, 40 doubles, 11 home runs, 73 RBI, 5 sac flies, 60 runs, 56 walks, 8 intentional walks, 2 hit by pitches, 14 stolen bases (13 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 12 GIDP, 43 strikeouts (31 swinging, 12 looking), 32 first at bat hits, 219 total bases, 187 left on base, 181 putouts, 7 assists, 2 errors, and 1 double play.

2015 batting average through August: .322 (146-453)

OBP: .395

SLG: .483

OPS: .879


Michael's .322 batting average is currently the highest on the team out of all the qualifying players. he now has a 3-point lead on Jason Kipnis, who's batting .319.


note: never before in Michael's career has he been

Brantley's August 2015 #s

hey there, Brantley fans! thank you for reading my Brantley's July 2015 #s blog and Brantley's 2015 #s Through July blog last month. i hope you enjoyed them. i also want to take a minute to say a special HI! to the viewers from Hungary, Singapore, Russia, and the United Kingdom who all visited my blog in the past month! thanks so much for stopping by and reading about Michael!

the offseason is fast approaching now. it's hard to believe after this, i only have one more month of stats to calculate before the 2015 season is over. things are really starting to heat up not only for Michael, but the Indians as well. can they continue to rack up wins and potentially grab a wild card spot? and what will Michael do for an encore in September? i can't wait to find out! but first, let's all relish in what turned out to be an astounding August for Dr. Smooth.



August Overview

there was seemingly no stopping Michael in August--the man was scorching hot! it was quite reminiscent of his MVP-caliber performances every month last season, when he was setting career highs and achieving things he'd never achieved before on the regular. he certainly didn't look like a player fighting through injuries, going through the dog days of summer, and/or battling just to make it to the end of the year. instead, he currently looks primed and ready for a stretch run. and now i am so excited to get into his monthly statistics, some of which are historical! =D

in Michael's first 10 games, he bat .425 (17-for-40) from August 1-13. he was then shut down for a few days with a little left shoulder inflammation. when he came back from that brief 3-day rest (which probably also did some good for his back), he played in 14 more games, batting .393 (22-for-56) from August 17-31. he saw some extra time as the designated hitter this month until his throwing shoulder was ready to carry the left field load, but no matter what his role, Michael put up the best month of his 2015 campaign yet. he earned an August batting average of

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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


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

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

Michael bat 6th in 10 games.

Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (PH)


Michael was the DH in 8 games.

Michael was the PH in 2 games.

Michael played in 146 complete games.


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

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

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

Michael had 3 complete games off. 



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

200 hits

133 singles

45 doubles

2 triples

20 home runs

97 RBI

5 sac flies

94 runs scored

52 walks

4 intentional walks

8 hit by pitches

23 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

16 GIDP

56 strikeouts (38 swinging, 18 looking)

51 first at bat hits

309 total bases


211 left on base

271 putouts

12 assists

2 double plays

1 error

1304.1 innings, 156 games

(146 complete games)

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


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


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

170 hits

114 singles

39 doubles

2 triples

15 home runs

74 RBI

4 sac flies

78 runs scored

42 walks

4 intentional walks

7 hit by pitches

19 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

13 GIDP

47 strikeouts (32 swinging, 15 looking)

43 first at bat hits

258 total bases


161 left on base

224 putouts

9 assists

2 double plays

1060.1 innings, 126 games

(118 complete games)

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


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

20 hits

12 singles

5 doubles

3 home runs

18 RBI

1 sac fly

10 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

4 first at bat hits

34 total bases


39 left on base

29 putouts

3 assists

1 error

158.2 innings, 19 games

(18 complete games)

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


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

9 hits

6 singles

1 double

2 home runs

5 RBI

6 runs scored

5 walks

1 stolen base

2 GIDP

4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

16 total bases


11 left on base

18 putouts

85.1 innings, 10 games

(10 complete games)

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


when Michael bat 9th in 2014, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 first at bat

1 total base


1 game

(0 complete games)

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



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

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

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

Michael played 46 games total where he was the center fielder for some portion of the game. he started and played center in 40 games, completing 37 of those games. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game, and then played 1 inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution. he was subbed out of 1 game after 5 innings because the Indians had a solid lead. he left 1 game early after banging his right knee into the right-center field wall and played 6.1 innings.

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

Michael started and was the DH for 8 complete games.

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



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

184 hits

123 singles

41 doubles

2 triples

18 home runs

90 RBI

4 sac flies

87 runs scored

47 walks

4 intentional walks

8 hit by pitches

23 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

16 GIDP

53 strikeouts (36 swinging, 17 looking)

46 first at bat hits

283 total bases


204 left on base

271 putouts

12 assists

2 double plays

1 error

1304.1 innings, 147 games

(138 complete games)

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


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

156 hits

105 singles

36 doubles

2 triples

13 home runs

67 RBI

3 sac flies

72 runs scored

37 walks

4 intentional walks

7 hit by pitches

19 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

13 GIDP

44 strikeouts (30 swinging, 14 looking)

40 first at bat hits

235 total bases


154 left on base

224 putouts

9 assists

2 double plays

1060.1 innings, 118 games

(110 complete games)

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


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

19 hits

12 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

18 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

32 total bases


39 left on base

29 putouts

3 assists

1 error

158.2 innings, 19 games

(18 complete games)

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


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

9 hits

6 singles

1 double

2 home runs

5 RBI

6 runs scored

5 walks

1 stolen base

2 GIDP

4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

16 total bases


11 left on base

18 putouts

85.1 innings, 10 games

(10 complete games)

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


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


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

138 hits

92 singles

31 doubles

1 triple

14 home runs

66 RBI

2 sac flies

67 runs scored

33 walks

3 intentional walks

8 hit by pitches

19 stolen bases

9 GIDP

37 strikeouts (27 swinging, 10 looking)

34 first at bat hits

213 total bases


151 left on base

165 putouts

10 assists

2 double plays

931.1 innings, 107 games

(95 complete games)

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


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

117 hits

79 singles

27 doubles

1 triple

10 home runs

49 RBI

1 sac fly

56 runs scored

27 walks

3 intentional walks

7 hit by pitches

15 stolen bases

8 GIDP

31 strikeouts (23 swinging, 8 looking)

30 first at bat hits

176 total bases


110 left on base

135 putouts

8 assists

2 double plays

759.2 innings, 86 games

(76 complete games)

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


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

17 hits

10 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

8 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

30 total bases


38 left on base

28 putouts

2 assists

144.2 innings, 17 games

(16 complete games)

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


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

4 hits

3 singles

1 home run

3 RBI

3 runs scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

1 strikeout (swinging)

1 first at bat hit

7 total bases


3 left on base

2 putouts

27 innings, 4 games

(3 complete games)

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


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


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

46 hits

31 singles

10 doubles

1 triple

4 home runs

24 RBI

2 sac flies

20 runs scored

14 walks

1 intentional walk

4 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

7 GIDP

16 strikeouts (9 swinging, 7 looking)

12 first at bat hits

70 total bases


53 left on base

106 putouts

2 assists

1 error

373 innings, 46 games

(37 complete games)

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


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

39 hits

26 singles

9 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

18 RBI

2 sac flies

16 runs scored

10 walks

1 intentional walk

4 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

5 GIDP

13 strikeouts (7 swinging, 6 looking)

10 first at bat hits

59 total bases


44 left on base

89 putouts

1 assist

300.2 innings, 36 games

(30 complete games)

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


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

2 hits

2 singles

4 RBI

1 run scored

2 total bases


1 left on base

1 putout

1 assist

1 error

14 innings, 3 games

(1 complete game)

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


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

5 hits

3 singles

1 double

1 home run

2 RBI

3 runs scored

4 walks

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

9 total bases


8 left on base

16 putouts

58.1 innings, 7 games

(6 complete games)

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




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

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

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




now let's break down his DH numbers.

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

14 hits

9 singles

3 doubles

2 home runs

7 RBI

1 sac fly

6 runs scored

5 walks

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

23 total bases


7 left on base

(8 complete games)

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


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

14 hits

9 singles

3 doubles

2 home runs

7 RBI

1 sac fly

6 runs scored

5 walks


3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

3 first at bat hits

23 total bases


7 left on base

8 games

(8 complete games)

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


now let's break down his PH numbers.


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

2 hits

1 single

1 double

1 run scored

2 first at bat hits

3 total bases


2 games

(0 complete games)

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


when Michael came in to PH and bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 double

1 run scored

1 first at bat hit

2 total bases


1 game

(0 complete games)

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


when Michael came in to PH and bat 9th in 2014, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 first at bat hit

1 total base


1 game

(0 complete games)

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



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

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

Brantley's 2014 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes

this blog mainly focuses on all of Michael's game-by-game numbers and notes for 2014. he had an incredible year, setting career highs in almost every offensive category. he was arguably the MVP of the Indians, leading his teammates not only with a plethora of stats, but also with his words. his season was not all sunshine and roses, however, as he did go through 2 slumps--one at the end of April, and one that lasted for 11 games in August. other than that, he excelled and finished with the highest batting average (.327) on the team for the 3rd straight year.

Michael played in 156 of 162 games this season and had a hit in 123 of the 156 games that he played. Michael had many significant hitting streaks, including two 9-game, an 11-game, a 12-game, and two 15-game hitting streaks. he also had three 5-consecutive multi-hit games, along with a 9- and 10-game road hitting streak, and a franchise record 19-game home hitting streak.

Michael reached base safely in 139 games. he had several long reached base streaks during the year as well. his 28-game on-base streak from August 28 - September 24 is the second longest of his career.

Michael started 154 games and played in 146 complete games. he played 147 games total in the outfield, starting 146 games and completing 138 of those.

he played left field in 107 games, for a total of 931.1 innings. as the left fielder, he started 106 games and completed 95 of those. he started 5 games and played a total of 31 innings, he left 2 games early with injury and played 8 innings, he was subbed out of 3 games and played 22 innings, he was lifted for a pinch runner in 1 game after 8 innings, and was a defensive switch (into left field) for 1 inning in 1 game.

Michael played center field in 46 games, for a total of 373 innings. as the center fielder, he started 40 games and completed 37 of those. he started 1 game and played 8 innings, he was subbed out of 1 game after 5 innings, he left 1 game early with injury after 6.1 innings, he was a defensive substitute in 1 game for 1 inning, and was a defensive switch (into center field) in 5 games totaling 15 innings.

he was a PH in 2 games, playing 1 inning in center field as a defensive sub in 1 of them. he started and was the DH for 8 complete games. he missed 3 games due to injury, 1 because of mid-back tightness from playing on astroturf and 2 because of a mild concussion. Michael had 3 complete games off.

defensively, Michael put together a year worthy of Gold Glove consideration. despite his 1 error and .996 fielding percentage, he acquired 12 outfield assists, 2 double plays, and was part of his very first triple play. additionally, he played a franchise record 247 consecutive games in the outfield without an error, a streak that spanned from June 5, 2012 to April 2, 2014.


now here are my game-by-game numbers and notes for Michael Brantley's 2014 season:

Game 1, March 31: 2-4, double, double. AVG: .500
(batting 5th/LF/CG9)

April 1: game postponed, to be made up April 2.
(6th/CF)

Game 2, April 2 (Day Game): 1-3, single (first at bat). AVG: .429
(6th/CF/CG8) 

^^Michael sets new franchise record with 247 consecutive errorless games in the outfield^^
**Michael's 247 consecutive errorless games streak ends**

Game 3, April 2 (Night Game): 1-4, walk, RBI groundout, 2-run single. AVG: .364
(5th/LF - 5 innings, CF - 4 innings/CG9)

Game 4, April 4: 1-4, reached on fielder's choice, 2-run single. AVG: .333
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 5, April 5: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .316
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 6, April 6: 3-5, single (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, single. AVG: .375
(5th/LF/CG9)

April 7: game postponed, to be made up April 9 in a traditional DH.
(6th/CF)

**Michael's 6-game hitting streak ends**

Game 7, April 8: 0-4. AVG: .321
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 8, April 9 (Game 1): 1-3, single (first at bat). AVG: .323
(6th/CF - 8 i, LF - 1 i/CG9)

Game 9, April 9 (Game 2): 0-3, walk. AVG: .294
(6th/CF/CG9)

Game 10, April 10: 1-4, double. AVG: .289
(6th/CF/CG8)

Game 11, April 11: 1-4, walk, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .286
(6th/CF/CG8)

Game 12, April 12: 1-3, 2-run single (first at bat), walk, walk, run scored. AVG: .289
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 13, April 13: 1-3, walk (first at bat), home run, run scored, reached on fielder's choice, reached on fielding error, run scored. AVG: .292
(6th/CF/CG8.1)

April 15: game postponed due to cold, to be made up July 19 in a day-night DH.

Game 14, April 16: 0-3, hit by pitch, stolen base. AVG: .275
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 15, April 17: 2-5, 2-run single, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .286
(5th/LF/CG8)

Game 16, April 18: 1-5, single, stolen base. AVG: .279
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 17, April 19: 0-3, walk. AVG: .266
(6th/CF/CG9)

Game 18, April 20: 2-3, home run (first at bat), run scored, RBI double, walk, run scored. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 19, April 21: 1-4, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .282
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 20, April 22: 2-4, single, stolen base, run scored, single. AVG: .293
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 21, April 23: 1-3, single, stolen base, run scored, walk. AVG: .295
(6th/LF/CG9)

Game 22, April 24: 1-3, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .296
(5th/CF/CG9)

**Michael's 15-game on base streak ends**

Game 23, April 25: 0-4. AVG: .282
(5th/LF/CG8)

Game 24, April 26: 0-3, walk. AVG: .273
(5th/LF/CG8)

Game 25, April 27: 0-3. AVG: .264
(5th/LF/CG8.2)

Game 26, April 28: 0-4, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .253
(6th/LF/CG8)

Game 27, April 29: 1-3, double, RBI sac fly. AVG: .255
(5th/LF/CG8)

April 30: not in lineup.

Game 28, May 2: 3-5, single (first at bat), run scored, home run, run scored, 2-run single. AVG: .272
(6th/LF/CG9)

Game 29, May 3: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .271
(3rd/LF – 3 i, CF – 6 i/CG9)

Game 30, May 4: 1-5, single, run scored. AVG: .268
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 31, May 5: 1-4, double (first at bat). AVG: .267
(3rd/LF – 8 i, CF – 2 i/CG10)

Game 32, May 6: 1-3, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .269
(3rd/LF – 7 i, CF – 2 i/CG9)

Game 33, May 7: 2-4, 2-run double, single. AVG: .276
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 34, May 8: 3-5, double (first at bat), run scored, single, 2-run home run, run scored, RBI fielder's choice. AVG: .289
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 35, May 9: 1-5, reached on fielding error (first at bat), home run, run scored. AVG: .286
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 36, May 10: 1-3, walk, single. AVG: .287
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 37, May 11: 1-4, walk (first at bat), single. AVG: .286
(3rd/DH/CG)

**Michael's 11-game hitting streak and 12-game reached base streak end**

Game 38, May 13: 0-4. AVG: .278
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 39, May 14: 1-3, double. AVG: .279
(3rd/LF/GS4)

^^Michael left the game after the top of the 5th inning with mid-back tightness and is day-to-day^^

May 15: precautionary day off, should play tomorrow.

Game 40, May 16: 1-4, single. AVG: .278
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 41, May 17: 1-3, walk (first at bat), single, run scored. AVG: .279
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 42, May 18: 2-3, walk (first at bat), single, home run, run scored, RBI walk. AVG: .287
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 43, May 19: 2-4, double, walk, hit by pitch, home run, run scored. AVG: .292
(3rd/LF/CG10) 

^^Michael hits first career walk-off home run^^

Game 44, May 20: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .291
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 45, May 21: 4-7, 2-run single, stolen base, run scored, double, single, stolen base, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG13)

Game 46, May 22: 2-6, RBI triple, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .303
(3rd/LF/CG13)

Game 47, May 23: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 48, May 24: 1-3, walk (first at bat), stolen base, RBI hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .303
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 49, May 25: 1-4, single. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 50, May 26: 2-3, RBI single, walk, stolen base, run scored, single. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 51, May 27: 1-4, single. AVG: .306
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 52, May 28: 2-4, single, single, run scored. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/CG8.1)

Game 53, May 30: 1-4, reached on fielder's choice (first at bat), run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .309
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael sets new franchise record with 19-game home hitting streak^^
**Michael's 15-game hitting streak and 19-game home hitting streak end**

Game 54, May 31: 0-4. AVG: .303
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 55, June 1: 2-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .307

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 56, June 2: 0-3, walk (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 57, June 3: 1-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .301
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 58, June 4: 3-5, RBI single (first at bat), single, single, run scored. AVG: .308
(3rd/LF/CG12)

Game 59, June 6: 1-4, walk (first at bat), single. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 60, June 7: 1-5, double, run scored. AVG: .305
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

**Michael's 10-game road hitting streak and 10-game road on-base streak end**

Game 61, June 8: 0-5, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .298
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 62, June 9: 3-3, walk (first at bat), run scored, walk, run scored, home run, run scored, single, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/GS7)

Game 63, June 10: 1-3, double (first at bat), hit by pitch, hit by pitch, run scored. AVG: .307
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 64, June 11: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .310

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 65, June 12: 2-4, single, double, run scored. AVG: .313
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 66, June 13: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI double, reached on fielding error. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 67, June 14: 2-4, hit by pitch, stolen base, single, run scored, single. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 68, June 15: 2-4, home run (first at bat), run scored, single, walk. AVG: .322
(3rd/LF/CG11) 

^^Michael sets new career high in home runs with 11^^

Game 69, June 16: 1-2, RBI single. AVG: .323
(3rd/LF/GS4)

^^Michael was removed from the game after the top of the 4th inning for precautionary reasons after taking a blow to the head/neck from John McDonald on slide into 2nd base while trying to break up a double play ^^

June 17: scratched from lineup at 4 pm. went through his pregame baseball activities and felt stiffness in his neck and pressure in his head. went to Cleveland Clinic for further evaluation and is currently day-to-day with head/neck soreness.
(3rd/LF)

June 18: has mild concussion, passing tests each day, hit off tee and played catch. might be back on field tomorrow, hopes to play June 21. game postponed, to be made up September 8.

June 19: ran on the field and threw before game, plus hit in the cage. tentative return still June 21.

June 20: ran the bases at full speed and took batting practice on the field. no ill effects. he was cleared to play in the 3rd/4th inning tonight, so…

Game 70, June 20: 1-1, single (first at bat). AVG: .326
(9th/PH)

**Michael's 9-game hitting streak and 16-game reached base streak end**

Game 71, June 21: 0-5. AVG: .320
(3rd/LF/CG10)

Game 72, June 22: 3-5, single (first at bat), RBI double, 2-run double. AVG: .325
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 73, June 24: 1-5, single, run scored, walk, walk, run scored. AVG: .323
(3rd/LF/CG13.1)

Game 74, June 25: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI groundout, home run, run scored, walk, run scored. AVG: .325
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

**Michael's 9-game road hitting streak and 20-game road reached base streak end**

Game 75, June 27: 0-3, RBI sac fly. AVG: .322
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 76, June 28: 1-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .321

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 77, June 29: 0-3, walk (first at bat). AVG: .318

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 78, June 30: 0-3. AVG: .314

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 79, July 1: 2-5, RBI double (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael starts triple play with his 10th OF assist^^

Game 80, July 2: 0-4, reached on fielding error (first at bat), walk, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 81, July 4: 2-4, single, home run, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 82, July 5: 3-5, single (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF – 8 i, CF – 1 i/CG9)

Game 83, July 6: 2-4, single, RBI single. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 84, July 7: 2-4, single, single. AVG: .323
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 85, July 8: 3-4, RBI double (first at bat), RBI double, home run, run scored. AVG: .328
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 86, July 9: 1-6, single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .325

(3rd/CF/CG14)

Game 87, July 10: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI sac fly, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 88, July 11: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .327

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 89, July 12: 1-4, home run, run scored. AVG: .326
(3rd/CF/CG9)

**Michael's 9-game hitting streak and 11-game reached base streak end**

Game 90, July 13: 0-4. AVG: .322

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 91, July 18: 4-5, single, single, stolen base, run scored, single, double, run scored. AVG: .329

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 92, July 19 (Day Game): 1-5, bunt single (first at bat), caught stealing. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 93, July 19 (Night Game): 2-4, double (first at bat), single, intentional walk, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 94, July 20: 0-3, walk. AVG: .326

(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 95, July 21: 1-1, double (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .328
(5th/PH-CF – 1 i/8-GF)

^^Michael sets new career high in runs scored with 67^^

Game 96, July 22: 0-4, walk. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 97, July 23: 0-4. AVG: .321

(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 98, July 24: 0-6. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG13.1)

Game 99, July 25: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .315

(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 100, July 26: 2-5, RBI double, single. AVG: .316

(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 101, July 27: 2-4, RBI sac fly, single, run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .318

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 102, July 29: 0-3, walk (first at bat). AVG: .316

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 103, July 30: 0-3, walk. AVG: .313

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 104, July 31: 2-3, RBI single (first at bat), triple, run scored, walk, stolen base, walk. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 105, August 1: 3-4, RBI double (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .320

(3rd/CF/GS5)

Game 106, August 2: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .322
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 107, August 3: 2-6, double, home run, run scored. AVG: .322

(3rd/CF/CG12) 

^^Michael passes his father's career high HR total with his 2nd career walk-off home run^^

Game 108, August 4: 2-4, RBI groundout (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single, stolen base. AVG: .324

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 109, August 5: 1-4, RBI single (first at bat). AVG: .323

(3rd/CF/CG9) 

**Michael's 11-game reached base streak ends**

Game 110, August 6: 0-3. AVG: .321

(3rd/CF/GS6.1) 

^^Michael was removed from the game as part of a double switch during the top of the 7th inning. he banged his right knee into the wall in right-center field after making a running catch in the bottom of the 3rd inning^^

Game 111, August 7: 1-4, double (first at bat). AVG: .320

(3rd/CF/CG8) 

^^Michael sets new career high in extra base hits with 48^^

Game 112, August 8: 1-3, walk, double, run scored, RBI walk, run scored. AVG: .320
(3rd/DH/CG) 

^^Michael sets new career high in total bases with 223^^

Game 113, August 9: 3-4, single (first at bat), single, home run, run scored. AVG: .324
(3rd/DH/CG) 

^^Michael sets new career high in RBI with 74^^

Game 114, August 10: 1-3, RBI single (first at bat), RBI sac fly, reached on fielder's choice, walk. AVG: .324

(3rd/DH/CG)

August 12: rain delay/game postponed, to be made up August 13 at 4 pm in a traditional DH.

(3rd/CF)

Game 115, August 13 (Game 1): 1-4, 2-run single, reached on fielding error. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 116, August 13 (Game 2): 2-5, single, double. AVG: .325

(3rd/DH/CG)

Game 117, August 15: 0-4. AVG: .322

(3rd/CF/CG11)

Game 118, August 16: 1-4, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .321

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 119, August 17: 0-3, walk (first at bat), stolen base. AVG: .319

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 120, August 19: 1-3, walk (first at bat), single, stolen base. AVG: .319

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 121, August 20: 0-4. AVG: .316

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 122, August 21: 0-4, reached on fielding error. AVG: .314

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 123, August 22: 0-4. AVG: .311

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 124, August 23: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG9)

August 24: not in lineup.

Game 125, August 26: 1-4, hit by pitch (first at bat), run scored, RBI double. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/CG10)

Game 126, August 27: 0-4. AVG: .308

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 127, August 28: 1-4, RBI single, stolen base, intentional walk. AVG: .307

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 128, August 29: 3-5, single, run scored, double, double. AVG: .310

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 129, August 30: 2-5, double (first at bat), RBI single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .311

(3rd/LF/CG11)

Game 130, August 31: 1-5, RBI double. AVG: .310

(3rd/LF/CG10)

^^game suspended due to rain, resumed at 6 pm on September 22 in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Game 131, September 1: 1-3, single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .310

(3rd/LF/GS5)

Game 132, September 2: 2-4, single (first at bat), run scored, walk, single. AVG: .311

(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael sets new career high in hits with 160^^

Game 133, September 3: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .311

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 134, September 4: 2-5, double, run scored, RBI double. AVG: .312

(3rd/LF/CG11) 

^^Michael sets new career high in doubles with 38^^

Game 135, September 5: 1-4, single (first at bat), stolen base, run scored, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .311

(3rd/LF/CG10)

^^Michael sets new career high in stolen bases with 18^^

Game 136, September 6: 3-4, single (first at bat), stolen base, single, RBI single. AVG: .315

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 137, September 7: 2-3, RBI single (first at bat), single, intentional walk. AVG: .317

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 138, September 8: 1-4, single. AVG: .316

(3rd/LF/GS8) 

**Michael's 12-game hitting streak ends**

Game 139, September 9: 0-3, walk. AVG: .314

(3rd/LF/CG9)

September 10: game postponed, to be made up September 11 at 12 pm in a traditional DH.

(3rd/LF)

Game 140, September 11 (Game 1): 2-3, walk (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .316

(3rd/DH/CG)

Game 141, September 11 (Game 2): 1-3, single (first at bat), walk. AVG: .316

(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael sets new career high in outfield assists with 12^^

Game 142, September 12: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .318

(3rd/DH/CG) 

^^Michael sets new career high in plate appearances with 612^^

Game 143, September 13: 2-4, 2-run home run (first at bat), run scored, single, stolen base. AVG: .319

(3rd/LF/CG8) 

^^Michael sets new career high in at bats with 557^^

Game 144, September 14: 2-4, single, stolen base, RBI hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .320

(3rd/LF/CG8) 

^^Michael sets new career high in singles with 120^^

Game 145, September 15: 2-4, double, single. AVG: .322

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 146, September 16: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .321

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 147, September 17: 2-4, bunt single, run scored, single, stolen base. AVG: .322

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 148, September 18: 1-5, reached on fielder's choice, single, intentional walk. AVG: .321

(3rd/LF/CG13)

Game 149, September 19: 2-5, home run, run scored, double, reached on fielding error. AVG: .322

(3rd/DH/CG) 

^^Michael joins 20-20 club for the first time in his career^^

Game 150, September 20: 2-4, walk (first at bat), double, run scored, single. AVG: .323

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 151, September 21: 3-5, RBI double, reached on force attempt/error, run scored, RBI single, single. AVG: .325

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 152, September 22: 1-3, single (first at bat), walk, stolen base. AVG: .326

(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael sets new career high in games played with 152^^

Game 153, September 23: 2-4, single (first at bat), reached on fielder's choice, double. AVG: .327

(3rd/LF/GS8)

Game 154, September 24: 3-4, single (first at bat), run scored, single, double. AVG: .329

(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 155, September 26: 0-3. AVG: .328

(3rd/LF/CG9) 

**Michael's 15-game hitting streak and 28-game on-base streak end**

Game 156, September 27: 1-4, single. AVG: .327

(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael sets new career high in innings played with 1297.2^^

^^Michael sets franchise record with 200th hit^^

September 28: not in lineup.

**Michael finishes season with career high .327 BA, .385 OBP, .506 SLG, and .890 OPS**
**Michael sets new career high in SB:CS with 23:1 and new career low in CS with 1**

**Michael Brantley finishes the 2014 season with a batting average of .327**

in 2014, Michael had a total of 676 plate appearances and 611 at bats in 156 games (1304.1 innings). in total, he had 200 hits, 133 singles, 45 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs, 97 RBI, 5 sac flies, 94 runs scored, 52 walks, 4 intentional walks, 8 hit by pitches, 23 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing, 16 GIDP, 56 strikeouts (38 swinging, 18 looking), 51 first at bat hits, 309 total bases, 211 left on base, 271 putouts, 12 assists, 2 double plays, and 1 error.

2014 batting average: .327 (200-611)

OBP: .385

SLG: .506

OPS: .890

next up: a blog breaking down Michael's #s according to where he hit in the lineup.

previous blog:
Brantley's 2014 Career Highs, Career Firsts, & Franchise Records

Brantley's July 2014 #s

before i get into the July numeros, i want to take a minute to put the spotlight on a few more viewers from outside the United States who have been frequenting and reading my blog--hello Malaysia and Poland! thank you so much for coming here and reading all about Michael.

and to everyone else who viewed my blog last month, whatever your intentions, i thank you, too. getting more views really does help my blogspot. but now i have this to say. this is my All Things Brantley, All Things Tribe blog. you won't find any other content here. if you're not interested in reading about Michael and the Tribe, simply do not come here. i will not approve any comments that attack me, or contain any non-Brantley/non-Indians discussions. if you don't like what i write here, you know where the X button is in your top right corner. bye Felicia! now back to business.


Michael started the month of July with the best numbers he's ever had because his June was the best June of his career. but something happened after the All Star break, and he went through a mini-slump where it seemed like he couldn't hit anything all the sudden. he just couldn't catch a break when he came to bat with runners in scoring position, against left-handed pitching, and with 2 outs in an inning. Michael played in the All Star game this month, so he didn't get the full break that the other players got, but i don't think you can use that as an excuse. i know he wouldn't. so i can't really explain his struggles. yes, he once again was robbed of several hits due to stellar defense from the opposition, but there was also a short stretch where he didn't have quality at bats (imo). we finally didn't have any interleague games at the end of the month, but the Indians did face 2 tough Seattle pitchers, which didn't help Michael finish the month on a high note. however, he did still rack up some more career highs, mostly (and thankfully) due to his hot start to July.

his batting average increased yet again, albeit only up by .002 from the end of last month. but it was almost a tale of 2 Julys. he played very well up to the All Star break, then hit a snag after. he got his BA all the way up to .329, and it dipped down as low as .313 before he finished July with a .316 batting average. that currently ranks 5th in the American League, 7th in the majors, and 2nd among major league outfielders. i tell ya, for a guy who has never been batting over .300 at this point in the season, to be able to sustain this is extremely impressive. and if he continues to hit the way he has been and doesn't fall into any long-term slumps, then he could have a real shot at the AL batting title. i never thought i'd be able to say that lol =D

speaking of a batting race, there have been 2 players on the Indians who have excelled in hitting pretty much all year. Michael has led the team in batting average steadily since he got past that April slump. but on July 9, Lonnie Chisenhall finally had enough plate appearances to become a qualifier. Chisenhall had a higher batting average than Michael for most of the year, but it took him 90 games into the season to qualify. Chiz was, as i refer to it, "babied" at the beginning of the season. he only started in games against right-handed pitchers and was removed later when lefties came out of the bullpen. this strategy was carried out by Francona in order to give Chiz confidence. and Chiz did very well against an all righties mound squad. so after a while, Francona gradually allowed Chiz to hit against lefties, and with his newfound confidence, he started doing well against the left-handed pitchers, too. because of this, he was able to retain a batting average in the upper .300s for the majority of the 1st half of the season, before recently coming back down to earth in late-June and July.

Chiz passed Michael's batting average on July 11, officially taking the team lead. then they pretty much went back and forth, trading the lead until the end of the month. (Chiz finished July batting .307, 9 points behind Michael.) this will probably continue for the rest of the season unless someone gets really hot, goes really cold, or god forbid gets hurt and misses significant time.

on July 20, Chiz suggested that there should be a friendly wager between himself and Michael about who finishes the year with the highest batting average. before the July 21 game, Michael said a wager hadn't yet been made. "i said this in the past, i don't look at stats. stats are something i look back on at the end of the year. he can play chase or i can play chase, it doesn't really matter to me whatsoever. the only thing that matters at the end of the year is that we go to the postseason." (well don't i feel like a dipshit then for doing all these lengthy break down blogs every month. facepalm lol)

i'm curious to know what Chiz's average would have been had he played regularly, like Michael, from the start of the year and faced all the tough pitchers that Michael had to go against. so while Chiz does have the 2nd highest BA on the team right now, i'm just not sold on it because of the way it was accomplished. not to mention he's really starting to lose steam, having dropped 54 points in the last 2 months, while Michael, even through his struggles, has maintained above average numbers.

similarly to June, Michael again had quite a few loud outs in July. he is not letting up on the gas pedal where that is concerned, as he currently leads the team in line drive outs. still, most of his outs are coming by way of groundouts. he now has 145 grounders vs. 110 flyouts through July, and leads the team in those particular outs as well. so how can it be possible that he leads the team in 3 different types of outs when he has the highest batting average? well that's probably because Michael has a team low in strikeouts. in his 452 plate appearances, he's compiled an 8.4% strikeout rate, also lowest among outfielders in the American League. Michael remains one of the toughest batters to strike out in the AL. he also rates among the best in the majors at hitting pitches in the upper half of the strike zone, and had a hard-hit rate of 22.2% on July 27, ranking him 15th in the majors.

but let's go back to Michael's loud outs for a minute. a lot of the outs that occurred during his slump on the post-All Star break road trip were loud line drive outs. that's nothing new. even Francona simply said, "good hitters are going to line out" about it. and Michael was also unphased by his bad luck. "my goal is to keep doing the same thing i'm doing. i know that stats don't look like that, but i'm happy with the way i'm swinging the bat. i'm still putting the barrel on the ball consistently, swinging at good quality strikes, and hitting the ball hard. as long as i continue to do that, good things are going to continue to happen. if you look at the stats, it doesn't look like i'm swinging the bat that well. but in my mind and what i'm doing on film, everything is correct. so i've got to stay right there."

i'm sure Michael was also talking to his father about his performance to get his opinions and advice. i trust what Michael said, that he's looked at film and doesn't think there's anything that he needs to change right now. so hopefully the balls he's hitting hard will start finding holes again and some of his stats will look better soon.

okay now, stop me if you've heard this one. during the July 5 game, Michael Bourn re-injured his hamstring, so (my) Michael was moved over to center field. when Bourn went on the DL the very next day, Michael began seeing regular playing time in center again. (and it sounds as though Michael will continue to play center at least through the beginning of August as well.) on the one hand, i was all for that because i know that the center fielder generally records more putouts in games than the left fielder. not only that, but because the one blemish on Michael's fielding percentage came while he was playing center, the more putouts he can now get as a center fielder, the higher his CF fielding percentage will become.

but on the other hand, the one disadvantage of playing center is there are usually a lot less opportunities for outfield assists. this is mostly because you are getting more putout chances since you're covering more ground in the outfield. runners are more likely to test a player's arm when the ball goes into one of the outfield corners as opposed to bloops in center and balls hit off the center field wall. plus, sometimes it's harder when you're back in the furthest part of the park/deep center field to get a throw in to the cutoff man in time to nail the runner at 2nd or 3rd base. as a result, Michael did not have any assists while playing center this month.

Michael is a great defender whether he's playing left or center, but sometimes when he's not manning that left field wall, his backups can have some serious blunders. at one point this month, Tom Hamilton even eluded to how Michael's defense in left was missed. there's an article written about past Indian left fielders here, though Meisel left out that one time when Carlos Santana played left. i remember it because i was there for it.

in regards to the batting order, Michael again continued to bat 3rd for almost the whole month. he pinch hit once in the 5th spot on a day he was supposed to have off and hit a double and scored a run. Kipnis was then promoted to the leadoff spot once Bourn went on the DL. Kip had his ups and downs, and the player in the #2 spot seemed to be revolving all month. similarly to last month, Michael came to bat so many times with 2 outs in the 1st inning because the first 2 guys couldn't get on base, and if i didn't personally keep track of this number to know exactly how many times this occurred, i wouldn't be able to count it. needless to say, this did not help Michael increase his RBI total. in fact, approximately 23% of his RBIs this month came from the 3 solo home runs he hit.

you know what else didn't help him acquire more RBIs? all the times that Michael would come to bat with runners on base when he couldn't manage to get a hit. as i mentioned above, he was struggling for a significant stretch almost immediately after the All Star break and then had to bat so much with 2 outs in an inning. consequently, his numbers in this category dropped substantially, but because they were higher prior to July, the overall numbers are still respectable. he did miss out on a lot of RBIs though.

if i had to pinpoint one more reason for his missed RBI opportunities, it would have to be his continued aggressive hitting. and it looks like that's here to stay. Michael's having a lot of quick at bats. sometimes he gets on base, sometimes he doesn't. and although this continues to irk me because i'd much prefer him to work the count, i'm not going to question him because he knows pitches better than i do. but where his left-handed hitting, 2-out hitting, and RISP with 2 outs numbers are concerned, i wanna see improved and more quality at bats so he can get those numbers back up to where i believe they should be, and drive in those runners when they're on base waiting for him. i know he can do it.

Michael had a hit in 18 of the 26 games he played in July and reached base safely in 23 games. Michael reached base in 11 straight games from July 1-12. he had 8 0-fers this month, including 4 in 5 games from July 20-24. however, he did still safely reach base in 5 of the 8 games he went hitless in.

Michael had a 9-game hitting streak this month from July 4-12. during his streak, he bat .436 (17-for-39) with 17 hits, 5 for extra bases. he hit 2 doubles and 3 home runs, giving him 28 total bases. he had 9 RBI, 1 sac fly, 7 runs, 1 walk, 2 GIDP and only 2 strikeouts. his OBP was .439, his SLG was .718, and his OPS was 1.157.

Michael had 5-straight multi-hit games from July 4-8, his second such streak of the season. during this streak, he bat .571 (12-for-21) with 12 hits and 20 total bases. he hit 2 doubles and 2 home runs, giving him 4 extra base hits. he also had 6 RBI, 3 runs, and 0 strikeouts. his OBP was .571, his SLG was .952, and his OPS was 1.524. the last Cleveland Indian to have two 5 multi-hit game streaks was Omar Vizquel in 1999, so Michael's in some good company right there. almost as if déjà vu though, this streak ended on July 9 after Michael got hit in the head running to 2nd base on a throwing error by Yankee 1st baseman Mark Teixeira. and while Michael did not leave the game this time, he oddly could not record another hit in 6 further plate appearances.

Michael is now batting .344 (95-for-276) against right-handed pitchers and .256 (33-for-129) against left-handed pitchers. his average against righties increased once again, but it was struggle city against the lefties for Michael this month and that overall BA went down 31 points. you can continue to make the argument that he faces way more right-handed pitchers than left, but still, at some point he needs to hit more consistently against those lefties. and the fact that he's doing so outstanding this season against righties only makes the BA against lefties look worse. nevertheless, i remain confident that he will do better in the final 2 months of the season.

Michael's batting .354 (68-for-192) at home, with 40 RBI and .282 (60-for-213) on the road. his home BA ranks near the top in all of the American League. he's been very consistent with his road hitting as well to keep that BA almost identical to what it was at the end of last month. and i know his home and road BAs seem very far apart, but i can't complain. he seems to be on a serious tear when he's in his own backyard, which is great. but get rid of that and just look at the road BA for a second. i think you have to be satisfied with it because that's still very good. some players are batting a lot worse than that.

Michael continues to put up good numbers when the team needs him. he's now batting .344 (33-for-96) with runners in scoring position, totaling 50 RBI, which is yet another increase from the end of last month. he's also hitting .353 (6-for-17) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, an increased .421 (16-for-38) with 1 out and RISP, and an improved .268 (11-for-41) with 2 outs and RISP and 17 RBI. Michael is batting .346 (56-for-162) with 54 RBI with runners on base, and .545 (6-for-11) with 17 RBI when the bases are loaded. he had a lot of at bats with 2 outs again this month, and he's now down to batting .273 (39-for-143) with 23 RBI with 2 outs in an inning.

Michael hit 3 more (solo) home runs in July. add that to the new career high he set last month, and he now has 15 homers total. but it wasn't enough to hold onto the team lead, as he's now 2nd in home runs. (i go into more detail about this further down in the blog.) on a happier note, Michael has now tied his father's career high home run total of 15. with 2 months to go, he is assuredly going to become the new Brantley in the family with the most home runs hit in one season.

when asked on July 12 about this then team leading 15 home runs, Michael had this to say. "i've said it before, i'm not a home run hitter. i put good swings on the ball and whatever happens after that is out of my control. the key is to put good consistent swings on the ball as much as possible. i'm older (27), smarter, and i work hard. i haven't changed my approach at all. it's all about putting the barrel on the ball consistently. i don't have a real reason why. i'm just putting the barrel on the ball. if it goes out, it goes out. i don't control that. i just try to put the barrel on the ball as much as possible."

he may no longer be the team's home run leader, but Michael does remain the team leader with his 66 RBI, also a career high for him through July. his 66th RBI didn't come last year until September 21. it's a very safe assumption that Michael will definitely set a new RBI career high for himself in August. he only needs 7 to tie and 8 to break it. his 66 RBI currently rank 5th among American League outfielders, 13th in the American League, and 16th overall in the majors.

so i didn't get the 15 RBI that i wanted from him this month. and as i said earlier, Michael had plenty of chances to get at least that, and then some. but i've noticed he's trending downward monthly in the RBI department. he had 20 in March/April, 19 in May, 14 in June, and now 13 in July. i know it's not realistic to expect him to drive in 20 guys every month, and he's certainly not going to be able to drive home every guy who's on base when he comes up to bat. but he left 35 runners on base in 26 games this month. i'd really like to see that improve, aka him not leave so many guys on in August and September.

since Michael hit another 3 solo homers this month, let me redo the HR/RBI ratio stats. 12 of his 15 home runs have been solo, while the other 3 were 2-run homers. this means 12 of his 66 RBI (18.2%) have come from solo homers, and 18 of his 66 RBI (27.3%) have come from all 15 of his home runs. Michael continues to have the majority of his at bats (243) when no one is on base, but i'm still hoping in these last 2 months that Michael can hit at least one 3-run bomb for me.

Michael set another career high this month in the runs scored category. when he came in to pinch hit in the July 21 game, he scored a run after initially getting on base with a double, giving him his 67th run scored. last season he had a total of 66 runs scored, and that was his career best until now. when the month of July ended, Michael had a total of 71 runs. every other run he scores through the end of the season will add to his new career high. i wrote a short blog about this here.

aside from once again leading the team in RBI (66)* and runs (71)*, Michael also leads the team with: 128 hits*, 44 extra base hits*, 204 total bases*, 84 singles*, 27 doubles, 104 games*, 452 plate appearances*, 405 at bats*, .316 BA*, .378 OBP*, .504 SLG*, and .882 OPS*. he also leads the outfielders with 10 assists* and has the best stolen base:caught stealing ratio (12-for-13) on the team*.

he's 2nd on the team with 15 home runs*, 4 sac flies, 37 walks*, 6 hit by pitches*, and 12 stolen bases. he has the least amount of strikeouts with 38* as well.

(*denotes these are also career highs for Michael through July. these rankings include qualifiers only.)

this was definitely not the best July Michael's ever had. he set several career highs in 2012 that he's yet to break. but after doing more research, i found that Michael set career highs for himself in the month of July with the following: 34 hits, 12 extra base hits, 53 total bases, 8 doubles, 2 sac flies, 17 runs, 117 plate appearances, and 106 at bats.

now let's get into some other facts about Michael's season thus far. he's hit safely in 40 of 49 home games and 80 of 104 games overall. he now has 36 multi-hit games, meaning he's multi-hit in 34.6% of the games he's played in. (wow.) he has 15 multi-RBI games along with 19 go-ahead hits and 21 go-ahead RBI. plus, he's recorded a total of 10 games with 3 or more hits so far this season, leading the team.

comparing his numbers to the other qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael is 1st in batting average (.316), 2nd in hits (128) and runs scored (71), 3rd in OBP (.378) and OPS (.882), tied for 3rd in doubles (27), 4th in SLG (.504), 5th in RBI (66) and total bases (204), tied for 5th in extra base hits (44), and tied for 7th in home runs (15). furthermore, his OBP ranks 6th, his SLG ranks 9th, and his OPS ranks 8th overall in the AL.

how about some July standout moments? on July 6, it was announced that Michael had made the American League All Star team. he was voted in as a reserve by his peers. i was so happy and proud of him, and of course i wrote a blog about it here.

on July 8, Michael became just the third player this year to record three hits off New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. the other players who had 3 hits off Tanaka are Dustin Pedroia and former Cleveland Indian Luis Valbuena. Michael's 3 hits in this game gave him a team high 9 games with 3 or more hits this season. also at this time, he had a team high 30 multi-hit games, making him the most recent Indians player to have at least 30 multi-hit games within the ballclub's first 89 games of the season. the last player to achieve this was Grady Sizemore in 2006.

also on July 8, Michael became the first Indians player to have at least 60 RBI in a 1st half since Victor Martinez in 2007. dating back to 1914, Michael is now only the 2nd Indians player to have hit .300 or more with at least 35 extra base hits, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in the 1st half of the season. Roberto Alomar previously did it in 1999. i wrote a blog with all of Michael's 1st half numbers here.

additionally on July 8, Michael and LA Angels outfielder Mike Trout were the only two players in the major leagues with at least a .300 batting average, 35 extra base hits, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. not only that, but Michael was the only major league player at that time with at least a .310 batting average, 10+ home runs, 20+ doubles, 60+ RBI, 50+ runs, and 10+ stolen bases. work lol

but alas, not all of these events can be good. on July 9, Michael struck out (looking) for the first time since June 22. he went 60 plate appearances without a strikeout, the longest active streak in the major leagues at that time. it was also the longest streak by a Cleveland Indian since Matt Lawton had 61 straight plate appearances without a strikeout in 2004. so close! as you already know, Michael is one of the hardest batters in the league to strike out. before his strikeout in this game, he was the 3rd hardest batter in the American League to strike out.

the July 9 game also brought about another injury scare, for me anyways. in a game against the Yankees in the bottom of the 1st inning, Michael hit a single and was on base at 1st. Santana was the next batter and when he made contact at the plate, Mark Teixeira threw the ball to 2nd base to get Michael out, but the ball accidentally hit Michael in the head. and i was like omg not again. after that clunk to the head, Michael kept playing and thankfully there was no sign of another possible concussion. but his 5 multi-hit game streak did come to an end. oh, and that strikeout that he recorded? yeah that was in his first at bat after the head plunk. typical.

also during the July 9 game, Michael lost his team lead in the stolen bases category. however, he currently has the best stolen base/caught stealing ratio on the team.

on July 10, a day after he recorded his first strikeout in 17 days, Michael grounded into his first double play since June 2.

on July 12, Michael took sole possession of the team lead in home runs when he hit his 15th homer. but he lost his (tied) team lead in home runs for good on July 25 after Santana hit 2 homers in one game. and by July 28, Santana had hit 3 more home runs, making it clear that Michael would probably not be able to get the team lead back or even just tie it again. for what it's worth, the fact that Michael ever led the team in home runs, and that he did it for as long as he did, is quite remarkable. no worries though, he's still the team leader in several other important facets of the game.

on July 15, Michael played in his first All Star game. he went 0-for-1, played 4 innings in center field, and recorded 1 putout. he was very excited to share the experience with his family, his father especially, who he credits for helping him become a successful big league player. "he's probably the biggest influence on my career. he's here to have this with me, this experience. without him, i don't know if i could be here right now at this level. he taught me a lot of what i know. i still use him for information today." i wrote a blog about Michael's entire All Star experience here.

on July 18, the first game back after the All Star break, Michael went 4-for-5, totaling 4 hits in 1 game for the first time this season, and 7th time in his career. he had 3 singles, 1 double, 2 runs, and 1 stolen base. that brought his BA up to .329, allowing him to retake the team lead in batting average.

during Game 1 on July 19 against Detroit, Michael was caught stealing for the first time in 12 attempts. then during Game 2 on July 19, he was intentionally walked for the first time this year.

on July 22, Michael was named the Indians recipient of the 2014 MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award. one player from every team in the league is chosen for this preliminary honor and then one final winner is picked, through voting, at the end of the year. i wrote a blog with all the details about this award here.

on July 24, for the first time in Michael's career, he went 0-for-6 in a 14-inning game. it marked the 3rd straight game where he was hitless, and brought him to 1-for-18 in his last 5 games from July 20-24. ouch. this is when his left-handed pitching and 2-out stats really went down. he also left 9 guys on base in 2 games (July 23-24). anyway you slice it, he was struggling.

during the Indians' 4-game Kansas City series from July 24-27, Michael was robbed of 3 hits by center fielder Jarrod Dyson. "he's a great defender with above-average speed. i couldn't get a ball away from him. he told me on one ball he didn't even see it. he just dove, stuck his glove out and the ball went in. so that was the kind of luck i was having."

on July 29, Michael drew just the 3rd 4-pitch walk of the season issued by Seattle Mariner Hisasha Iwakuma. it was the first walk Iwakuma had allowed in 36.1 innings in his last 6 starts. Iwakuma had only given up 9 walks total in 117.2 innings in 17 starts. Michael was only the 8th batter to even see a 3-0 count from Iwakuma this season.

on July 31, Michael recorded at least 1 triple, 1 run, 2 walks, and 1 stolen base against the Seattle Mariners. in doing so, he became the first Indian with at least those marks in a game since Albert Belle on September 1, 1993.

well i think i've given more than enough attention to Michael's July offense, so now let's talk about his defense. Michael saw most of his time in center field this month, playing just 3 games in left. for a third straight month, he did not commit any errors, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in July. because he played almost all center, he had 70 putouts, the most he's had in one month this season. i'm glad he finally got to play a lot of center field so he could make more catches and add to his putout total. plus i love it when he gets to be the captain of the outfield.

Michael played in another 13.1 inning game and also a 14 inning game this month, and he finally recorded some putouts during them (because he was playing CF, obviously lol). thus, it still seems as though Chuck Hinton's major league record (zero putouts in 18 innings on June 14, 1963) is in no immediate danger of being broken.

Michael added 1 more assist to his total this month. his 10 total outfield assists are tied for 3rd most in the American League and in the major leagues, and are a career high. shout out to Jordan Bastian, who wrote a very in-depth article breaking down all 10 of Michael's assists here. but the most exhilarating thing about his 10th assist that came on the road at Dodgers Stadium on July 1? it was the first assist of a triple play, the first Michael's ever been involved in.

to sum up, Dee Gordon was on 3rd and Yasiel Puig was on 1st base when Kyle Crockett came on in relief of Justin Masterson to face Adrian Gonzalez. after 1-2 count, Gonzalez hit a fly ball to left field. Michael caught it, then threw out Gordon at home when Yan Gomes applied the tag. then Gomes caught Puig trying to go to 2nd on the play at the plate, so Gomes threw the ball to Kipnis who then got Puig out at 2nd base. but Puig was initially called safe, so Francona had to challenge the play, and the call was overturned to complete the triple play. and then Don Mattingly decided he wanted the out call at home plate challenged. but the out call stood, and at that point, the triple play was officially official. Michael was credited with the 1st assist of the triple play, as the scoring went 7-4-2. it was the first triple play completed by the Indians since April 3, 2011 against the White Sox. i have more details about this, including photos and the video, in the blog i wrote here.

when asked if he wants runners to keep testing his arm, Michael replied, "why not? i'm always up for the challenge. it helps the baseball team out if i can throw somebody out. i take great pride in it and i'm going to continue to do the best job i can each and every day."



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his July #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 5th spot #s, and the PH #s, as well as the left field #s, center field #s, and overall outfield #s.

July batting average: .321

OBP: .368

SLG: .500

OPS: .868


Michael played in 26 (of 26) games, 25 complete, in July. he started and played left in 3 games, completing 2 of those games. he was part of a defensive switch in 1 game, moving from left to center. he played 1 inning when moved over to center, with no official at bats. he started and played center in 22 complete games. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game, and then played 1 inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution.

Michael bat 3rd in 25 games.

Michael bat 5th in 1 game. (PH)


Michael played left field in 3 games. (2 complete, 1 started: 8 innings)

Michael played center field in 24 games. (22 complete, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning, 1 defensive sub (PH): 1 inning)

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael played in 25 complete games.



in July, Michael had a total of 117 plate appearances and 106 at bats. here is how he fared:

34 hits

22 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

13 RBI

2 sac flies

17 runs scored

9 walks

1 intentional walk

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

4 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

9 first at bat hits

53 total bases


35 left on base

70 putouts

1 assist

231.1 innings, 26 games

(25 complete games)

July batting average: .321 (34-106) (26 games)


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

when Michael bat 3rd in July, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

33 hits

22 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

13 RBI

2 sac flies

16 runs scored

9 walks

1 intentional walk

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

4 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

8 first at bat hits

51 total bases


35 left on base

70 putouts

1 assist

230.1 innings, 25 games

(25 complete games)

July batting average in the 3rd spot: .314 (33-105) (25 games)

overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot: .327 (98-300) (74 games) (656 innings)


when Michael bat 3rd and played left in July, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

5 singles

1 double

1 home run

3 RBI

3 runs scored

2 first at bat hits

11 total bases


2 left on base

6 putouts

1 assist

26 innings, 3 games

(2 complete games)

July batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .500 (7-14) (3 games)

overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing left: .354 (70-198) (50 games) (433.2 innings)

when Michael bat 3rd and played center in July, he had a total of 102 plate appearances and 91 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

26 hits

17 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

2 home runs

10 RBI

2 sac flies

13 runs scored

9 walks

1 intentional walk

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

4 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

6 first at bat hits

40 total bases


33 left on base

64 putouts

204.1 innings, 23 games

(22 complete games)

July batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center: .286 (26-91) (23 games)
overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing center: .276 (27-98) (27 games) (222.1 innings)

when Michael bat 5th in July, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 double

1 run scored

1 first at bat hit

2 total bases


1 inning, 1 game

July batting average in the 5th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)

overall batting average in the 5th spot: .290 (20-69) (19 games) (158.2 innings)

when Michael bat 5th and played center in July, he had a total of no plate appearances and no at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 inning, 1 game

July batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: N/A (0-0) (1 game)
overall batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (3 games) (14 innings)


when Michael bat 5th, he was the PH in July for 1 game. he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 double

1 run scored

1 first at bat hit

2 total bases


1 game

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


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

1 hit

1 double

1 run scored

1 first at bat hit

2 total bases


1 game

July batting average as a PH: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
overall batting average so far as a PH: 1.000 (2-2) (2 games)

now let's break down his outfield numbers.


when Michael played the outfield in July, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

33 hits

22 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

3 home runs

13 RBI

2 sac flies

16 runs scored

9 walks

1 intentional walk

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

4 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

8 first at bat hits

51 total bases


35 left on base

70 putouts

1 assist

231.1 innings, 26 games

(25 complete games)

July batting average while playing the outfield: .314 (33-105) (26 games)
overall batting average so far while playing the outfield: .313 (125-399) (102 games) (900 innings)


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


when Michael played left in July, he had a total of 14 plate appearances and 14 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

5 singles

1 double

1 home run

3 RBI

3 runs scored

2 first at bat hits

11 total bases


2 left on base

6 putouts

1 assist

26 innings, 3 games

(2 complete games)

July batting average while playing left: .500 (7-14) (3 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .333 (91-273) (71 games) (605.1 innings)

when Michael played center in July, he had a total of 102 plate appearances and 91 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

26 hits

17 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

2 home runs

10 RBI

2 sac flies

13 runs scored

9 walks

1 intentional walk

3 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

4 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

6 first at bat hits

40 total bases

33 left on base

64 putouts

205.1 innings, 24 games

(22 complete games)

July batting average while playing center: .286 (26-91) (24 games)
overall batting average so far while playing center: .270 (34-126) (37 games) (294.2 innings)



July #s while playing left: 6 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (26 innings, 3 games)

overall #s so far while playing left: 102 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (605.1 innings, 71 games)

July #s while playing center: 64 putouts, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (205.1 innings, 24 games)

overall #s so far while playing center: 88 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.989 fielding percentage (294.2 innings, 37 games)

July #s while playing the outfield: 70 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (231.1 innings, 26 games)

overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 190 putouts, 10 assists, 1 double play, 1 error, 0.995 fielding percentage (900 innings, 102 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 79/Game 1, July 1: 2-5, RBI double (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

^^Michael starts triple play with his 10th OF assist^^

Game 80/Game 2, July 2: 0-4, reached on fielding error (first at bat), walk, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 81/Game 3, July 4: 2-4, single, home run, run scored. AVG: .312
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 82/Game 4, July 5: 3-5, single (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF - 8 i, CF - 1 i/CG9)

Game 83/Game 5, July 6: 2-4, single, RBI single. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 84/Game 6, July 7: 2-4, single, single. AVG: .323
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 85/Game 7, July 8: 3-4, RBI double (first at bat), RBI double, home run, run scored. AVG: .328
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 86/Game 8, July 9: 1-6, single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .325
(3rd/CF/CG14)

Game 87/Game 9, July 10: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI sac fly, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 88/Game 10, July 11: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .327

(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 89/Game 11, July 12: 1-4, home run, run scored. AVG: .326
(3rd/CF/CG9)

**Michael's 9-game hitting streak and 11-game reached base streak end**

Game 90/Game 12, July 13: 0-4. AVG: .322
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 91/Game 13, July 18: 4-5, single, single, stolen base, run scored, single, double, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 92/Game 14, July 19 (Day Game): 1-5, bunt single (first at bat), caught stealing. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 93/Game 15, July 19 (Night Game): 2-4, double (first at bat), single, intentional walk, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 94/Game 16, July 20: 0-3, walk. AVG: .326
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 95/Game 17, July 21: 1-1, double (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .328
(5th/PH-CF – 1 i/8-GF) 

^^Michael sets new career high in runs scored with 67^^

Game 96/Game 18, July 22: 0-4, walk. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 97/Game 19, July 23: 0-4. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 98/Game 20, July 24: 0-6. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG13.1)

Game 99/Game 21, July 25: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .315
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 100/Game 22, July 26: 2-5, RBI double, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 101/Game 23, July 27: 2-4, RBI sac fly, single, run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .318
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 102/Game 24, July 29: 0-3, walk (first at bat). AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 103/Game 25, July 30: 0-3, walk. AVG: .313
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 104/Game 26, July 31: 2-3, RBI single (first at bat), triple, run scored, walk, stolen base, walk. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)



so far in 2014, Michael has a total of 452 plate appearances and 405 at bats in 104 games (900 innings). in total, he has 128 hits, 84 singles, 27 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, 66 RBI, 4 sac flies, 71 runs scored, 37 walks, 1 intentional walk, 6 hit by pitches, 12 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing, 12 GIDP, 38 strikeouts (28 swinging, 10 looking), 32 first at bat hits, 204 total bases, 146 left on base, 190 putouts, 10 assists, 1 double play, and 1 error.

2014 season batting average: .316 (128-405)

OBP: .378

SLG: .504

OPS: .882