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
Showing posts with label 7th. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 7th. Show all posts
Monday, December 24, 2018
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Brantley's 2017 ALDS #s
it is with a heavy heart that i post this blog. even though Michael Brantley finally got to be a part of the Cleveland Indians' postseason as an active player, the team's playoff appearance was very short-lived, taking practically everyone by surprise. earlier tonight, on October 11, the New York Yankees eliminated the Tribe in the American League Division Series by beating them, 3 games to 2. if you need a minute to cry, go ahead; then keep reading. believe me, i'm right there with you.ðŸ˜
i had originally planned on posting separate blogs for each series that the Indians played in but... this is it. the format here consists of sections from both the Brantley's 2016 Postseason blog and my monthly Brantley blogs. i've also changed some things around a bit because i felt like it made a little more sense for such a short series.
now without further ado, let's relive the last 10 days.😟
Pre-American League Division Series News
October 2: the Indians held an optional workout on Monday and Michael
i had originally planned on posting separate blogs for each series that the Indians played in but... this is it. the format here consists of sections from both the Brantley's 2016 Postseason blog and my monthly Brantley blogs. i've also changed some things around a bit because i felt like it made a little more sense for such a short series.
now without further ado, let's relive the last 10 days.😟
Pre-American League Division Series News
October 2: the Indians held an optional workout on Monday and Michael
Friday, October 9, 2015
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,
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,
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
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
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
Monday, October 5, 2015
Brantley's September/October 2015 #s
hello again, Brantley fans! thank you to everyone who read my Brantley's August 2015 #s blog and Brantley's 2015 #s Through August blog. i know that the August blog was lengthy (albeit not compared to this one), but i trust you forgave me once you discovered how exciting Michael's incredible month was to read about. i also want to welcome some viewers from Sweden who recently visited my blog for the first time. i'm happy you found my blogspot and hope you continue to come back and read all about Michael!
well here we are again, at the end of another baseball season. the Indians gave it a valiant effort, but it wasn't quite enough to land a wild card spot. don't let yourself get too upset though because i will be writing a plethora of blogs throughout this month of October. so make sure you keep checking back for those, or you can simply subscribe to my emailing list (over on the right side of this page) to always be notified whenever a new post goes live! before we get to all that however, it is time for the final monthly blog of 2015.
note: i want to make it clear that September and October are combined to be 1 month. this is what all the baseball sites do when baseball season runs into October. it wouldn't make much sense to give October its own month for stats when not that many games are actually played. so whenever you see "the/this month" written in this blog, know that i am referring to (both) September/October as one even though Michael did not play in any of the October games.
September/October Overview
i don't know what happened here, guys. after Michael's August sizzle, i never saw this September fizzle coming. he just had one of the best months in his career in August and appeared to be headed for a hot finish. but as soon as the calendar flipped over to September, his bat cooled way down and it was like all the steam had been let out. maybe that last game in August (when he went 0-for-4) was a foreshadowing of things to come and i overlooked it based on how amazing he did in all his previous August games.
Michael went hitless in more games this month than any other month this season and
well here we are again, at the end of another baseball season. the Indians gave it a valiant effort, but it wasn't quite enough to land a wild card spot. don't let yourself get too upset though because i will be writing a plethora of blogs throughout this month of October. so make sure you keep checking back for those, or you can simply subscribe to my emailing list (over on the right side of this page) to always be notified whenever a new post goes live! before we get to all that however, it is time for the final monthly blog of 2015.
note: i want to make it clear that September and October are combined to be 1 month. this is what all the baseball sites do when baseball season runs into October. it wouldn't make much sense to give October its own month for stats when not that many games are actually played. so whenever you see "the/this month" written in this blog, know that i am referring to (both) September/October as one even though Michael did not play in any of the October games.
September/October Overview
i don't know what happened here, guys. after Michael's August sizzle, i never saw this September fizzle coming. he just had one of the best months in his career in August and appeared to be headed for a hot finish. but as soon as the calendar flipped over to September, his bat cooled way down and it was like all the steam had been let out. maybe that last game in August (when he went 0-for-4) was a foreshadowing of things to come and i overlooked it based on how amazing he did in all his previous August games.
Michael went hitless in more games this month than any other month this season and
Monday, November 3, 2014
Brantley Finishes 7th in FanGraphs' 2014 Player Of The Year Vote
today, on November 3, it was announced that Michael Brantley finished 7th in the FanGraphs 2014 Player of the Year vote! add that to the ever-growing long list of career firsts that Michael has obtained in 2014! =D
FanGraphs' POTY is a new award that was just started this year. it was created as a way to honor the player who performed at the highest level in Major League Baseball. this particular award recognizes the most outstanding performer of the season without splitting up leagues and player types.
the FanGraphs player of the year award is voted on by 10 authors at FanGraphs. one additional ballot is comprised of votes by FanGraphs readers. so in total, there are 11 ballots of votes.
here are the complete POTY voting results:
**chart copy and pasted from FanGraphs website
according to this, Michael was on all 11 ballots that were cast. as usual though, i think some of these rankings are off. first of all, i find it odd that not one person voted for the guy who won the AL batting title--Jose Altuve. then there's Alex Gordon, who's the favorite to win the left field Gold Glove this year, along with Victor Martinez, who had the 2nd highest BA in the American League. somehow both of these players were only on 1 of 11 ballots. i'm not even going to get into the rest of the voting break downs.
i honestly don't like awards that are structured like this, grouping everyone in baseball together. each league has its own best player. i don't think the AL and NL should be combined and competing for top billing. also, you guys who have been reading my blogs for the last couple years know that i think pitchers and hitters should be awarded for their work separately. when you put them all together, that's when these rankings can be skewed because you have to compare everybody and almost literally pick favorites. i mean, doesn't it seem strange to see Corey Kluber finish 4th and Felix Hernandez finish 4 places underneath him?
speaking of Kluber, it's somewhat shocking to me that he finished so high and ahead of Michael. not every voter had Corey above Michael, but enough did so that the final results placed him 4th. (if you want to see who each voter included on their ballot, their rankings, and explanations for their rankings, click here.) can't say i'm too happy that Michael's teammate was viewed as more valuable than Michael in this vote.
now let's do some comparisons. if we weigh this POTY list against Sporting News' 2014 POTY vote, Michael again finished 7th. however, Corey Kluber was nowhere to be found in SN's top 10. and keep in mind, the SN list was voted on by major league players. essentially, this FanGraphs award was voted on by fans and bloggers. if faced with the choice, i'm going to put a little more stock into who the players think is POTY over fans and bloggers who could very well be biased (like i am LOL).
and looking back at Baseball Bloggers Alliance's 2014 Stan Musial Award, Michael finished 2nd, 2 places above Corey. granted those were American League specific results, but they still had Michael ahead of Corey. just saying.
in the grand scheme of things, this is another of one those awards that's really not something to get all worked up about. it's nice that Michael finished 7th on this list and while i don't necessarily agree with that, i'm still happy for and proud of him. the fact that he continues to even place on all these lists is a great accomplishment.
tomorrow we find out the winners of the Gold Gloves and if Michael won for left field or not. then on November 13, the results of MLB's AL MVP come out. those are 2 awards that i'm very anxious to see the results of. until then...
congratulations once again to Michael on being recognized for his amazing 2014 season!
FanGraphs' POTY is a new award that was just started this year. it was created as a way to honor the player who performed at the highest level in Major League Baseball. this particular award recognizes the most outstanding performer of the season without splitting up leagues and player types.
the FanGraphs player of the year award is voted on by 10 authors at FanGraphs. one additional ballot is comprised of votes by FanGraphs readers. so in total, there are 11 ballots of votes.
here are the complete POTY voting results:
| Player | Ballots | Avg Rank | Avg Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton Kershaw | 11 | 1.5 | 77.3 |
| Mike Trout | 11 | 1.7 | 75.3 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 11 | 3.4 | 52.6 |
| Corey Kluber | 11 | 5.6 | 34.5 |
| Jonathan Lucroy | 10 | 6.0 | 32.6 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 10 | 6.1 | 28.9 |
| Michael Brantley | 11 | 6.6 | 25.0 |
| Felix Hernandez | 8 | 6.8 | 19.1 |
| Anthony Rendon | 6 | 7.3 | 11.9 |
| Jose Bautista | 6 | 8.3 | 11.1 |
| Buster Posey | 5 | 8.0 | 8.6 |
| Chris Sale | 6 | 9.0 | 6.4 |
| Josh Donaldson | 2 | 8.5 | 3.2 |
| Alex Gordon | 1 | 9.0 | 0.9 |
| Victor Martinez | 1 | 9.0 | 0.5 |
according to this, Michael was on all 11 ballots that were cast. as usual though, i think some of these rankings are off. first of all, i find it odd that not one person voted for the guy who won the AL batting title--Jose Altuve. then there's Alex Gordon, who's the favorite to win the left field Gold Glove this year, along with Victor Martinez, who had the 2nd highest BA in the American League. somehow both of these players were only on 1 of 11 ballots. i'm not even going to get into the rest of the voting break downs.
i honestly don't like awards that are structured like this, grouping everyone in baseball together. each league has its own best player. i don't think the AL and NL should be combined and competing for top billing. also, you guys who have been reading my blogs for the last couple years know that i think pitchers and hitters should be awarded for their work separately. when you put them all together, that's when these rankings can be skewed because you have to compare everybody and almost literally pick favorites. i mean, doesn't it seem strange to see Corey Kluber finish 4th and Felix Hernandez finish 4 places underneath him?
speaking of Kluber, it's somewhat shocking to me that he finished so high and ahead of Michael. not every voter had Corey above Michael, but enough did so that the final results placed him 4th. (if you want to see who each voter included on their ballot, their rankings, and explanations for their rankings, click here.) can't say i'm too happy that Michael's teammate was viewed as more valuable than Michael in this vote.
now let's do some comparisons. if we weigh this POTY list against Sporting News' 2014 POTY vote, Michael again finished 7th. however, Corey Kluber was nowhere to be found in SN's top 10. and keep in mind, the SN list was voted on by major league players. essentially, this FanGraphs award was voted on by fans and bloggers. if faced with the choice, i'm going to put a little more stock into who the players think is POTY over fans and bloggers who could very well be biased (like i am LOL).
and looking back at Baseball Bloggers Alliance's 2014 Stan Musial Award, Michael finished 2nd, 2 places above Corey. granted those were American League specific results, but they still had Michael ahead of Corey. just saying.
in the grand scheme of things, this is another of one those awards that's really not something to get all worked up about. it's nice that Michael finished 7th on this list and while i don't necessarily agree with that, i'm still happy for and proud of him. the fact that he continues to even place on all these lists is a great accomplishment.
tomorrow we find out the winners of the Gold Gloves and if Michael won for left field or not. then on November 13, the results of MLB's AL MVP come out. those are 2 awards that i'm very anxious to see the results of. until then...
congratulations once again to Michael on being recognized for his amazing 2014 season!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Brantley Finishes 7th in Sporting News' 2014 Player Of The Year Vote
today, on October 23, it was announced that Michael Brantley finished 7th in the Sporting News 2014 Player of the Year vote! this is still another new career first for Michael. congrats!
SN's POTY is voted on by major league players from both the American League and National League. 244 players voted this year. Sporting News established this award in 1936.
here are the complete POTY voting results:
1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (76)
2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (73)
3. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins (32)
4. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers (22)
5. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox (16)
5. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros (16)
7. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians (2)
7. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (2)
7. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers (2)
10. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (1)
10. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays/ Detroit Tigers (1)
10. Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics (1)
okay, you know i'm going in hard about these results. first off, i don't think pitchers should be considered in this kind of vote. what pitchers do and what hitters do is very different and their awards should be differentiated as such. (which is also why i've never liked the idea of pitchers receiving the MVP award.)
secondly, how is it possible that the guy with the 3rd best batting average in the league and the only player this season to have at least a .300 BA, 40 doubles, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 90 runs, and 20 SB placed in a 3-way tie for 7th? TWO votes? out of 244? i'm going to assume that the 2 votes he got came from Cleveland Indians players, which if true makes me sad because i thought Michael was finally getting respected around the league by his peers. he got voted to the All Star game by his peers, but only 2 players voted for him for player of the year? something's not adding up there, literally.
third, and much like my first point, i don't think rookies should be included in this list either. they get their own entire category with ROTY. so stay outta this one for crying out loud.
and look at some of the other players and where they placed in this vote. i mean, it's pretty laughable. and laugh i will do because this is a vote that's not at all worth getting upset over. it's an honor that Michael was deemed good enough to even place on this list. but when he finishes higher in MLB's MVP vote, we will all know that this SN list was wrong =P
congratulations again, though, Michael! you kicked ass this season! =D
SN's POTY is voted on by major league players from both the American League and National League. 244 players voted this year. Sporting News established this award in 1936.
here are the complete POTY voting results:
1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (76)
2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (73)
3. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins (32)
4. Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers (22)
5. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox (16)
5. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros (16)
7. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians (2)
7. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (2)
7. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers (2)
10. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (1)
10. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays/ Detroit Tigers (1)
10. Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics (1)
okay, you know i'm going in hard about these results. first off, i don't think pitchers should be considered in this kind of vote. what pitchers do and what hitters do is very different and their awards should be differentiated as such. (which is also why i've never liked the idea of pitchers receiving the MVP award.)
secondly, how is it possible that the guy with the 3rd best batting average in the league and the only player this season to have at least a .300 BA, 40 doubles, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 90 runs, and 20 SB placed in a 3-way tie for 7th? TWO votes? out of 244? i'm going to assume that the 2 votes he got came from Cleveland Indians players, which if true makes me sad because i thought Michael was finally getting respected around the league by his peers. he got voted to the All Star game by his peers, but only 2 players voted for him for player of the year? something's not adding up there, literally.
third, and much like my first point, i don't think rookies should be included in this list either. they get their own entire category with ROTY. so stay outta this one for crying out loud.
and look at some of the other players and where they placed in this vote. i mean, it's pretty laughable. and laugh i will do because this is a vote that's not at all worth getting upset over. it's an honor that Michael was deemed good enough to even place on this list. but when he finishes higher in MLB's MVP vote, we will all know that this SN list was wrong =P
congratulations again, though, Michael! you kicked ass this season! =D
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