Brantley News from October 2018

hey, Brantley fans! thought i would put together a post containing some news that's accumulated about Michael since the end of the Tribe's short-lived playoff run. honestly, this is mostly just a lot of speculation regarding whether Michael will or won't be playing for Cleveland in 2019. and i have to say, the verdict isn't good. i tried to prepare you guys all season long because i don't think he's coming back. this club is going to have a lot more players earning double digit millions next year and they just won't have any extra resources to pay Michael what other teams will propose. the only glimmer of hope Tribe fans have right now is that the Indians should extend a one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer to Michael, which they have until 5 pm ET on November 2 to do. and if Michael doesn't want to start over with a new team in a new city, where he'll have to make new friends and adapt to a new team culture and move his family to all new surroundings, then perhaps there's a small chance he would take the QO and stay with the Indians one more year. but that's really not likely. when money talks, people walk. and Michael will learn to be a leader in a new environment just fine because the man knows how to rise to a challenge and succeed.

looking at it from Michael's perspective, he just finished a full and healthy season and proved to the doubters that he can still play at a high level. so say he did accept the Tribe's QO for 2019, and then he suffers another freak injury. he won't have that safety net of a QO after 2019 to fall back on because

My Final #s for the Cleveland Indians' 2018 Season

this is my annual My Final #s blog, where i go through everything i collected throughout the latest baseball season. i wrote it a little earlier than usual because i'm still having a hard time dealing with the Indians' postseason elimination (which is why i pushed back my Analyzing the Tribe's Season post) and the fact that Michael Brantley is about to explore the free agent market for the first time in his career and he's all but done in Cleveland. yeah.😞

this post mainly features the number of games i went to in 2018, how many games i missed, the number of player autographs and baseballs i got at games, and the grand total of pictures and videos i took at games. there's also a section where i've noted which players usually sign autographs and where it's best to get those autographs, for those looking to increase or begin their own collection. i understand this won't be everyone's cup of tea, and that's why i don't really promote it too much. i'm not trying to come off as bragging. i know i'm very lucky to not only go to the games that i do, but also occasionally come home with a nice souvenir. so my intentions are not to throw anything in other people's faces, i just want to see how this season stacked up compared to past seasons for me personally. if you're not interested, you don't have to read this. i won't be offended and i'll see you in the next one.👊 otherwise,

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 ALDS #s

hi, Brantley fans. so it would appear as though we have watched Michael play in a Cleveland uniform for what most likely was the last time. that's because yesterday, on October 8, the Cleveland Indians were eliminated from postseason play when they lost the American League Division Series to the Houston Astros in a very quick three-game series. i wish i could say i didn't see this coming, but i think a lot of us did. the only thing that surprised me is that the Tribe got swept. i really thought they'd make it a close series and go the full five games. i was at Game 3, the first and only game in Cleveland, so my blog is going up a day late. my apologies.

the format of this is much like a monthly post, except i've added some pre-ALDS news to start with. also, because i only had three games to cover, i went ahead and listed out all of Michael's at bats in my redesigned Game Talk, At-Bat Details, Pictures, and Quotes section.

while many want to say that the top of the order didn't perform well, i'm about to prove that Michael was actually one of the top performers and did

Brantley's 2018 Situational #s & Statistics

what's up, Brantley fans? this is the third installment of my series of wrap up blogs detailing Michael's season and it has a lot of numbers, as it features all his situational #s and statistics for 2018. more specifically, that includes Michael's batting averages and stats against right-handed and left-handed pitchers, at home and on the road, with runners in scoring position, with runners on base, with the bases loaded, and with the bases empty. you're also going to see his team highs, career highs, offensive league rankings, and some defensive league rankings, as well as his final numbers versus every AL Central Division team and each National League team the Indians played in 2018. in addition, i've incorporated things like his K rate, LOB, types of outs he made, number of times he reached base, and number of times he was left stranded. Michael's WAR, wRC+, BsR, UZR, and DRS are all in here, too. no offense to Michael's game lines and BOP #s, but i'd bet that this is the blog you really wanna see because it's got all the meat of his 2018 numbers. enjoy!😁


in 2018, Michael had

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 News from October 2017

hey, Brantley fans! the uncertainty surrounding Michael's future with the Tribe should be settled by the weekend, if not sooner, depending on when the World Series ends and whether or not the Indians wait the allotted three days after its conclusion to publicize their decision. (if the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in Game 6 and become World Champions, the Indians have until Friday, November 3 to make/announce their decision. however, if the Dodgers win and the Series goes to a Game 7, then the "deadline" is Saturday, November 4.)

normally, i would prefer to accumulate more news before posting a blog such as this, but because we're about to find out the status of Michael's contract, i thought i would give y'all what i have as of right now real quick. so here is everything i've heard about Michael--with a focus on his $12 million club option for 2018--since the Indians were eliminated by the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on October 11. 


October 13: Indians manager Terry Francona, President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti, and General Manager Mike Chernoff got together for an hour long sit-down to answer questions about the 2017 season, the playoffs, and the offseason.

Wrapping Up Brantley's 2017 Season + Postseason

this is gonna be the last blog wrapping up Michael Brantley's 2017 season. it includes some of his final numbers, but focuses mostly on things like my favorite memories and highlights from his year, comparisons to past seasons, consequences of missing so many games, and how my preseason predictions did not pan out. and please be sure to read the end of this post because i took a minute to say thank you to every person whose articles may have contributed to portions of my content, as well as all of the people who visited my blog this year!🖐

if you want to see or re-read the previous trio of wrap up blogs i wrote about Brantley's 2017, which consist of his daily game lines, BOP breakdowns, and his situational numbers and league rankings, please refer to these posts:
Brantley's 2017 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes
Brantley's 2017 Batting Order Position & LF/PH/DH #s
Brantley's 2017 Situational #s & Statistics

i know things have gone up a little out of order and later than i would have liked, but i got backed up when i went to the Indians' final homestand from September 29 - October 1 and then lost another day of writing when i went to Game 1 of the American League Division Series on October 5. then i also had to write a few unexpected blogs because the Indians

Brantley's 2017 Situational #s & Statistics

this is part three in my series of Michael Brantley season wrap up blogs. the situational numbers and statistics you're going to find here feature Michael's batting averages against right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers, at home and away, with runners in scoring position, with runners on base, with the bases loaded, and with the bases empty. you will also see his WAR, wRC+, BsR, and UZR for the year, as well as his K rate, number of times he reached base, and number of times he was left stranded. other topics include things like his team highs, offensive league rankings, and outfield assist league rankings. additionally, i have updated and supplied his final numbers versus each AL Central team and every National League team the Indians played this season. there's much more in this post, too, so keep on reading and enjoy!😀


in 2017, Michael had 375 plate appearances and 338 at bats in 90 games (731.0 innings). in total, he had 101 hits, 30 extra base hits, 71 singles, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 52 RBI, 4 sac flies, 47 runs, 31 walks, 3 intentional walks, 2 hit by pitches, 11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (2nd), 8 GIDP, 50 strikeouts (40 swinging, 10 looking), 24 first at bat hits, 150 total bases, 139 left on base, 135 putouts, 8 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play.

2017 batting average:

Brantley's 2017 Batting Order Position & LF/PH/DH #s

let's keep this series of wrap up blogs going with my breakdowns of Michael Brantley's BOP numbers for 2017.

not one Cleveland Indians player bat in the same spot in the lineup for the entire year, but Michael sure came close. when he was healthy, he owned the 3rd spot--at least until the end of the season, that is. Terry Francona really liked Michael batting in the 3 hole, so much so that he repeatedly defended his choice to critics. the guys hitting in front of and behind Michael, however, changed numerous times throughout the 2017 campaign.

Carlos Santana was batting leadoff for the team when the season got underway. Francisco Lindor bat 2nd ahead of Michael, with Edwin Encarnacion batting cleanup and Jose Ramirez hitting in the 5th spot. Yandy Diaz, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Jason Kipnis all got their turns batting 6th in April.

in May, Tito settled on a lineup with Kip leading off, and Lindor, Brant, Santana, Encarnacion, and Ramirez batting consecutively after him. June's main lineup was similar to what it was in May until Michael went

Brantley's 2017 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes

hey, Brantley fans! the final numbers are in! well actually, they've been in, but i've had such a busy schedule lately that couldn't write much until now. my apologies!😳

if you're a long-time reader of All Things Brantley, All Things Tribe, then you know that i like to post a series of wrap up blogs when presenting Michael's yearly numbers. i prefer to do it this way in order to keep things more organized and cut down on the length, because my posts can get pretty long and wordy.🕮

as usual, i'm starting with a blog that mainly focuses on Michael's 2017 Game-by-Game numbers and notes.🖩📓


coming into 2017, the biggest question on everyone's mind was if Michael's right shoulder and biceps were going to be okay. the second biggest question was if Michael could get back to being the player he was in 2014 and 2015. happily, the answers to those inquiries were yes and yes! Michael was a little behind in spring training while he continued to finish his rehab work and progressions following his biceps tenodesis (surgery) from August 2016, but he did manage to

Brantley's 2016 Situational #s & Statistics

the third installment of my Brantley wrap up blog series contains Michael's 2016 situational #s and other statistics. this includes his batting averages against RHP and LHP, at home and away, with RISP, with runners on base, with the bases loaded, and with the bases empty. there's also stats like WAR, wRC+, BsR, and UZR along with his K rate, number of times he reached base, and number of times he was left stranded. in addition, i've chronicled his total numbers against each AL Central team as well as from Interleague Play in this post. and, if you can believe it, there is a section acknowledging how Michael finished the year with one stat that ranked in the Top 10 around the league. not bad for a guy who only played in 11 games.


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

2016 batting average:

Brantley's 2016 Batting Order Position & LF/PH #s

this blog is the second in what i'm referring to as my Brantley wrap up series. happily, i can reveal that there's definitely more numbers in this one than in my first because the core of it revolves around Michael's BOPs. and even though he played in just 11 games, he did bat in three spots in the order; therefore, i have stuff to break down.

note: if you don't recall, Michael played 11 minor league games while on his rehab assignments this year in addition to playing in the big leagues. i am only breaking down the numbers from his time with the Indians here. if you want to see his overall rehab number breakdowns, please read the Brantley's Overall 2016 Minor League Rehab #s blog.


Michael didn't play much in 2016, yet he finished the year with three different batting order positions on record. the original plan was for Michael to reclaim his 3rd spot in the lineup again this season once he was done rehabbing from his offseason right shoulder surgery and ready to rejoin the Indians. well that got scrapped before he even came off the disabled list. while Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor were batting 1 and 2 against right-handed starters, Terry Francona was content with Rajai Davis leading off in front of them against left-handed starters. so it was assumed, when Michael came back, that he would bat

Brantley's 2016 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes

now it's time to start posting my series of Michael Brantley wrap up blogs. [insert the "but hasn't his season been wrapped up since May 9?" joke here if you must, but i have writing to do regardless.] despite the abnormality that Michael didn't play much in 2016, i'm still going to follow my usual format of splitting everything up in several posts even though the amount of information this year is minor.

the primary focus of this first blog is Michael's game-by-game numbers and notes. however, i have to tell ya, there are more notes than numbers.

Michael had the most injury-riddled season he's ever experienced in the major leagues. it was full of peaks and valleys, progressions and setbacks, smiles and frowns. from opening the 2016 season on the DL, to playing 11 games with the Indians, to suffering right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and going back on the DL in May, to developing right biceps tendinitis in June, to going out on a minor league rehab assignment in July, to being diagnosed with chronic right biceps tendinitis in August and consequently undergoing season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery), Michael battled so many challenges. he was basically on a roller coaster ride and, unfortunately, it had a rough ending.

there's no question Michael

Brantley's Second Half 2016

before i start posting all of my Brantley wrap up blogs, i have to post about his (atypical) second half of 2016. for the first time in Michael Brantley's Major League career, he missed out on the entire second half of the year. he was still on the disabled list when baseball resumed after the All Star Break, and then his season-ending surgery in August ensured that he would not be playing again in 2016. therefore, he remained on the DL and was merely a spectator for the whole second half.

consequently, this was a bit of a challenge for me because i've never previously written a second half blog where Michael literally had no statistics, so there was no template for me to go by. that said, i did manage to write it and filled in whatever sections i could. honestly, this post is more for documentation purposes than anything else, so if it has no appeal to you, i understand. more blogs will be published as the week continues, and hopefully those will pique your interest.


post-All Star Break in 2016, Michael had no numbers of any kind.

2nd Half 2016 batting average:

I Now Have 13 Michael Brantley Autographs (+1 Surprise)

it's become an offseason tradition for me to post recaps of all the autographs i got from Michael throughout the year once the season is over. in 2013, i wrote a blog detailing the 10 autographs i got from him between 2010 and 2013. then at the conclusion of last year, i wrote a blog telling the story of the 1 time i got his auto during that season. links to those blogs will be provided at the end of this post.

as for 2015, i got his autograph 2 times, giving me a grand total of 13 autographs from none other than Dr. Smooth in my collection. now i will recount exactly how they came about.


i obtained my 12th Brantley autograph on May 23, 2015 in the players parking lot after the game versus the Cincinnati Reds, and i wasn't even originally planning on getting it. i made the decision not to stand over by his truck because i didn't think he'd sign and i wanted to try for some other players' autographs who i knew i wouldn't get by standing over at that gate.

Michael was one of the last players to come out despite not playing in this game. Terry Francona had told him the day before that he would be getting the game off. so why did it take him so long to come out? my guess is he was probably getting treatment for his lower back and/or working with the trainers. (keep in mind, his back strain was still an issue that needed attention at this point in the season.)

Michael walked to his truck and

My Final #s for the Cleveland Indians 2015 Season

truth be told, this is one of my favorite yearly blogs to write. this is when i go through all my organized baseball stuff and tally up my personal numbers for the Cleveland Indians season. i love to see everything that i accomplished during the year. like always, i collected some player autographs, acquired a few baseballs, and took a multitude of pictures and videos at the games i went to. and because i got a new digital camera with 30x zoom and invested in a larger SD card, i was able to capture even more/better quality pics than ever before. i like to take as many pics as possible since i can't watch my boys on TV unless they're on a national channel due to STO being blacked out on the MLB package in my area. these mementos also help lessen my rage over the fact that i live 2 plus hours away from the 216 and can't go to the ballpark as much as i want to.

in true diehard fan form, i spent the entire year, from the beginning of the offseason straight through to the end of the season, engrossed in Indians baseball and Michael's season. 2015 represented the 5th straight year when i didn't miss one out of one inning of one game in real time. once again, i was present for all the Tribe's preseason games and all the 161 regular season games. (i can never say "watched" since i listen to the games on my laptop.) i surprised myself because i really believed this was gonna be the year i'd end my run and miss some games due to life getting in the way. as luck would have it, that was not the case. i managed to set up everything that i needed to do, appointments and such, around the Indians' schedule to make certain that i would not miss any part of any game.

Brantley's 2015 Situational #s, Team Highs, League Rankings, etc.

as i continue to switch things up and do my posts a little differently this year, here is a new blog for you guys, though it will seem somewhat familiar if you've been reading my blogs all season. this one contains Michael's 2015 statistical #s, including his situational statistics, team highs, career highs, league rankings, divisional team stats, Indians History information, and more. if you have not yet read the Brantley's 2015 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes blog or the Brantley's 2015 BOP & LF/CF/DH/PH #s blog, i highly recommend you do so.



in 2015, Michael had a total of 596 plate appearances and 529 at bats in 137 games (1034.2 innings). in total, he had 164 hits, 60 extra base hits, 104 singles, 45 doubles, 15 home runs, 84 RBI, 5 sac flies, 68 runs, 60 walks, 8 intentional walks, 2 hit by pitches, 15 stolen bases (14 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 14 GIDP, 51 strikeouts (37 swinging, 14 looking), 34 first at bat hits, 254 total bases, 223 left on base, 212 putouts, 8 assists, 2 errors, and 1 double play.

2015 batting average: .310 (164-529)

OBP: .379

SLG: .480

OPS: .859


Michael's .310 batting average was the

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,