Brantley's July 2013 #s

July was a big improvement from last month for Michael Brantley. his batting average went up almost a full .100, so i'm very happy. he started July batting .275 and finished batting .285, which is more where i expect his batting average to be. hopefully that number continues to increase as he completes these last two months of the season.

this month, Michael hit in 5 different spots in the lineup, getting the most time in the 5th spot. on July 21, Francona shed some light on the constant shuffling of Michael by saying he doesn't want to have to lock him into one spot in the lineup because "he's done a great job bouncing all over the place." while that may be true, it's not really fair to Michael. i think everyone knows my feelings about this by now and nothing i say will change things so let's move on.

Michael had a hit in 17 of the 24 games he played in in July and reached base safely in 19 games. he had 27 hits, 9 of which were for extra bases, 10 walks, and only 8 strikeouts. he is one of only 4 Indians since the year 2000 to achieve this feat. the others include Omar Vizquel, Kenny Lofton, and, the most current up until now, Victor Martinez (June 2004).

Michael currently has the 2nd highest batting average on the team behind Jason Kipnis. Michael is batting .360 (27-for-75) with runners in scoring position, with one home run, two doubles, two triples, and 21 RBI. that's good enough for 3rd in the American League, trailing only Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis. Michael is also batting .386 (17-for-44) with two outs and runners in scoring position. both of these RISP numbers are the highest on the team. said Michael, "there's times when the game might dictate getting on base or driving a guy in or whatnot. but the game dictates that. i don't dictate that. i just try to put up a good at-bat every time."

on July 7, Michael hit 2 home runs, marking his second multi-home run game of this season and his career. he also scored 3 runs, had 3 extra base hits, 5 RBI, and touched 10 total bases in that game. Michael became the first hitter to record all those stats in one game since Choo did it on September 17, 2010 against Kansas City. Travis Hafner was the last Indian with these numbers against the Tigers back on July 4, 2005. before Travis, Carlos Baerga is next in the record books with these numbers against Detroit. the date? June 17, 1993. (thanks to Bastian for providing me with this information.)

after Michael hit his 2nd home run in that game, he tied his career high of 7 home runs from 2011. with two months of baseball left, he will almost assuredly set a new record for himself in that category. i know he'd love to pass his father's season high of 15 homers, but unless Michael goes on a tear, i am doubtful that will be happening. i said before i would be satisfied with 10-12 homers from him for the season. he is not a home run hitter, so expecting much more than that just isn't realistic. besides, with the way he hits in the clutch and gets himself on base, he doesn't need to go yard all the time. even though people prefer a corner outfielder to have more power, well, sorry folks, you can't have everything lol Michael's still a big contributor offensively and defensively, which is more than we can say about some other members of this team.

speaking of, let's discuss his outfield performance now. once again, Michael played errorless left field and his fielding percentage remains a perfect 1.000. he is the only Indians regular without an error this season. he had 49 putouts in July and 2 more outfield assists, giving him a season high total now of 9. even more exciting is that Michael has played 196 straight games in the outfield without an error. according to Elias Sports, that errorless streak is the 2nd longest streak by an Indians outfielder in club history. the record is currently set by Rocky Colavito at 212 games. Michael is so close to breaking that record, and i want it for him SO bad. i look forward to seeing what August brings ;D

now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his July #s, the leadoff #s, the 5th spot #s, the 4th spot #s, the 7th spot #s, the PH #s, the 9th spots #s, the #s of everything not leadoff combined, as well as the left field #s, overall left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


July batting average: .318

OBP: .396

SLG: .482

OPS: .878


Michael played in 24 (of 25) games in July. he started and played left field in 23 games, and he came in to PH in late innings in 1 game. after he PH'd, he remained in the game as the left fielder and played a total of 2 innings in left field. he had 1 complete game off and did not play any center field this month.


Michael bat leadoff in 2 games.

Michael bat 5th in 16 games.

Michael bat 4th in 2 games.

Michael bat 7th in 3 games.

Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (PH/defensive sub: 2 innings)


Michael played left field in 24 games.

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael played in 23 complete games.


in July, Michael had a total of 97 plate appearances and 85 at bats. here is how he fared:

27 hits

18 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

2 home runs

13 RBI

15 runs scored

10 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 sac bunt

8 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


32 left on base

49 putouts

2 assists

207 innings, 24 games

July batting average: .318 (27-85) (24 games)

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


when Michael led off in July, he had a total of 9 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 run scored

2 walks

1 strikeout


3 left on base

7 putouts

18 innings, 2 games

July batting average in the leadoff spot: .143 (1-7) (2 games)
July batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left: .143 (1-7) (2 games)

overall batting average so far in the leadoff spot: .305 (29-95) (22 games) (196 innings)
overall batting average so far in the leadoff spot while playing left: .309 (29-94) (22 games) (192 innings)
overall batting average so far in the leadoff spot while playing center: .000 (0-1) (1 game) (4 innings)


when Michael was not leading off in July, he had a total of 88 plate appearances and 78 at bats in 22 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

26 hits

17 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

2 home runs

13 RBI

14 runs scored

8 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 sac bunt

7 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


29 left on base

42 putouts

2 assists

189 innings, 22 games

July batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .333 (26-78) (22 games)
July batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .338 (26-77) (22 games)

overall batting average so far everywhere other than leadoff: .277 (76-274) (80 games) (664.2 innings)
overall batting average so far everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .276 (75-272) (80 games) (664.2 innings)


now let's break down his non-leadoff numbers even further.


when Michael bat 5th in July, he had a total of 65 plate appearances and 57 at bats in 16 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

14 hits

8 singles

4 doubles

2 home runs

8 RBI

9 runs scored

7 walks

2 stolen bases

1 sac bunt

6 strikeouts

2 first at bat hits


27 left on base

28 putouts

1 assist

140 innings, 16 games

July batting average in the 5th spot: .246 (14-57) (16 games)
July batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .246 (14-57) (16 games)

overall batting average so far in the 5th spot: .245 (26-106) (30 games) (264 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 5th spot while playing left: .245 (26-106) (30 games) (264 innings)


when Michael bat 4th in July, he had a total of 9 plate appearances and 8 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

5 hits

5 singles

1 RBI

2 runs scored

1 hit by pitch

1 stolen base

2 first at bat hits


5 putouts

17 innings, 2 games

July batting average in the 4th spot: .625 (5-8) (2 games)
July batting average in the 4th spot while playing left: .625 (5-8) (2 games)

overall batting average so far in the 4th spot: .283 (13-46) (11 games) (95 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 4th spot while playing left: .283 (13-46) (11 games) (95 innings)


when Michael bat 7th in July, he had a total of 13 plate appearances and 12 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

4 singles

2 doubles

1 triple

4 RBI

3 runs scored

1 walk

2 first at bat hits


1 left on base

8 putouts

1 assist

30 innings, 3 games

July batting average in the 7th spot: .583 (7-12) (3 games)
July batting average in the 7th spot while playing left: .583 (7-12) (3 games)

overall batting average so far in the 7th spot: .302 (19-63) (19 games) (156.2 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 7th spot while playing left: .290 (18-62) (19 games) (156.2 innings)
overall batting average so far as a PH in the 7th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (2 games)


when Michael bat 9th 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 strikeout


1 left on base

1 putout

2 innings, 1 game

July batting average in the 9th spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
July batting average in the 9th spot while playing left: .000 (0-0) (1 game)

overall batting average so far in the 9th spot: .000 (0-1) (2 games) (5 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 9th spot while playing left: .000 (0-0) (2 games) (5 innings)

when Michael bat 9th, 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 strikeout


1 left on base

1 game

July batting average as a PH in the 9th spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
overall batting average so far as a PH in the 9th spot: .000 (0-1) (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 strikeout


1 left on base

1 game

July batting average as a PH: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
overall batting average so far as a PH: .500 (1-2) (3 games)


now let's break down his numbers based on where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in July, he had a total of 96 plate appearances and 84 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

27 hits

18 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

2 home runs

13 RBI

15 runs scored

10 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 sac bunt

7 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


31 left on base

49 putouts

2 assists

207 innings, 24 games

(23 complete games)

July batting average while playing left: .321 (27-84) (24 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .284 (104-366) (102 games) (856.2 innings)



July #s while playing left: 49 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (207 innings, 24 games)

overall #s so far while playing left: 168 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (856.2 innings, 102 games)

overall #s so far while playing center: 0 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (4 innings, 1 game)

overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 168 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (860.2 innings, 102 games)

now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 79/Game 1, July 2: 1-3, walk (first at bat), run scored, walk, single. AVG: .275
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 80/Game 2, July 3: 0-4. AVG: .271
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 81/Game 3, July 4: 4-5, RBI single (first at bat), single, single, run scored, single. AVG: .280
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 82/Game 4, July 5: 0-3, reached on forceout, reached on forceout, walk. AVG: .278
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 83/Game 5, July 6: 0-4. AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 84/Game 6, July 7: 3-4, 2-run double (first at bat), run scored, home run, run scored, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 85/Game 7, July 8: 2-3, single (first at bat), stolen base, run scored, walk, walk, single. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG10)

Game 86/Game 8, July 9: 1-3, RBI single. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 87/Game 9, July 10: 1-4, walk (first at bat), run scored, RBI single. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 88/Game 10, July 11: 1-3, single (first at bat), hit by pitch, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .284
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 89/Game 11, July 12: 0-4. AVG: .281
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 90/Game 12, July 13: 1-4, double, run scored. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 91/Game 13, July 14: 1-5, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .279
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 92/Game 14, July 19: 1-3, walk, single. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 93/Game 15, July 20: 0-3, sac bunt. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 94/Game 16, July 21: 1-4, reached on fielder’s choice, 3-run triple. AVG: .277
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 95/Game 17, July 22: 1-4, double. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 96/Game 18, July 23: 1-3, walk, single. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

July 24: not in lineup.

Game 97/Game 19, July 26: 3-4, single (first at bat), run scored, walk, run scored, single, single. AVG: .282
(7th/LF/CG11)

Game 98/Game 20, July 27: 1-3, double, stolen base. AVG: .283
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 99/Game 21, July 28: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .283
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 100/Game 22, July 29: 0-1. AVG: .282
(9th/PH-LF/2 innings)
^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 7th inning. then he stayed in the game as a defensive substitution for the top of the 8th and 9th innings.^^

Game 101/Game 23, July 30: 0-3, walk, run scored. AVG: .279
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 102/Game 24, July 31: 3-4, single (first at bat), RBI double, double, run scored. AVG: .285
(7th/LF/CG10)



so far in 2013, Michael has a total of 410 plate appearances and 369 at bats in 102 games (860.2 innings). in total, he has 105 hits, 79 singles, 17 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 52 RBI, 6 sac flies, 51 runs scored, 30 walks, 1 intentional walk, 4 hit by pitches, 11 stolen bases, 2 caught stealing, 1 sac bunt, 45 strikeouts, 27 first at bat hits, 144 left on base, 168 putouts, 9 assists, and 1 double play.

season batting average: .285 (105-369)

OBP: .340

SLG: .398

OPS: .738

Brantley's 2013 First Half #s

i decided to write a quick (LOL!) blog with Michael's total numbers up to this point at the All Star Break. while this is widely referred to as the "first half" of the season, we are past the halfway 81 game mark. (the Indians have played 95 games thus far.) but because it is accepted to call this the halfway point of the year, that is what i will do. i am not going to do batting order position break downs in this blog, because i feel there's really no reason to. i will however be listing all his game-by-game numbers so far.

Michael is batting .279 at the break, 3rd highest on the team right now. last year at this time he was batting .288, so that's a little sad to see. but even though his BA is a little lower, some of his other numbers are better. he's got more home runs, more RBI, more sac flies, more runs scored, more hit by pitches (i like that he's not afraid to take a hit to get on base), and more stolen bases/less caught stealings. so while i love to harp on a player's batting average, it's clear he's still been doing well.

Michael had a hit in 58 of the 91 games he's played so far. (*though it should be mentioned that he did not have any official at bats in 3 of those games, because he was subbed in defensively in late innings.) he reached base safely in 70 games.

at the All Star break, Michael is batting a team high .366 (26-for-71) with runners in scoring position and .390 (16-for-41) with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. as of July 10, he was ranked 2nd in the AL with these numbers.

Michael played all but 4 innings so far this season in left field and his fielding percentage is still a perfect 1.000. he currently has 143 putouts, 8 outfield assists, and 1 double play. his 8 outfield assists are not only a season high for him, but they also tie him for 2nd in the American League.

it is also noteworthy that Michael has played 185 straight games in the outfield without an error. according to Elias Sports, that errorless streak is the 2nd longest streak by an Indians outfielder in club history. the record is currently set by Rocky Colavito at 212 games.


1st Half batting average: .279

OBP: .333

SLG: .387

OPS: .721


Michael played in 91 (of 95) games before the All Star Break. he started and played left field in 86 games. of those 86 games, he completed 85 in left field. he was moved to center field for the final 4 innings of 1 game. he was a defensive substitute in 5 games, playing a total of 11 innings, all in left field. he came in to PH in late innings in 2 games. after he PH'd, he remained in those 2 games as the left fielder and played a total of 5 innings. he had 4 complete games off.


Michael bat 5th in 23 games.

Michael bat 6th in 6 games. (defensive sub: 1 game, 2 innings)

Michael bat 3rd in 4 games.

Michael bat leadoff in 22 games. (defensive switch: 1 game, 5 innings LF/4 innings CF)

Michael bat 8th in 7 games. (defensive sub: 1 game, 1 inning)

Michael bat 7th in 16 games. (PH/defensive sub: 2 games, 5 innings)

Michael bat 2nd in 1 game.

Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (defensive sub: 1 game, 3 innings)

Michael bat 4th in 11 games.

Michael bat non-leadoff in 69 games. (defensive sub: 5 games, 11 innings)

**Michael started all games (in left field) except where noted.


Michael played left field in 91 games, for a total of 765.2 innings.

Michael played center field in 1 game, for a total of 4 innings.

Michael played in 86 complete games.

Michael was the defensive substitute in 5 games, for a total of 11 innings.

Michael was the PH in 2 games.



in the first half, Michael had a total of 369 plate appearances and 333 at bats. here is how he fared:

93 hits

72 singles

13 doubles

1 triple

7 home runs

48 RBI

6 sac flies

46 runs scored

26 walks

1 intentional walk

4 hit by pitches

10 stolen bases

2 caught stealing

42 strikeouts

25 first at bat hits


133 left on base

143 putouts

8 assists

1 double play

769.2 innings, 91 games

1st Half batting average: .279 (93-333) (91 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 1, April 2: 1-2, single (first at bat), run scored, walk, walk. AVG: .500
(batting 5th/LF/CG)

Game 2, April 3: 4-5, single (first at bat), RBI single, single, single, run scored, reached on forceout. AVG: .714
(5th/LF/CG11)

Game 3, April 4: 1-4, hit by pitch, run scored, single. AVG: .545
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 4, April 5: 0-2, walk. AVG: .462
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 5, April 6: 0-4. AVG: .353
(5th/LF/CG)

April 7: not in lineup.

Game 6, April 8: 1-5, RBI single (first at bat). AVG: .318
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 7, April 9: 0-3, walk. AVG: .280
(6th/LF/CG)

April 10: game postponed, to be made up in a May 13 DH.
(5th/LF/CG)

April 11: game postponed, to be made up in a May 13 DH.
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 8, April 12: 1-3, double (first at bat). AVG: .286
(6th/LF/CG)

Game 9, April 13: 0-3, hit by pitch, run scored. AVG: .258
(6th/LF/CG)
 
Game 10, April 14: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .257
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 11, April 16: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .282
(6th/LF/CG)

Game 12, April 17: 0-3, walk. AVG: .262
(leadoff/LF/CG)
^^i guess Tito decided to give Michael a shot at leading off again because Bourn is on the 15-day DL with a finger laceration. i definitely don't expect him to lead off again once Bourn comes back.^^

Game 13, April 18: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .261
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 14, April 19: 0-4, walk. AVG: .240
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 15, April 20: 2-6, 2-run double, RBI walk, run scored, single. AVG: .250
(leadoff/LF - 5 i/CF - 4 i)

Game 16, April 21: 1-5, single. AVG: .246
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 17, April 22: 1-3, single, caught stealing, walk, run scored. AVG: .250
(leadoff/LF/CG)

April 23: game postponed.

Game 18, April 24: 2-4, single, single, run scored. AVG: .265
(leadoff/LF/CG)

April 26: game postponed, to be made up April 28.
(leadoff/LF)

Game 19, April 27: 2-5, double, 2-run triple. AVG: .274
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 20, April 28 (Day Game): 0-4. AVG: .260
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 21, April 28 (Night Game): 2-4, single (first at bat), run scored, hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .272
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 22, April 29: 3-5, double, run scored, double, run scored, single. AVG: .291
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 23, April 30: 1-5, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .286
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 24, May 1: 3-5, single, run scored, single, single. AVG: .302
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 25, May 3: 1-4, single, run scored, intentional walk. AVG: .300
(leadoff/LF/CG10)

Game 26, May 4: 1-5, RBI single. AVG: .295
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 27, May 5: 0-4. AVG: .284
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 28, May 6: 2-5, single, single, stolen base. AVG: .289
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 29, May 7: did not start, defensive substitution for 9th inning. no ABs.
(8th/LF/1 inning)

Game 30, May 8: 2-4, single (first at bat), fielder’s choice RBI, single, stolen base. AVG: .297
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 31, May 9: 2-5, single (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .301
(leadoff/LF/CG)
^^Michael Bourn is scheduled to come back tomorrow, and Brantley won't be leading off anymore.^^

Game 32, May 10: 0-2, RBI sac fly. AVG: .296
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 33, May 11: 2-5, double, single. AVG: .300
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 34, May 12: 2-4, single, run scored, walk, RBI single. AVG: .306
(leadoff/LF/CG10)

Game 35, May 13 (first game): 1-3, single (first at bat), reached on forceout. AVG: .307
(8th/LF/CG)
 
Game 36, May 13 (second game): 1-4, single. AVG: .305
(2nd/LF/CG)

Game 37, May 14: 1-4, 2-run single (first at bat). AVG: .303
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 38, May 15: 0-0, walk (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .303
(9th/LF/3 innings)
^^did not start, defensive substitution for 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. no official ABs.^^

Game 39, May 17: 0-4. AVG: .295
(8th/LF/CG10)

Game 40, May 18: did not start, defensive substitution for 8th and 9th innings. no ABs.
(6th/LF/2 innings)

Game 41, May 19: 2-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, 3-run home run, run scored. AVG: .301
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 42, May 20: 2-4, walk (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, single, run scored. AVG: .306
(7th/LF/CG10)

Game 43, May 21: 0-3, RBI sac fly. AVG: .300
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 44, May 22: 3-5, RBI single (first at bat), RBI single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .309
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 45, May 23: 1-5, walk, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .306
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 46, May 24: 2-3, single (first at bat), stolen base, double. AVG: .312
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 47, May 25: 2-4, single (first at bat), double. AVG: .316
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 48, May 26: 0-4. AVG: .309
(7th/LF/8.2 innings)

Game 49, May 27: 0-3. AVG: .304
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 50, May 28: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .303
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 51, May 29: 0-3. AVG: .298
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 52, May 30: 1-3, RBI single, stolen base, run scored, walk. AVG: .299
(7th/LF/CG)

May 31: not in lineup.

Game 53, June 1: 0-3, walk. AVG: .294
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 54, June 2: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .299
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 55, June 3: 0-1, walk (first at bat). AVG: .297
(7th/PH-LF/4 innings)
^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the top of the 5th inning. then he stayed in the game as a defensive substitution for the bottom of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th innings. he had 1 other official at bat during that time.^^

Game 56, June 4: 1-3, walk, caught stealing, single. AVG: .298
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 57, June 5: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .297
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 58, June 7: 0-4. AVG: .291
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 59, June 8: 0-4. AVG: .286
(4th/LF/CG)

June 9: not in lineup.

Game 60, June 10: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .285
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 61, June 11: 1-3, walk, stolen base, single. AVG: .286
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 62, June 12: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI single, walk, run scored. AVG: .289
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 63, June 14: 0-4. AVG: .284
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 64, June 15: 1-4, 2-run double. AVG: .284
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 65, June 16: 0-3. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 66, June 17: 0-4. AVG: .276
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 67, June 18: 0-3, reached on forceout, RBI sac fly. AVG: .272
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 68, June 19: 2-3, home run, run scored, RBI sac fly, home run, run scored. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 69, June 21: 1-4, double (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 70, June 22: 0-5, reached on forceout. AVG: .271
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 71, June 23: 1-1, single (first at bat), stolen base, stolen base. AVG: .274
(7th/PH-LF/1 inning)
^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th inning. then he stayed in the game as a defensive substitution for the top of the 9th inning.^^

Game 72, June 24: 2-4, 2-run single, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .278
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 73, June 25: 0-3, RBI sac fly (first at bat). AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 74, June 26: 0-3, walk, run scored. AVG: .271
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 75, June 27: 1-4, double, run scored. AVG: .271
(6th/LF/CG)

June 28 (Game 1): not in lineup.

Game 76, June 28 (Game 2): 0-3, RBI sac fly (first at bat). AVG: .268
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 77, June 29: 2-4, single (first at bat), single, stolen base. AVG: .271
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 78, June 30: 2-4, single, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .275
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 79, July 2: 1-3, walk (first at bat), run scored, walk, single. AVG: .275
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 80, July 3: 0-4. AVG: .271
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 81, July 4: 4-5, RBI single (first at bat), single, single, run scored, single. AVG: .280
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 82, July 5: 0-3, reached on forceout, reached on forceout, walk. AVG: .278
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 83, July 6: 0-4. AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 84, July 7: 3-4, 2-run double (first at bat), run scored, home run, run scored, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 85, July 8: 2-3, single (first at bat), stolen base, run scored, walk, walk, single. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG10)

Game 86, July 9: 1-3, RBI single. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 87, July 10: 1-4, walk (first at bat), run scored, RBI single. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 88, July 11: 1-3, single (first at bat), hit by pitch, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .284
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 89, July 12: 0-4. AVG: .281
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 90, July 13: 1-4, double, run scored. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 91, July 14: 1-5, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .279
(5th/LF/CG)



some numbers that i would like to see Michael improve on in the 2nd half are his doubles and walks, and i really want him to finish the year with a batting average somewhere in the .290s. i also want him to cut down on the strikeouts. he's one of the hardest players in the league to strike out because his contact rate is ridiculously high, but his strikeout number is close to surpassing last season's, so i am concerned regarding that. otherwise, i think he's having a great year so far and as long as he remains healthy, i fully expect that to continue. Go Brantley! Go Tribe!

Brantley's June 2013 #s

i hope this is the worst month of Michael's season. several players had a slow month, so it wasn't just him. but usually when the team slumps, Michael manages to remain consistent. not this time around. he went 0-for more times in a month than ever before. it was somewhat reminiscent of his rookie year when he was trying to figure things out in the major leagues and would have many games without getting on base or getting a hit. i know he's capable of more than he's been doing lately. true, a lot of his outs have been "loud outs," but an out is still an out and the more he piles up, the worse his numbers look. there were still some highlights for Michael in June, however, and i'll get to those in a minute.

i thought Michael would bat somewhat regularly this month. when Cabrera went down with the quad injury, Tito first said Michael would slip right into his spot in the 3 hole. he would bat 3rd against righties and 7th against lefties. well, at some point, he got moved down to 4th against righties, and then he started batting 5th against righties. so any chance for regularity that i had hoped for was gone by the middle of June. did this contribute to his poor numbers this month? his track record would have me think no, but at some point you have to wonder if all the constant moving around is starting to weigh on the guy.

Michael had a hit in 14 of the 26 games he played in in June and reached base safely in 19 games. he did not have a hit in 12 games, almost half of the games he played this month. while he had a few RBI sac flies and walks in those hitless games, that is not typical for Michael.

despite this little slump, Michael is still a very good hitter. this is proven by the fact that about a week ago, Michael was leading the American League with a 91% contact rate and his 6% swing-and-miss rate was tied for the lowest in the AL. he was putting balls in play at a 79% rate and had a very low 11.6% strikeout rate. Michael also leads the Tribe with a batting average in the .350s with runners in scoring position. "i just want to make sure i can do what i can for my team--get that run in from third base however i can do it," said Michael.

Michael also hit 3 home runs in June. he is not a home run hitter, so it was pleasantly surprising not only when Michael hit the 3 home runs within a 5-game time span, but also that Michael hit 2 home runs in 1 game. that marked the first multi-home run game of his career.

more positive play can be found in the outfield. for the 3rd month in a row, Michael played errorless left field and his fielding percentage is perfect. his great catches in left field are becoming a habit, as he had 46 putouts in June. also, Michael had 2 more impressive outfield assists, one of which was part of a double play, his first double play of this season. currently, his 7 outfield assists tie him for 3rd in the American League. his arm is getting a lot more attention this year in left field than it ever got in left or center in years past. i am happy to see that while he may struggle at times offensively, he does not let it affect him defensively.

what i'm noticing so far this season is that one player seems to be hot every month. Reynolds was hot in April, Santana put up great numbers in May, and Kipnis was absolutely scorching in June. maybe July will be Brantley's month. fingers crossed.


now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his June #s, the 7th spot #s, the PH #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 4th spot #s, the 5th spot #s, the 6th spots #s, the #s of everything not leadoff combined, as well as the left field #s, overall left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


June batting average: .222

OBP: .260

SLG: .356

OPS: .616


Michael played in 26 (of 28) games in June. he started and played left field in 24 games, and he came in to PH in late innings in 2 games. after he PH'd, he remained in those 2 games as the left fielder and played a total of 5 innings in left field. he also had an additional plate appearance and at bat in 1 of the games that he did not start. he had 2 complete games off and did not play any center field this month.


Michael bat 7th in 9 games. (7 started, 2 PH/defensive sub)

Michael bat 3rd in 2 games.

Michael bat 4th in 6 games.

Michael bat 5th in 8 games.

Michael bat 6th in 1 game.


Michael played left field in all 26 games.

Michael was the PH in 2 games.

Michael played in 24 complete games.


in June, Michael had a total of 100 plate appearances and 90 at bats. here is how he fared:

20 hits

14 singles

3 doubles

0 triples

3 home runs

13 RBI

4 sac flies

10 runs scored

6 walks

4 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

11 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


37 left on base

46 putouts

2 assists

1 double play

214 innings, 26 games

June batting average: .222 (20-90) (26 games)


now let's break down his (non-leadoff) numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.


when Michael bat 7th in June, he had a total of 31 plate appearances and 27 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

6 singles

1 home run

5 RBI

1 sac fly

4 runs scored

3 walks

3 stolen bases

4 strikeouts

1 first at bat hit


9 left on base

13 putouts

1 assist

1 double play

67 innings, 9 games

June batting average in the 7th spot: .259 (7-27) (9 games)
June batting average in the 7th spot while playing left: .231 (6-26) (9 games)

overall batting average so far in the 7th spot: .235 (12-51) (16 games) (126.2 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 7th spot while playing left: .220 (11-50) (16 games) (126.2 innings)

when Michael bat 7th, he was the PH in June for 2 games. he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

2 stolen bases

1 first at bat hit


2 games

June batting average as a PH in the 7th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (2 games)
overall batting average so far as a PH in the 7th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (2 games)

when Michael came in to PH in June, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 1 at bat in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

2 stolen bases

1 first at bat hit


2 games

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


when Michael bat 3rd in June, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

3 hits

3 singles

1 walk

1 caught stealing

1 first at bat hit


1 left on base

5 putouts

17 innings, 2 games

June batting average in the 3rd spot: .429 (3-7) (2 games)
June batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .429 (3-7) (2 games)

overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot: .400 (6-15) (4 games) (35 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing left: .400 (6-15) (4 games) (35 innings)


when Michael bat 4th in June, he had a total of 26 plate appearances and 25 at bats in 6 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

4 hits

3 singles

1 double

3 RBI

1 run scored

1 walk

2 strikeouts

2 first at bat hits


18 left on base

11 putouts

51 innings, 6 games

June batting average in the 4th spot: .160 (4-25) (6 games)
June batting average in the 4th spot while playing left: .160 (4-25) (6 games)

overall batting average so far in the 4th spot: .211 (8-38) (9 games) (78 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 4th spot while playing left: .211 (8-38) (9 games) (78 innings)


when Michael bat 5th in June, he had a total of 31 plate appearances and 27 at bats in 8 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

5 hits

2 singles

1 double

2 home runs

5 RBI

3 sac flies

4 runs scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

5 strikeouts

2 first at bat hits


9 left on base

16 putouts

1 assist

71 innings, 8 games

June batting average in the 5th spot: .185 (5-27) (8 games)
June batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .185 (5-27) (8 games)

overall batting average so far in the 5th spot: .245 (12-49) (14 games) (124 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 5th spot while playing left: .245 (12-49) (14 games) (124 innings)


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

1 hit

1 double

1 run scored


1 putout

8 innings, 1 game

June batting average in the 6th spot: .250 (1-4) (1 game)
June batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .250 (1-4) (1 game)

overall batting average so far in the 6th spot: .235 (4-17) (6 games) (46 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 6th spot while playing left: .235 (4-17) (6 games) (46 innings)


when Michael was not leading off in June, he had a total of 100 plate appearances and 90 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

20 hits

14 singles

3 doubles

3 home runs

13 RBI

4 sac flies

10 runs scored

6 walks

4 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

11 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


37 left on base

46 putouts

2 assists

1 double play

214 innings, 26 games

June batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .222 (20-90) (26 games)
June batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .213 (19-89) (26 games)

overall batting average so far everywhere other than leadoff: .255 (50-196) (58 games) (475.2 innings)
overall batting average so far everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .251 (49-195) (58 games) (475.2 innings)


now let's break down his numbers based on where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in June, he had a total of 98 plate appearances and 89 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

19 hits

13 singles

3 doubles

3 home runs

13 RBI

4 sac flies

10 runs scored

5 walks

2 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

11 strikeouts

5 first at bat hits


37 left on base

46 putouts

2 assists

1 double play

214 innings, 26 games

(24 complete games)

June batting average while playing left: .213 (19-89) (26 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .273 (77-282) (78 games) (649.2 innings)



June #s while playing left: 46 putouts, 2 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (214 innings, 26 games)

overall #s so far while playing left: 119 putouts, 7 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (649.2 innings, 78 games)

overall #s so far while playing center: 0 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (4 innings, 1 game)

overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 119 putouts, 7 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (653.2 innings, 78 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 53/Game 1, June 1: 0-3, walk. AVG: .294
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 54/Game 2, June 2: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .299
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 55/Game 3, June 3: 0-1, walk (first at bat). AVG: .297
(7th/PH-LF/4 innings)
^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the top of the 5th inning. then he stayed in the game as a defensive substitution for the bottom of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th innings. he had 1 other official at bat during that time.^^

Game 56/Game 4, June 4: 1-3, walk, caught stealing, single. AVG: .298
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 57/Game 5, June 5: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .297
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 58/Game 6, June 7: 0-4. AVG: .291
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 59/Game 7, June 8: 0-4. AVG: .286
(4th/LF/CG)

June 9: not in lineup.

Game 60/Game 8, June 10: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .285
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 61/Game 9, June 11: 1-3, walk, stolen base, single. AVG: .286
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 62/Game 10, June 12: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI single, walk, run scored. AVG: .289
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 63/Game 11, June 14: 0-4. AVG: .284
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 64/Game 12, June 15: 1-4, 2-run double. AVG: .284
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 65/Game 13, June 16: 0-3. AVG: .280
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 66/Game 14, June 17: 0-4. AVG: .276
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 67/Game 15, June 18: 0-3, reached on forceout, RBI sac fly. AVG: .272
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 68/Game 16, June 19: 2-3, home run, run scored, RBI sac fly, home run, run scored. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 69/Game 17, June 21: 1-4, double (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .277
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 70/Game 18, June 22: 0-5, reached on forceout. AVG: .271
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 71/Game 19, June 23: 1-1, single (first at bat), stolen base, stolen base. AVG: .274
(7th/PH-LF/1 inning)
^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th inning. then he stayed in the game as a defensive substitution for the top of the 9th inning.^^

Game 72/Game 20, June 24: 2-4, 2-run single, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .278
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 73/Game 21, June 25: 0-3, RBI sac fly (first at bat). AVG: .274
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 74/Game 22, June 26: 0-3, walk, run scored. AVG: .271
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 75/Game 23, June 27: 1-4, double, run scored. AVG: .271
(6th/LF/CG)

June 28 (Game 1): not in lineup.

Game 76/Game 24, June 28 (Game 2): 0-3, RBI sac fly (first at bat). AVG: .268
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 77/Game 25, June 29: 2-4, single (first at bat), single, stolen base. AVG: .271
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 78/Game 26, June 30: 2-4, single, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .275
(7th/LF/CG)



so far in 2013, Michael has a total of 313 plate appearances and 284 at bats in 78 games (653.2 innings). in total, he has 78 hits, 61 singles, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 39 RBI, 6 sac flies, 36 runs scored, 20 walks, 1 intentional walk, 3 hit by pitches, 8 stolen bases, 2 caught stealing, 37 strikeouts, 21 first at bat hits, 112 left on base, 119 putouts, 7 assists, and 1 double play.

season batting average: .275 (78-284)

OBP: .323

SLG: .373

OPS: .696

Brantley's May 2013 #s

my blog is a bit late because i was in Cleveland from May 31-June 2, which is normally the time on the calendar when i'd be getting all the numbers crunched and writing up the blog. so i'm behind this month, due to social life scheduling, not pure laziness. just wanna make that clear.


so as i previously blogged, by May 21, only the 45th game of the year, Michael had at least 1 plate appearance in every spot in the batting order. as soon as i saw the lineup for that day i was thinking oh em gee, this is ridiculous, and it's going to make my May blog breakdown unbearably long lol the #1 fans of Bourn, Kip, Cabby, and Swish would have it so easy if they were to do what i do with these monthly blogs...

Michael bat everywhere in the lineup this month except for the 5th spot. i hate seeing Michael batting behind guys like Giambi and Reynolds. even seeing Santana in that 5th spot makes me mad because i think Michael is best suited there. but it does not appear that Michael will be getting much time in the 5th hole, at least not anytime soon.

Michael had a hit in 19 of the 26 games he started and completed in May and reached base safely in 20 games. no one on the team has been jerked around in the lineup more than Michael, and the fact that he's somehow been able to remain consistent and not let it severely mess up his game is impressive and i believe he does not get enough credit for it.

when Michael took over the cleanup spot for Swisher, he did very well with 4 hits, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 1 walk in 3 games. now that the lineup has been changing, he's not getting as many RBI opportunities when he's lower in the order anymore. that only adds to my case that Michael should be batting higher. i must say, he also did a great job filling in for Bourn at leadoff, hitting .361 in 8 games. another highlight of the month was when Michael hit his 2nd home run of the season. it measured 423 feet, easily the farthest he's hit a ball so far in his career.

in the last week of May, Michael was batting either 7th or 8th in the lineup, and he was in a little slump. most bottom of the orders are weak. i think sometimes, if you stay in the 8 or 9 hole too long, you'll start to be an 8 or 9 hole type hitter. i hope this isn't the case with Michael. he had a couple really good games after going over some film with his dad, and i feel he could stand to benefit from doing that again. or all year.

some fans have a habit of noticing what a player doesn't do, as opposed to what he does do. fans are going to complain about Michael's lack of speed/stolen bases, i already know, but look who he's been stuck behind. the guys at the top are faster and have more opportunities to steal bases. Michael doesn't really need to worry about that anymore. let Bourn, Kip, Aviles, Stubbs, Cabby, and whoever else steal bases. i want Michael to just concentrate on continuing to get himself on base.

switching gears now to the outfield, Michael played strictly left field this month, and as usual, his defense was excellent. his fielding percentage for May is once again perfect. he had 35 putouts, but could have had more if he had started some of the games he was subbed in to. also this month, Michael had 3 very nice assists, including throwing a runner out at home, bringing his total for the season so far to 5 already. i never thought about making assist predictions, but at this point i think it's safe to say he will set a new career high and have at least 10 this year.


now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his May #s, the leadoff #s, the 8th spot #s, the 7th spot #s, the 2nd spot #s, the 9th spot #s, the 6th spot #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 4th spot #s, and the #s of everything not leadoff combined, as well as the left field #s, overall left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


May batting average: .311

OBP: .342

SLG: .369

OPS: .711


Michael played in 29 (of 30) games in May. he started and played left field in 26 games, and he was a defensive (left) substitution for a total of 6 innings in 3 games. he did not have any official at bats in the 3 games that he did not start, however he did have 1 plate appearance. the one game he did not play in was just him not being in Tito's lineup. he did not play any center field this month.


Michael led off 8 games.

Michael bat 8th in 7 games. (6 started, 1 defensive sub)

Michael bat 7th in 7 games.

Michael bat 2nd in 1 game.

Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (defensive sub)

Michael bat 6th in 1 game. (defensive sub)

Michael bat 3rd in 1 game. (Cabby off day)

Michael bat 4th in 3 games. (Swisher Paternity List)


Michael played left field in all 29 games.

Michael played in 26 complete games.


in May, Michael had a total of 111 plate appearances and 103 at bats. here is how he fared:

32 hits

28 singles

3 doubles

1 home run

17 RBI

2 sac flies

13 runs scored

6 walks

1 intentional walk

4 stolen bases

12 strikeouts

8 first at bat hits


41 left on base

35 putouts

3 assists

237.2 innings, 29 games

May batting average: .311 (32-103) (29 games)


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


when Michael led off in May, he had a total of 38 plate appearances and 36 at bats in 8 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

13 hits

13 singles

3 RBI

4 runs scored

2 walks

(1 intentional walk)

2 stolen bases

4 strikeouts

2 leadoff/first at bat hits


14 left on base

13 putouts

74 innings, 8 games

May batting average in the leadoff spot: .361 (13-36) (8 games)
May batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left: .361 (13-36) (8 games)

overall batting average so far in the leadoff spot: .318 (28-88) (20 games) (178 innings)
overall batting average so far in the leadoff spot while playing left: .322 (28-87) (20 games) (174 innings)
overall batting average so far in the leadoff spot while playing center: .000 (0-1) (1 game) (4 innings)


when Michael was not leading off in May, he had a total of 73 plate appearances and 67 at bats in 21 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

19 hits

15 singles

3 doubles

1 home run

14 RBI

2 sac flies

9 runs scored

4 walks

2 stolen bases

8 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


27 left on base

22 putouts

3 assists

163.2 innings, 21 games

May batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .284 (19-67) (21 games)
May batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .284 (19-67) (21 games)

overall batting average so far everywhere other than leadoff: .283 (30-106) (32 games) (261.2 innings)
overall batting average so far everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .283 (30-106) (32 games) (261.2 innings)


now let's break down his non-leadoff numbers even further.


when Michael bat 8th in May, he had a total of 22 plate appearances and 22 at bats in 7 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

4 singles

3 doubles

1 stolen base

2 strikeouts

3 first at bat hits


9 left on base

3 putouts

54 innings, 7 games

May batting average in the 8th spot: .318 (7-22) (7 games)
May batting average in the 8th spot while playing left: .318 (7-22) (7 games)

overall batting average so far in the 8th spot: .318 (7-22) (7 games) (54 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 8th spot while playing left: .318 (7-22) (7 games) (54 innings)


when Michael bat 7th in May, he had a total of 27 plate appearances and 24 at bats in 7 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

5 hits

5 singles

6 RBI

1 sac fly

3 runs scored

2 walks

1 stolen base

4 strikeouts

1 first at bat hit


8 left on base

9 putouts

59.2 innings, 7 games

May batting average in the 7th spot: .208 (5-24) (7 games)
May batting average in the 7th spot while playing left: .208 (5-24) (7 games)

overall batting average so far in the 7th spot: .208 (5-24) (7 games) (59.2 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 7th spot while playing left: .208 (5-24) (7 games) (59.2 innings)


when Michael bat 2nd in May, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

0 strikeouts


2 left on base

1 putout

9 innings, 1 game

May batting average in the 2nd spot: .250 (1-4) (1 game)
May batting average in the 2nd spot while playing left: .250 (1-4) (1 game)

overall batting average so far in the 2nd spot: .250 (1-4) (1 game) (9 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 2nd spot while playing left: .250 (1-4) (1 game) (9 innings)


when Michael bat 9th in May, he was a defensive substitution in left for 1 game and had a total of 1 plate appearances and 0 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 run scored

1 walk


1 putout

3 innings, 1 game

May batting average in the 9th spot: .000 (0-0) (1 game)
May batting average in the 9th spot while playing left: .000 (0-0) (1 game)

overall batting average so far in the 9th spot: .000 (0-0) (1 game) (3 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 9th spot while playing left: .000 (0-0) (1 game) (3 innings)


when Michael bat 6th in May, he was a defensive substitution in left for 1 game and had 0 plate appearances and 0 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 putout

2 innings, 1 game


overall batting average so far in the 6th spot: .231 (3-13) (5 games) (38 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 6th spot while playing left: .231 (3-13) (5 games) (38 innings)


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

2 hits

1 single

1 home run

4 RBI

2 runs scored

1 strikeout

1 first at bat hit


1 left on base

2 putouts

9 innings, 1 game

May batting average in the 3rd spot: .500 (2-4) (1 game)
May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .500 (2-4) (1 game)

overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot: .375 (3-8) (2 games) (18 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing left: .375 (3-8) (2 games) (18 innings)


when Michael bat 4th in May, he had a total of 15 plate appearances and 13 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

4 hits

4 singles

4 RBI

1 sac fly

3 runs scored

1 walk

1 strikeout

1 first at bat hit


7 left on base

5 putouts

27 innings, 3 games

May batting average in the 4th spot: .308 (4-13) (3 games)
May batting average in the 4th spot while playing left: .308 (4-13) (3 games)

overall batting average so far in the 4th spot: .308 (4-13) (3 games) (27 innings)
overall batting average so far in the 4th spot while playing left: .308 (4-13) (3 games) (27 innings)


now let's break down his numbers based on where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in May, he had a total of 111 plate appearances and 103 at bats in 29 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

32 hits

28 singles

3 doubles

1 home run

17 RBI

2 sac flies

13 runs scored

6 walks

1 intentional walk

4 stolen bases

12 strikeouts

8 first at bat hits


41 left on base

35 putouts

3 assists

237.2 innings, 29 games

(26 complete games)

May batting average while playing left: .311 (32-103) (29 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .301 (58-193) (52 games) (435.2 innings)



May #s while playing left: 35 putouts, 3 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (237.2 innings, 29 games)

overall #s so far while playing left: 73 putouts, 5 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (435.2 innings, 52 games)

overall #s so far while playing center: 0 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (4 innings, 1 game)

overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 73 putouts, 5 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (439.2 innings, 52 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 24/Game 1, May 1: 3-5, single, run scored, single, single. AVG: .302
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 25/Game 2, May 3: 1-4, single, run scored, intentional walk. AVG: .300
(leadoff/LF/CG10)

Game 26/Game 3, May 4: 1-5, RBI single. AVG: .295
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 27/Game 4, May 5: 0-4. AVG: .284
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 28/Game 5, May 6: 2-5, single, single, stolen base. AVG: .289
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 29/Game 6, May 7: did not start, defensive substitution for 9th inning. no ABs.
(8th/LF/1 inning)

Game 30/Game 7, May 8: 2-4, single (first at bat), fielder’s choice RBI, single, stolen base. AVG: .297
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 31/Game 8, May 9: 2-5, single (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .301
(leadoff/LF/CG)
^^Michael Bourn is scheduled to come back tomorrow, and Brantley won't be leading off anymore.^^

Game 32/Game 9, May 10: 0-2, RBI sac fly. AVG: .296
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 33/Game 10, May 11: 2-5, double, single. AVG: .300
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 34/Game 11, May 12: 2-4, single, run scored, walk, RBI single. AVG: .306
(leadoff/LF/CG10)

Game 35/Game 12, May 13 (first game): 1-3, single (first at bat), reached on forceout. AVG: .307
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 36/Game 13, May 13 (second game): 1-4, single. AVG: .305
(2nd/LF/CG)

Game 37/Game 14, May 14: 1-4, 2-run single (first at bat). AVG: .303
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 38/Game 15, May 15: 0-0, walk (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .303
(9th/LF/3 innings)
^^did not start, defensive substitution for 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. no official ABs.^^

Game 39/Game 16, May 17: 0-4. AVG: .295
(8th/LF/CG10)

Game 40/Game 17, May 18: did not start, defensive substitution for 8th and 9th innings. no ABs.
(6th/LF/2 innings)

Game 41/Game 18, May 19: 2-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, 3-run home run, run scored. AVG: .301
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 42/Game 19, May 20: 2-4, walk (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, single, run scored. AVG: .306
(7th/LF/CG10)

Game 43/Game 20, May 21: 0-3, RBI sac fly. AVG: .300
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 44/Game 21, May 22: 3-5, RBI single (first at bat), RBI single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .309
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 45/Game 22, May 23: 1-5, walk, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .306
(4th/LF/CG)

Game 46/Game 23, May 24: 2-3, single (first at bat), stolen base, double. AVG: .312
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 47/Game 24, May 25: 2-4, single (first at bat), double. AVG: .316
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 48/Game 25, May 26: 0-4. AVG: .309
(7th/LF/8.2 innings)

Game 49/Game 26, May 27: 0-3. AVG: .304
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 50/Game 27, May 28: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .303
(7th/LF/CG)

Game 51/Game 28, May 29: 0-3. AVG: .298
(8th/LF/CG)

Game 52/Game 29, May 30: 1-3, RBI single, stolen base, run scored, walk. AVG: .299
(7th/LF/CG)

May 31: not in lineup.



so far in 2013, Michael has a total of 213 plate appearances and 194 at bats in 52 games (439.2 innings). in total, he has 58 hits, 47 singles, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 26 RBI, 2 sac flies, 26 runs scored, 14 walks, 1 intentional walk, 3 hit by pitches, 4 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing, 26 strikeouts, 15 first at bat hits, 75 left on base, 73 putouts, and 5 assists.

season batting average: .299 (58-194)

OBP: .352

SLG: .381

OPS: .734

Speak Up, Brantley! My Thoughts On His BOP & Contract Talk

i didn't want to clog my upcoming Brantley blog with these thoughts so they're getting a separate blog =D

on the 21st day of May 2013, Brantley had hit in every spot in the batting order this season. yes, he says he doesn't mind it and will do whatever is good for the team. yet he admitted last year after Manny was fired that he didn't like being thrown all over the lineup and wanted some kind of consistency. now, just because Tito Francona is manager, am i supposed to believe that he's all the sudden okay with this? i'm not buying it.

Tito has been changing the lineup quite a bit since the beginning of the year, and he always has a reason, but the reasons aren't adding up. first, he had Brantley batting 5th, which of course wasn't my favorite place for him, but i accepted that and it grew on me. but then he moved Santana up to the 5th spot because he was on a hot streak and batting in the high .300s, so Brantley was moved to the 6th spot for a few games. then when Bourn was out hurt, Brantley was awarded the luxury of leading off. by the time Bourn finally came back, Brantley was just kinda being plugged in wherever and he lost a stable position. lately, he's been hitting in the 7th and 8th spots. the reasoning behind that is because Santana walks and gets on base more than anyone else, Tito likes him ahead of Reynolds since Reynolds can hit balls out of the park. and Brantley bats behind Reynolds for protection. uh, since when does Reynolds need protection? i've heard it all now. however, as recently as a couple days ago, Tito had Reynolds batting 5th and Santana 6th, which went against everything he previously proclaimed. confused yet? and let's not forget how at the start of the season, Tito liked Reynolds hitting lower in the order so that his strikeouts wouldn't hurt us too much. every day seems to be a new story, and unfortunately for Brantley, he's the only one who has to deal with being placed in all the different lineup spots. just because Brantley can hit in every place in the lineup doesn't mean he should continue to move around to every place in the lineup.

in my perfect world, well i shouldn't say it like that because i think everyone knows by now that i want what Brantley really wants (to lead off and play center). so how about i say, ideally, Brantley would bat 5th, Reynolds 6th, Santana 7th (because this kid always gets into trouble when he's batting higher up in the order. he's been steadily batting around the 5th spot this month and we've seen his batting average dip down, have we not?), Chiz or whoever is taking his lineup spot 8th, and Stubbs 9th. 1 through 4 seem to be untouchable at this point unless someone gets a day off, so hop on board because complaining about that will get you nowhere. it's been made apparent to me that power is favored over batting average, and sadly Brantley will never have the power that some of the other players on the team do. but i would hope Tito would value contact over power.

when the guy with the highest batting average on the team is batting 8th, and certain guys who strike out more than Brantley are batting ahead of him, particularly Giambi Juice, this is when i have a problem. i don't care if it's a testament to the depth the team has this year, that is just not right. by now it's obvious that Brantley is too nice and too much of a quiet pushover. it reminds me of something i used to have to deal with back in grade school. boys would cause trouble sitting next to each other in class, so the teacher would have to separate them. and who was always asked to switch desks with one of the boys? that's right, it was me. this happened at least once a year in one of my classes. my teachers thought i was a nice girl and wouldn't mind it, and i never said anything to make them believe otherwise. i should have spoken up and said i don't want to be separated from sitting near my friends because other people were disrupting class. it felt like a punishment to me and i didn't like it. now in the case of Brantley, i feel like maybe he should speak up and say something along the lines of "you know, i'd like to have more of a regular spot in our lineup." maybe Tito would oblige. he won't know if he doesn't ask. he is such an important piece to this team. if he makes a demand, i bet they'd listen. i think it would be wise to keep him happy now, considering he's eligible for arbitration after this season...

because we have more power hitters on the Tribe this year, what Brantley is doing for the team is usually overlooked by many. he's worth more than he's currently being paid and i won't blame Michael at all if when it comes time for extension talks he just says forget it. it's not going to be easy to decide how much he should get, as he is a center fielder by trade playing phenomenal left field. he's playing better left field than we've seen in quite some time. his numbers aren't very good for a left fielder, but they're great for a center fielder, which Brantley is now not. so that right there makes this a tricky topic. plus the fact that he has the ability to pretty much hit anywhere, which not all players possess as has been demonstrated by some Indians in the past, that should increase his value as well.

since we have at least one outfielder who is currently being paid more than Brantley yet who is also performing on a much lower level than Brantley, i think he can use that as leverage to get a nice pay raise. but again, because this team is not positioning him where he truly wants to be, i can't confidently believe that he will sign a long-term extension. it honestly would be smarter if he held out. i've said many times before that i only want what's best for him, and if we can't/don't give that to him, i can't be upset if he leaves. but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. these are just my thoughts and opinions and virtually don't mean anything. after all, i'm not his agent. though i think i might make a pretty damn good one ;D

Brantley's April 2013 #s

if you read my spring training blog, then you already know i have gotten more thorough with my Brantley documentation this year. after a few trial and errors, i figured out a color coding system that i'm pretty happy with and my notebook is filling up quickly. however, to keep a normally long blog somewhat less lengthy, i'm not putting everything here. i don't think the readers are very interested in the pitch count of all Michael's at bats and what innings he bat in, recorded his putouts, etc. so i'm sparing you that. now without further ado, let's get to the April blog.


this month reminded me of last April in that i am starting to notice a pattern with Brantley. aside from 2011, he usually starts the season slow. and when the end of April comes around, that's when he seems to turn it up and make his April numbers more respectable. this year is no exception, as you will see.

Michael had a hit in 16 of the 23 games he played in April and reached base safely in 21 games. Michael reached base in 14 straight games this month from April 8 - April 27 as well.

Michael was not supposed to be leading off, but once Bourn got hurt, and after trying out Stubbs for a few games, Tito decided to move Brantley into the leadoff spot. when he first started leading off, of course he was still having some struggles. that led to fans complaining that Michael's never been a good leadoff man and he shouldn't be leading off now. good grief. did anyone who made that comment bother to notice that prior to the move Michael really wasn't tearing the cover off the ball or wowing anybody yet? no, of course not. this is the same thing that happened a year ago; Michael was struggling but did start to come out of it at the end of April. and i'm hoping now he can go back to being the consistent hitter he was for the team last year.

further proving my observation, Michael ended the month by hitting his first home run of the campaign. he was the last active member of the Indians to finally go yard. homers are not his forte so i don't foresee many more of those to come, and that's okay. but when he does hit the ball out to souvenir city, it is always nice.

as a result of being moved around in the batting order, another thing that was not supposed to happen with Michael this year, some of his numbers are better than others. for example, when he was batting lower in the order, he got more RBI opportunities. then when he was moved to the leadoff spot, his RBIs went down but his runs scored increased because the guys behind him were able to drive him in more than when he was batting 5th and 6th. Michael made it clear before the season started that he didn't like it last year when he didn't know where he'd be batting from one day to the next. he ended up batting everywhere in the order except for the 9 hole. so far this season, he's been in 4 different spots. for his sake, after he's taken out of the leadoff spot when Bourn comes back, i hope he gets a place that's primarily his. ever the professional though, he will approach all his at bats the same and never complain.

now let's talk about defense. i did not anticipate Michael to be playing any center field this season because of the acquisitions of both Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs, two center fielders by nature. however, again with Bourn out, there was one game where Michael was moved to center for the last couple innings. and although i don't expect that to happen much more in the future, that is going to expand my break downs because now i have to calculate his numbers for both left and center field. thanks, Tito lol

regardless of where Michael played in the outfield, his defense has been very impressive and his fielding percentage for April is perfect. he had 38 putouts, including his usual great catches. he also had 2 very nice assists this month due to some dead-on throws from left field. there's no denying that our left field defense has improved immensely this year and will continue to be nothing short of stellar as the rest of the season plays out.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his April #s, the 5th spot #s, the 6th spot #s, the 3rd spot #s, the leadoff #s, and the #s of everything not leadoff combined, as well as the left field #s and the center field #s.


April batting average: .286

OBP: .363

SLG: .396

OPS: .758


Michael played in 23 (of 24) complete games in April. he started and played left in 23 games, and he played center for 4 innings when he was moved there in the middle of 1 game. he had 1 official at bat as the center fielder of that game. the one game he did not play in was just him not being in Tito's lineup.


Michael bat 5th in 6 games.

Michael bat 6th in 4 games.

Michael bat 3rd in 1 game.

Michael led off 12 games.


Michael played left field in 23 games.

Michael played center field for just 4 innings in 1 game.


in April, Michael had a total of 102 plate appearances and 91 at bats. here is how he fared:

26 hits

19 singles

5 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

9 RBI

13 runs scored

8 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 caught stealing

14 strikeouts

7 first at bat hits


34 left on base

38 putouts

2 assists

202 innings, 23 games

April batting average: .286 (26-91) (23 games)


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


when Michael bat 5th in April, he had a total of 26 plate appearances and 22 at bats in 6 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

7 singles

2 RBI

3 runs scored

3 walks

1 hit by pitch

4 strikeouts

3 first at bat hits


11 left on base

12 putouts

1 assist

53 innings, 6 games

April batting average in the 5th spot: .318 (7-22) (6 games)
April batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .318 (7-22) (6 games)


when Michael bat 6th in April, he had a total of 15 plate appearances and 13 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

3 hits

2 singles

1 double

1 run scored

1 walk

1 hit by pitch

0 strikeouts

2 first at bat hits


7 left on base

6 putouts

1 assist

36 innings, 4 games

April batting average in the 6th spot: .231 (3-13) (4 games)
April batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .231 (3-13) (4 games)


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

1 hit

1 single

0 strikeouts

1 first at bat hit


1 left on base

2 putouts

9 innings, 1 game

April batting average in the 3rd spot: .250 (1-4) (1 game)
April batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .250 (1-4) (1 game)



when Michael was not leading off in April, he had a total of 45 plate appearances and 39 at bats in 11 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

11 hits

10 singles

1 double

2 RBI

4 runs scored

4 walks

2 hit by pitches

4 strikeouts

6 first at bat hits


19 left on base

20 putouts

2 assists

98 innings, 11 games

April batting average everywhere other than leadoff: .282 (11-39) (11 games)
April batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left: .282 (11-39) (11 games)



when Michael led off in April, he had a total of 57 plate appearances and 52 at bats in 12 games.

15 hits

9 singles

4 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

7 RBI

9 runs scored

4 walks

1 hit by pitch

1 caught stealing

10 strikeouts

1 leadoff (first at bat) hit


15 left on base

18 putouts

104 innings, 12 games

April batting average in the leadoff spot: .288 (15-52) (12 games)



when Michael led off and played left in April, he had a total of 56 plate appearances and 51 at bats in 12 games.

15 hits

9 singles

4 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

7 RBI

9 runs scored

4 walks

1 hit by pitch

1 caught stealing

10 strikeouts

1 (leadoff) first at bat hit


14 left on base

18 putouts

100 innings, 12 games

April batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left: .294 (15-51) (12 games)


when Michael led off and played center in April, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bats in 1 game.

0 hits


1 left on base

0 putouts

4 innings, 1 game

April batting average in the leadoff spot while playing center: .000 (0-1) (1 game)



now let's break down his numbers based on where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in April, he had a total of 101 plate appearances and 90 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

26 hits

19 singles

5 doubles

1 triple

1 home run

9 RBI

13 runs scored

8 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 caught stealing

14 strikeouts

7 first at bat hits


33 left on base

38 putouts

2 assists

198 innings, 23 games

(22 complete games)

April batting average while playing left: .289 (26-90) (23 games)


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

0 hits


1 left on base

0 putouts

4 innings, 1 game

April batting average while playing center: .000 (0-1) (1 game)



April #s while playing center: 0 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (4 innings, 1 game)

April #s while playing left: 38 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (198 innings, 23 games)

April #s while playing the outfield: 38 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (202 innings, 23 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 1, April 2: 1-2, single (first at bat), run scored, walk, walk. AVG: .500
(batting 5th/LF/CG)

Game 2, April 3: 4-5, single (first at bat), RBI single, single, single, run scored, reached on forceout. AVG: .714
(5th/LF/CG11)

Game 3, April 4: 1-4, hit by pitch, run scored, single. AVG: .545
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 4, April 5: 0-2, walk. AVG: .462
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 5, April 6: 0-4. AVG: .353
(5th/LF/CG)

April 7: not in lineup.

Game 6, April 8: 1-5, RBI single (first at bat). AVG: .318
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 7, April 9: 0-3, walk. AVG: .280
(6th/LF/CG)

April 10: game postponed, to be made up in a May 13 DH.
(5th/LF/CG)

April 11: game postponed, to be made up in a May 13 DH.
(5th/LF/CG)

Game 8, April 12: 1-3, double (first at bat). AVG: .286
(6th/LF/CG)

Game 9, April 13: 0-3, hit by pitch, run scored. AVG: .258
(6th/LF/CG)

Game 10, April 14: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .257
(3rd/LF/CG)

Game 11, April 16: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .282
(6th/LF/CG)

Game 12, April 17: 0-3, walk. AVG: .262
(leadoff/LF/CG)
^^i guess Tito decided to give Michael a shot at leading off again because Bourn is on the 15-day DL with a finger laceration. i definitely don't expect him to lead off again once Bourn comes back.^^

Game 13, April 18: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .261
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 14, April 19: 0-4, walk. AVG: .240
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 15, April 20: 2-6, 2-run double, RBI walk, run scored, single. AVG: .250
(leadoff/LF - 5 i/CF - 4 i)

Game 16, April 21: 1-5, single. AVG: .246
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 17, April 22: 1-3, single, caught stealing, walk, run scored. AVG: .250
(leadoff/LF/CG)

April 23: game postponed.

Game 18, April 24: 2-4, single, single, run scored. AVG: .265
(leadoff/LF/CG)

April 26: game postponed, to be made up April 28.
(leadoff/LF)

Game 19, April 27: 2-5, double, 2-run triple. AVG: .274
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 20, April 28 (Day Game): 0-4. AVG: .260
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 21, April 28 (Night Game): 2-4, single (first at bat), run scored, hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .272
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 22, April 29: 3-5, double, run scored, double, run scored, single. AVG: .291
(leadoff/LF/CG)

Game 23, April 30: 1-5, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .286
(leadoff/LF/CG)


let me also put it out there that May would be a great time to get one of his hitting streaks started... ;D

Tribe 2013 Predictions/Thoughts/Analyzations

i was going to just add this in to my Brantley ST blog, but then, as i tend to do, i ended up writing a lot lol so i figured i'd give it its own blog. now without further ado, let's talk Tribe 2013.


my prediction for the Tribe's 2013 season, assuming everyone plays to the max of their abilities and we don't get hit with too many major injuries, is we go 78-84. a lot of people will predict more wins than that. i think considering where we've finished in 3 of the last 4 years, 78 wins would be a large improvement.


my PD boys, whom i respect a great deal, have made predictions that i will keep on record here. some i just don't agree with and also can't quite understand.

Hoynsie: 84-78, fourth in the central

Livy: 80-82, third

D-Man: 76-86, fourth

Terry: 82-80, second

Bud: 87-75, second


hey Hoynsie (haha), how are we going to have 84 wins and still finish fourth? is the division going to be a very close race this year? assuming we did win 84 games, i cannot believe that Chicago and KC are going to be that good that they will have 85 or more wins and finish ahead of us. who exactly did we beat to get these 84 wins? you might wanna rethink this...said with love lol

Livy, i am more likely to agree with your prediction, as it is closer to mine. i think we could move up to third in the division this year.

D-Man's prediction of 76 wins is also more like where i can see us finishing. if i had to choose between his or Hoynsie's fourth place prediction, i would expect 76 wins to be more fourth place-ish than 84 wins. this could be the best prediction out of the bunch.

Terry has us finishing just above .500, which would be a treat, but i don't think 82 wins is going to be a second place finishing team unless we have a great record against our division foes. (and normally we always struggle against Chicago, as well as sometimes against KC and Minny. how can we beat Detroit but not these teams? lol)

Bud, you have an optimism greater than most. i commend you, but think you're crazy lol


despite some nice offseason acquisitions, it's gonna be very hard to go from 68-94 back to .500 in just one season, even with Tito leading the pack. making the playoffs is not a concern of mine for 2013. this is not our one and only year with a window for contending; we've got time and i believe it will take time to get there. right now with so many questions, particularly surrounding our starting rotation, i don't see us being able to reclaim the Central Division, and i don't see us getting a wild card spot either. but again, i have the patience to not be upset if/when these things don't happen for us this year. doesn't change my passion for the team, obviously.

our lineup is going to have its good and BAD games. true, we have guys who can steal, and stretch a single into a double, and beat out a grounder to safely get on 1st base. we have more guys now who can knock balls outta the park, too. but we also have guys who will strikeout a lot. we will most likely finish with the most strikeouts in the AL this year, after finishing with the 3rd least last year. it will be frustrating at times, but it's something we're gonna have to live with. and remember, we will benefit having guys like Reynolds, Bourn, Swisher, and (hopefully) Stubbs in our lineup this year. more runs will be scored this season.



some things that might make a difference this year that we didn't have last year:

--a full season with Chisenhall in the lineup

--if Bourn, Swisher, Reynolds, and Stubbs get on base and hit home runs the way they are supposed to

--Santana batting lower in the order (hopefully taking some of the pressure off him)

--if Myers can make the transition to starter and be an innings eater for us

--if Kazmir can pitch at least a couple decent months for us

--a very speedy outfield that should be able to run down a lot of fly balls, limiting opposing runners from scoring

--an even stronger bullpen mafia



the biggest question mark for me, and probably a lot of other fans, is our starting rotation. if they underachieve, this year will be ugly. if they pitch decent, then we might be pleasantly surprised. it would be amazing if Masterson could rack up 15 wins this year, and if Ubaldo could win about a dozen. but let's face facts, that may not happen. we certainly do not have the most intimidating starting 5 in the league, not by a long shot.

Brett Myers could be really bad. and with Tito's attitude, they will probably give him a good 2 months as a starter before considering moving him to the bullpen. (and then i'm gonna question putting him in our pen and messing up the mafia...) Scott Kazmir could be the feelgood story of the year, or he could struggle and be inconsistent. then that would make it tougher to accept when any of the other 3 have a bad start. and you can't expect Masterson to win every time out, especially if we don't hit for him, which i hope won't be a problem this year. and even though Ubaldo had a nice spring, you never know what will happen with him when the regular season starts. can he stay confident all season and will that really help him throw more strikes and get more guys out? wanna put all your eggs in that basket? McAllister could also have his bad starts and sometimes be erratic.

if at some point we called up any of the Carrasco-Bauer-Kluber group, they all could be up and down with their performances as well. these pitchers all have potential and there's no denying they have good stuff, but none is an ace.

think the bullpen's not going to give up any runs this year? if these guys become overworked because our starters can't consistently go 5 or 6 innings, we're gonna be in trouble.

think Rage won't blow a couple saves? expect it, because it's gonna happen. no one's perfect and we have to be ready to accept that. but as long as it doesn't happen all the time, no one should really have much problem with it. i'd still rather have him closing over anyone else in our bullpen right now. that's not a knock on Vinnie, that's just my personal preference.

all these things could add one loss here, another loss there, and before you know it, we've got 80ish losses for the season. yes, we have more guys who can hit this year, but you can't expect us to score 6-7 runs every time one of our starters falters. that's not realistic and that's not fair.

there are just way more questions than answers at the moment. so you can see why i am not chomping at the bit right now to declare playoffs and 80 something wins for this team. and i know this probably sounds like i'm being super negative and have no confidence in this team, but really i'm just listing all the reasons i don't believe we are playoff bound this year.


all this certainly doesn't mean i'm not dying for baseball to get started again though. i've been going through withdrawal since that final out was called on October 3, 2012 =P i am not the casual fan, as most who know me can attest. i don't feel sorry for Tribe "fans" who have been waiting a whole 51 days for the season to start; i've been waiting for 181. i'm honestly no more excited about this season than i was last season. huh? well that simply means i'm just always excited about Tribe season, regardless of who we sign or don't sign during the offseason. i love baseball too much to be wrapped up in the front office dealings and ownership's money stinginess. without baseball, i am an incomplete person. even bad Tribe baseball is better than no Tribe baseball in my life. so if the team plays better this year, and if they could possibly get back to a shot at contention in the near future, that just makes it all the more enjoyable for me.


i have spent the last 2 seasons arranging my schedule to ensure that i didn't miss any Tribe games. this year, i vow to try my hardest to go for a 3rd straight year. i realize that's going to be tough, as things have changed and, as i like to say, "life is getting in the way" of my baseball habit lol after looking over the schedule, i would like to go to at least 10 games this year, but again, that just may not be possible. it's pretty strange to think i may have gone to more games last season than i will go to this season. alas, i am in this for all 162, win or lose, good and bad, hair pulling and object throwing, laughter and tears. that's what it means to be Ride or Die. Let's Go Tribe! =D


(and for the record, i'm picking Washington to go all the way this year. while most sportswriters see the Tigers returning to and winning the World Series in 2013, i am going with a matchup of the Nats and Angels. i believe the NL will beat the AL in the All Star Game yet again, so Washington will have home field advantage and win it in 6 games. yeah i might be sippin on the haterade, idc haha)

Brantley's 2013 Spring Training #s and My Expectations

baseball season is back! and so it's that time again. Tribe Time? well yes, but it is also Brantley blog time. i really did miss these lol

as you can see, i have decided to be way more detailed with my Brantley documentation this season. i have a lot of information colored coded in my Brantley 2013 statistics notebook. however, to try and keep these blogs as simplified as possible, i will not be typing all of that information here lol anyone reading these will thank me haha so let's get to it.



Brantley's 2013 Spring Training #s are as follows:

batting average: .354

OBP: .392

SLG: .521

OPS: .913


Michael played in 18 (of 36) games in spring training. he started and played left in 17 games, and he started and DH'd in 1 game. he missed 12 games after getting lacerated on his left forearm by Josh Donaldson while sliding into 3rd base in the 5th game of the spring. he also did not play in 6 games due to just not being in Tito's lineup.

Michael had a hit in 10 of the 18 games he played and reached base in 12 games.


Michael bat 5th in 10 games.

Michael bat 6th in 1 game.

Michael bat 3rd in 4 games.

Michael led off in 1 game.

Michael bat 2nd in 2 games.


Michael played left in 17 games.

Michael was the DH in 1 game.



in ST, Michael had a total of 51 plate appearances and 48 at bats. here is how he fared:

17 hits

11 singles

5 doubles

1 home run

9 RBI

6 runs scored

2 walks

1 hit by pitch

1 stolen base

3 strikeouts

8 first at bat hits


24 left on base

21 putouts

1 assist

80 innings in LF

ST batting average: .354 (17-48) (18 games)



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


when Michael bat 5th in ST, he had a total of 30 plate appearances and 29 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

5 singles

3 doubles

1 home run

6 RBI

4 runs scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

2 strikeouts

4 first at bat hits


19 left on base

16 putouts

1 assist

50 innings

ST batting average in the 5th spot: .310 (9-29) (10 games)
ST batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .310 (9-29) (10 games)


when Michael bat 6th in ST, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

1 single

1 double

1 run scored

1 first at bat hit


1 putout

3 innings

ST batting average in the 6th spot: 1.000 (2-2) (1 game)
ST batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: 1.000 (2-2) (1 game)


when Michael bat 3rd in ST, he had a total of 12 plate appearances and 10 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

3 hits

2 singles

1 double

3 RBI

1 run scored

1 walk

1 hit by pitch

1 strikeout

1 first at bat hit


3 left on base

3 putouts

19 innings

ST batting average in the 3rd spot: .300 (3-10) (4 games)
ST batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .300 (3-10) (4 games)


when Michael led off, he was the DH in ST for 1 game. he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 left on base

ST batting average in the leadoff spot: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
ST batting average in the leadoff spot as the DH: .000 (0-2) (1 game)


when Michael bat 2nd in ST, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

3 hits

3 singles

2 first at bat hits


1 left on base

1 putout

8 innings

ST batting average in the 2nd spot: .600 (3-5) (2 games)
ST batting average in the 2nd spot while playing left: .600 (3-5) (2 games)


ST batting average as the DH: .000 (0-2) (1 game)


ST batting average while playing left: .370 (17-46) (17 games)


other ST #s while playing left: 21 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (17 games)



here are my game-by-game notes and numbers for Brantley's Spring Training 2013.

Game 1, February 22: 2-2, RBI double (first at bat), run scored, double, run scored. AVG: 1.000
[5th/LF/3 innings]

Game 2, February 23: 2-2, double (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: 1.000
[6th/LF/3 i]

Game 3/4, February 24: not in either lineup. (split squad)

Game 5, February 25: 1-2, RBI double. AVG: .833
[3rd/LF/2 i]
^^Michael left the game with a lacerated left forearm after going for 3rd base and Josh Donaldson spiked him. he went to the hospital, received 15 stitches, and is day-to-day.^^

Game 6, February 26: Tito announces Michael will be shut down for 3 days and he's expected to miss 10 days.

Game 7, February 27: shut down.

Game 8, February 28: shut down.

Game 9, March 1: Michael resumed lower body strength and conditioning.

Game 10, March 2: ^^

Game 11, March 3: ^^

Game 12, March 4: ^^

Game 13, March 5: Michael resumed all activity except on-field bp. he hit off the tee and did throwing. will have his stitches removed in a few days.

Game 14, March 6: expected to play Sunday.

Game 15, March 7: Michael had his stitches removed today. he returned to full-squad practice and will see game action by Sunday.

Game 16, March 8: Michael took BP today. will play Sunday.

Game 17, March 9: ^^

Game 18, March 10: 0-2. AVG: .625
[leadoff/DH]

Game 19, March 11: 1-3, single (first at bat). AVG: .545
[2nd/LF/5 i]

Game 20, March 13: 0-3. AVG: .429
[5th/LF/5 i]

Game 21, March 14: not in lineup.

Game 22, March 15: 1-2, single (first at bat), run scored, hit by pitch, walk. AVG: .438
[3rd/LF/7 i]

Game 23, March 16: not in lineup.

Game 24, March 17: 0-3. AVG: .368
[3rd/LF/4 i]

Game 25, March 18: 0-3. AVG: .318
[5th/LF/5 i]

Game 26, March 20: 3-3, 2-run double (first at bat), single, run scored, single. AVG: .400
[5th/LF/4 i]

Game 27, March 21: 2-3, 3-run home run (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .429
[5th/LF/4 i]

Game 28, March 22: 1-3, 2-run single. AVG: .419
[3rd/LF/6 i]

Game 29, March 23: not in lineup.

Game 30, March 24: 0-2, walk (first at bat), reached on forceout. AVG: .394
[5th/LF/7 i]

Game 31, March 25: 2-4, single (first at bat), stolen base, reached on forceout, single. AVG: .405
[5th/LF/7 i]

Game 32, March 26: not in lineup.

Game 33, March 27: 0-3. AVG: .375
[5th/LF/5 i]

Game 34, March 28: 0-4, reached (2nd base) on fielding error. AVG: .341
[5th/LF/7 i]

Game 35, March 29: 2-2, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .370
[2nd/LF/3 i]

Game 36, March 30: 0-2. AVG: .354
[5th/LF/3 i]



**this offseason, Michael was recovering from hernia surgery that he had on October 11, 2012. unlike the surgery he had in the previous offseason however, this one did not affect his offseason routine.**


despite missing a dozen games because of the forearm injury, Michael had a very solid spring with a very (as his nickname suggests) "smooth" swing. he started out smoking hot, lost his timing a little when he returned from the injury, then settled in once again. i think any player who's had ~50 at bats and finishes spring with a batting average over .300 performed well. i am pleased with Michael's spring.

Michael bat in 5 different spots in the order this spring, and he did great in just about every spot, with the exception of leadoff. now keep in mind, he only bat there in one game, with 2 plate appearances as a DH, right after he came back from his forearm laceration. he clearly still needed to get his timing back and so this does NOT mean he cannot leadoff. i need to point that out to people lol Michael looks to be one of our most consistent hitters yet again this season no matter where he is in the lineup...


it sounds like Michael will mostly be hitting 5th in the order this season. i like that he'll be batting behind Swisher, as opposed to Santana. but for the people who like to get on Michael for his stolen bases, or lack thereof, they better lay off a little because i don't know how many opportunities he will have to steal now batting in this spot. especially if Swisher is on base in front of him, a guy who isn't all that interested in stealing. Michael will have the green light to run, no doubt, but the question is how many times will he get on base with no one ahead of him?

i also want to throw in here that if Bourn doesn't turn out to be the amazing leadoff man that most people keep saying he is, after a month into the season, they better think about swapping him out, just as was done with my Michael after a month last season. #eyeroll #stillbitter #stupidManny lol



My predictions/hopes for Brantley's 2013 season:

first, i really hope this is the year that Michael plays a full season without injury. no more freak injuries in August or September that cause him to miss games or be shut down sooner than the year ends, please.

batting average wise, i would love to see him finish the year close to .300. i'd be very happy with a BA between .295-.300. yeah i'm probably aiming a little high but i have confidence that he can do it. he's been getting better and better every year, and i really think this could finally be attainable for him. with our new offseason additions, i don't know if he'll finish the year with the highest BA on the team again, but he should still be one of our top and most reliable hitters.

also because of our offseason acquisitions, Michael really doesn't need to worry much about home runs. however, i think he can still hit at least 8. and despite those who want him to hit for more power, i think this is fine. he'll make up for it by hitting plenty of doubles.

Michael should have another high RBI total batting in the middle of the order for the year. i'll predict/expect at least 75. then again, it depends on how well the guys in front of him hit, and if they consistently get themselves on base in order for Michael to bring them home.

other numbers i predict for Brantley in 2013:

stolen bases: 15

runs scored: 60

doubles: 50

walks: 50

fielding percentage: .998


good luck this season, Michael! make me proud =D