Brantley's June 2014 #s

my blog got a lot of views last month from outside the United States, which was very surprising to me. i'm glad to know that Brantley has fans all over the world and i'm grateful that they have found my blog. so i just want to take a minute to say HI! and thank you to my readers in Russia and Germany. you guys rock! ;D

Michael's May was so outstanding, i knew that it would be hard to keep up. but to my delight, he started out June very hot and it seemed like it would never end. unfortunately, it did when Michael was diagnosed with a mild concussion and had to miss a few games. (more on that later.) shortly after he was cleared to play again, the hot streak died off. he had some ups and downs, faced some tough pitching, and was robbed of a few would-be hits. for the third month in a row, he struggled during his last few games of the month, including an interleague game on June 30. (why do we always play IL games at the end of the month?!) and so his batting average and OPS were noticeably lowered before i could start all my June calculations.

he's still doing well as a whole, don't get me wrong. once again his batting average has improved, up .011 since the end of May. and he still leads the team in all the major categories. so how can i really be upset with a guy batting .314 after 3 months of the season? a .314 batting average that ranks 5th in the American League, tied for 8th in the majors, and tied for 1st among major league outfielders, no less?

well it's because he got his batting average up as high as .326 this month, and it was .325 before the end of the month road trip. not to mention his June OPS was .991 ten days ago. when you bat .182 (4-for-22) in 6 games at the end of the month, and go 1-for-13 in your last 4 games, that's not finishing the month strong. he peaked (then "plummeted") and that spoiled me lol i'm so proud of Michael and everything he's accomplished so far, of course. but there's part of me that just can't help but wonder, if he hadn't missed some time with a concussion, would the month have ended differently? probably not, yeah i know.

this month differed from May in that Michael had a lot of "loud" outs, otherwise known as line drive outs. he hit balls hard, no question. but loud or not, an out is still an out lol and the majority of his outs continue to come via grounders rather than fly balls; he now has 109 groundouts compared to 76 flyouts through June. the good news is you can normally count on Michael to make contact at the plate, as he remains one of the hardest batters in the league to strike out.

Michael almost played the entire month in the 3 hole, where he continued to do well. but he did enter one game as a pinch hitter when he was coming back from a minor concussion, and hit in the 9th spot (where he recorded a single). but that shouldn't ever happen again. so it looks like Michael's new BOP is going to be 3, barring major injury or regression. i'm so glad Francona did not move Michael down after he missed a few games with the concussion and that there's finally some regularity for him in our lineup.

because of the sporadic hitting of Bourn and Cabrera ahead of him, Michael had a lot of at bats with no one on base and 2 outs in June. this partially explains why he didn't get as many RBI this month as he did in the last 2 months. 21-ish% of his RBIs in June came from his 3 solo home runs. but the hits kept on coming regardless, as evidenced by his improved batting average and on-base percentage. and with Santana heating up this month behind Michael, that really helped Michael add to his runs scored total.

Michael's 2-out hitting is good, yet when there are RISP and 2 outs, he's not hitting as much. it could just be the way he's being pitched to when someone is on base as opposed to when the bases are empty. maybe he's seeing tougher pitches to hit in those instances. or it could be due to a different strategy employed by Michael at the plate. in any case, this is certainly something i'd like to see him improve on as the second half of the season starts.

some quick at bats is another reason Michael didn't rack up many RBI in June. Michael had his share of opportunities to drive guys in this month, trust me. it seemed like he either had at bats with 2 outs and no one on, or when runners were in scoring position. there wasn’t much in between. anyways, instead of taking his time, working the count and having a quality at bat, he'd be first pitch swinging a lot. and before i knew it, his at bat was over and he got out. he started doing this last month, and it didn't seem to hurt his numbers too much, but he definitely missed out on adding more RBIs to his total this month.

says Michael, "that comes down to being comfortable at this level and having a different mindset. the game kind of dictates what you need to do, whether it's driving guys in or working the count. i've tried to be more aggressive this year at times, putting good swings on quality pitches, maybe earlier than i did in the past. the more you play, the more you understand the game, and you pick out your times."

this new aggressive attitude that he's adopted at the plate doesn't always work out. i understand sometimes you get a good pitch to hit early in your AB and you have to go for it. but i'd prefer he work the count more when guys are in scoring position. i was rightfully concerned the more i saw how quick some of his ABs were going this month. he left several guys on base in crucial game situations, an area of the game he usually excels at. i think it'd be more advantageous for him if he stopped being so antsy in certain situations in the future.

Michael had a hit in 18 of the 24 games he played in June and reached base safely in 21 games. Michael reached base in 16 straight games (over 20 days) from June 1-20.

Michael had a modest 9-game hitting streak this month from June 9-20 (over 12 days). during his streak, he bat .552 (16-for-29) with 16 hits, 5 for extra bases. he hit 3 doubles and 2 home runs, giving him 25 total bases. he had 4 RBI, 9 runs, 3 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 1 stolen base and just 3 strikeouts. his OBP was .629, his SLG was .862, and his OPS was 1.491. he also recorded 2 more outfield assists. this was all very good, but in the back of my mind i will always question how much longer his streak could have gone on had he not sat out a few days with a concussion…

additionally, Michael had 5-straight multi-hit games from June 11-15. during this streak, he bat .500 (10-for-20) with 10 hits and 15 total bases. he hit 2 doubles and 1 home run, giving him 3 extra base hits. he also had 2 RBI, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, 1 stolen base, and only 2 strikeouts. his OBP was .545 and his SLG was .750, making his OPS 1.295. he recorded 2 of his 3 outfield assists for the month during this time as well. this streak ended when Michael left the June 16 game early (after 2 at bats) with the concussion.

Michael had a 10-game road hitting streak that began back on May 14, continued from May 22-28, and ran through June 6-7. he bat .325 (13-for-40) throughout this streak with 10 singles, 2 doubles, and 1 triple for 13 hits--3 extra base hits--and 17 total bases. Michael also totaled 3 RBI, 8 runs, 3 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 2 stolen bases, 3 GIDP, and 4 strikeouts. in left field, he recorded 1 assist.

shortly thereafter, Michael put together a 9-game road hitting streak from June 9-15 and June 24-25. he bat .486 (17-for-35) during the streak with 17 hits, including 3 doubles and 3 home runs, totaling 6 extra base hits and 29 total bases. he also had 5 RBI, 13 runs, 5 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 1 stolen base, and 3 strikeouts. he had an OBP of .581, a SLG of .829, and OPS of 1.410. defensively, he had 2 assists too.

he also had a 12-game reached base streak on the road that spanned from June 6-15 and June 24-25. add that to his 8-game reached base streak on the road from May 14 and May 22-28, and he had a grand total 20-game reached base streak on the road.

Michael is now batting .327 (67-for-205) against right-handed pitchers and .287 (27-for-94) against left-handed pitchers. his average against righties increased nicely, whereas his lefty BA more or less remained the same. although it may seem like Michael's been struggling against lefty pitchers, the wider difference between the two is mainly due to Michael having faced more righties than lefties in the month of June. Francona always plays Michael against the tough lefties, and the fact that he only has 94 at bats against them shows that we tend to face more righties than lefties. if Michael faced as many lefties as righties, the batting averages would probably be closer together.

Michael's batting .350 (49-for-140) at home and .283 (45-for-159) on the road. prior to June, he had a conspicuously lower batting average on the road. thankfully, this month he started hitting exceptionally better away from Progressive Field, giving his road BA a 40 point jump despite his end of the month road troubles.

Michael continues to put up good numbers when the team needs him. he's now batting .338 (25-for-74) with runners in scoring position, producing 40 RBI, a nice increase from the end of May. he's also hitting .400 (6-for-15) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position and .407 (11-for-27) with 1 out and RISP, also both an increase. he stays put batting .250 (8-for-32) with 2 outs and RISP and 14 RBI. Michael increased his batting average to .355 (44-for-124) with 44 RBI with runners on base, but went all the way to down .600 (6-for-10) with 17 RBI when the bases are loaded lol as i pointed out before, Michael had quite a few ABs this month with 2 outs in an inning, and is still batting a respectable .294 (30-for-102) with 19 RBI.

Michael's power potential was put on display again this month. he hit 3 more (solo) home runs in June. he tied his career high in homers on June 9, then set a new career high on June 15 with his 11th home run. any other home runs he hit from that day on would only add to his new career high. he's now tied for the team lead with 12 home runs. Michael is well on his way to passing his father’s career high HR total (15).

Michael remains the team leader with 53 RBI, also a career high for him through June. his 53rd RBI didn't come last year until August 4. he's ranked 5th among major league outfielders, 10th in the American League, and tied 12th overall in the majors with his 53 RBI as well. but compared to how many RBI he had in March/April (20) and May (19), his 14 for this month is a bit of a drop. as i mentioned earlier, that's a result of both Michael going to bat without any runners in scoring position, and also him missing a lot of chances to bring guys home because he'd first pitch swing/get out fast. maybe i'm just being greedy now because Michael had so many career high RBI in April and May, but 14 RBI this month seems low lol let's try for 15 or more next month ;D

have you noticed that Michael mostly hits solo home runs? 9 of his 12 have been solo, and the other 3 were 2-run homers. therefore, 9 of his 53 RBI have come from solo homers, and 15 of his 53 RBI (just under 30%) have come from all 12 of his home runs. i think the reason is twofold. first, Michael's had the majority of his at bats (175) when no one was on base. and second, again, i believe that pitchers pitch to him differently when the bases are empty. this allows him to hit more line drive homers. however, i would love to see Michael hit a 3-run homer sometime this year. and if he ever hits his first granny, i will cry lol (and then blog LOL)

aside from once again leading the team in home runs (12)* and RBI (53)*, Michael also leads the team with: 94 hits*, 32 extra base hits*, 151 total bases*, 54 runs*, 6 hit by pitches (tied)*, 9 stolen bases, 78 games*, 335 plate appearances*, 299 at bats*, .314 BA*, .382 OBP*, .505 SLG*, and .887 OPS*. he also leads the outfielders with 9 assists*.

he's tied for 2nd on the team with 19 doubles, and is 3rd with 28 walks. he has the least amount of strikeouts with 30 as well.

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

this was by far the best June that Michael's had in the big leagues. after doing more extensive research, i found that Michael set career highs for himself in the month of June with the following: 31 hits, 10 extra base hits, 47 total bases, 20 runs, 3 hit by pitches, 0 caught stealing, 3 assists, .341 BA, .413 OBP, .516 SLG, and .930 OPS.

now let's get into some other facts about Michael's season up to this point. he's hit safely in 30 of 36 home games overall. he now has 24 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI games. he also has 17 go-ahead hits and 17 go-ahead RBI this season. plus, his 17 go-ahead RBI rank towards the top of the American League.

Michael had a few big moments this month, the first taking place on June 9 when he hit his 10th home run, tying his career high. but the bigger highlight of this game was that he scored a career high 5 runs in the game. his 5 runs tied the Indians single-game club record and were the most runs scored in a game since Joe Carter's 5 runs scored on September 6, 1986 at Milwaukee. in addition, Michael joined Charlie Jamieson as the only Indians hitter to have at least 1 home run, 5 runs, and 2 walks in one game. Charlie accomplished this all the way back on September 15, 1921.

on June 10, Michael set a new career high in hit by pitches, when he was hit by 2 pitches in a game against the Kansas City Royals. he first got hit by Jason Vargas with 1 out in the top of the 6th inning, then was hit for a second time by Vargas with 2 outs and Asdrubal Cabrera on 1st base in the top of the 8th inning. that 2nd hit by pitch gave Michael his 5th HBP of the year and a new career high.

a career benchmark occurred for Michael on June 15. on the 7th pitch of a 2-2 count from Brandon Workman of the Boston Red Sox and 2 outs in the top of the 1st inning, Michael hit home run #11, a new career high at that time. his 10th home run also came against Workman, so i felt like Michael would hit another one. because this was a momentous occasion for someone not projected to be much of a home run hitter, i wrote a special blog about this here.

Michael followed that up with his 8th OF assist (2nd most in the AL at that time) in the bottom of the 1st inning of the same game. he got his 8th assist last year on July 10. he played that left field green monster wall perfectly, catching the ball off the carom and then firing it in to get David Ortiz out at 2nd base.

and there's one more thing that happened on June 15 worth mentioning. Michael had an at bat in the 8th inning versus left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller. the count was 3-2 when Michael fouled off a slider. then the next pitch, another slider, away, was called strike 3 and Michael was out looking. and it was crystal clear on my Gameday that the home plate umpire fucked up the ball 4 call. if you look at Michael's track record, you know he rarely strikes out looking. hell, he doesn't strike out much period. he's a very smart player with a good eye and knows enough when and when not to swing. that slider was so far outside i don't know how anyone could have missed it. but the ump did and Michael was robbed of a walk.

another thing you know about Michael if you've been following him for any time at all is that he's not one to verbally complain about calls to home plate umpires. but this time, in this case, he spoke up, saying, "there's no way that's a strike." and his complaint was warranted. so much so that Francona brought his ass out of the dugout to defend Michael and also give the ump a what for. even while walking back to the dugout, Michael was still pissed, yelling, "come on!" and it pissed me off as well because that's one bullshit strikeout now in his statistics. can we just put an asterisk next to that? =/ umpires make bad calls in baseball all the time, that's nothing new. but this blown call cost the Indians a leadoff runner late in a tie game. luckily, we still managed to come back and win it, although the game did take 11 innings.

on June 16, Michael was named American League Player of the Week for June 9-15. this was the first time in his career that he'd ever been given this honor. Michael bat .538 (14-for-26) with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 3 walks, and 9 runs scored during this time period. he led all major leaguers in batting average, runs scored, and OBP (.665). he led all AL hitters in hits (14), total bases (23), and times on base (20). Michael was the first Indians player to be named AL POTW since Jason Kipnis was named POTW on July 1, 2013. i wrote a blog with more information about this here.

on the same day Michael was named AL POTW, he got hurt and left that night's game after 4 innings. he hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd inning. then when Kip grounded into an inning ending double play, Michael had some kind of grimace on his face after he was called out at 2nd. i was fortunate enough to have a live look-in of that on my computer as it happened and it worried me. he did play the top of the 4th inning, but did not go back out there for the top of the 5th. it was later announced that he took a blow to the head/neck area (from former Cleveland Indian John McDonald) while sliding into 2nd base trying to break up the double play, and was taken out of the game as a precaution. immediately i thought worst case scenario he'd end up on the 7-day concussion DL. but i wasn't actually prepared for that reality.

Michael had originally been listed in the starting lineup on June 17, but after going through his pregame baseball activities, he said he wasn't 100%. his neck felt stiff and he felt pressure in his head, so they sent him to the Cleveland Clinic for more evaluation. the Indians listed him as day-to-day with head/neck soreness, but i had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that he had a concussion and that the DL was coming. on June 18, i learned that Michael just had a mild concussion. the Indians decided not to put him on the 7-day concussion DL because they believed he would progress quickly and would not need a full 7 days off. if all that wasn't enough explanation for ya, read my blog about Michael's concussion here.

Michael has never had a concussion of any kind in the big leagues, so i wasn't sure how he'd respond. my biggest worry was that he'd lose all the momentum he had built before the head injury. i was nervous that the streaks he was on would quickly end as well, fearing he would need several at bats to get his timing back and possibly have a few 0-for games. i also had concerns that once he came back, Francona wouldn't put him back in the 3 hole, where he'd been thriving so much for the last 6 weeks, and that he'd end up in his original 5th spot in the order. not to mention i feared he would lose out on an All Star nod if the injury messed his numbers up once he returned. it was so much unnecessary drama!

sadly, some of my worries did materialize. on June 20, the day before Michael was supposed to return to the starting lineup, he pinch hit in the bottom of the 9th inning. to my surprise and delight, he got a hit. but the next day, he looked rusty. on June 21, he was reinserted into the 3 spot in the lineup, but went 0-for-5 at the plate, and i could clearly see that the downtime from the concussion was affecting him. his 9-game hitting streak and 16-game reached base streak ended, and with me there of course.

once the Indians began their end of the month road trip, Michael was not like his usual self. he did well enough in Arizona, but slumped in Seattle. then as irony would have it, the final game in June began another interleague series, an area where Michael has not performed well this year. (remember, interleague play in April killed his numbers towards the end of that month, and his home and overall hitting streaks ended on the last day of May during an interleague game as well.) so typically, Michael went 0-for-3 in that game, bringing his overall numbers for June down. and while i don't really believe his recent poor play was a result of the concussion, i still wish that accident had never happened so i'd know for sure that it had no bearing whatsoever on his game play.

as Michael's offensive numbers continue to go up, his trip to the All Star game this year is almost a given. when the first All Star ballot was released, Michael was unranked among AL outfielders. then on June 2, he was the 9th ranked outfielder on the AL ballot. he moved up to 7th on June 8, and then to 6th on June 22. he's currently 222,806 votes behind Adam Jones, who's in 5th place, and 311,101 votes behind Yoenis Cespedes, who recently moved into the 3rd and final starting spot. it's unlikely that Michael will get bumped up to 3rd in these last couple of days, so he's not going to be a starter, but i highly expect him to be named as a reserve player to the American League team. and he deserves it.

compared with other qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael is tied for 1st in batting average (.314), tied for 1st in runs scored (54), 4th in RBI (53), 4th in OBP (.382), 4th in SLG (.505), 4th in OPS (.887), 5th in doubles (19), 6th in total bases (151), tied for 6th in extra base hits (32), and 7th in home runs (12). (and unlike last month, these rankings do include Nelson Cruz, although i still don't think that's fair when he's only played 45 games in the OF and 36 as a DH.)

switching gears now to defense, Michael spent all his time in June in left field. and for a second straight month, he did not commit one error, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in June. however, he only had 28 putouts this month. there were several games where he didn't record any putouts, not necessarily due to missed catches, but due to the majority of balls being hit out to center or right and ground balls being hit on the infield. a prime example of this came on June 24, when Michael played 13.1 innings in left field without recording any putouts. that's 0.1 innings more than the 13 inning game he played in last month where he also had zero putouts. but he's still a ways away from the major league record held by Chuck Hinton (zero putouts in 18 innings on June 14, 1963.)

continuing to prove that his arm is strong, Michael had 3 more assists. his 9 total outfield assists are tied for the 2nd most in the American League and in the major leagues, and are a career high. all of his assists this month came on the road, and 2 of them came when he was playing left field at Fenway Park, which i think makes them extra impressive.

on June 27, Michael was part of his first double play this season. he jumped up, prematurely according to him, at the left field wall in Safeco Field to make the catch, then fired the ball in to Cabrera, who relayed it to Santana at 1st base to complete the double play. as Michael was walking back towards his place in left, he pointed to Cabby on the infield and said, "that a boy." but i think the credit there should start with Michael. if he doesn't make that catch at the wall, no dp can be turned. he's so modest and i love that about him. if this keeps up, he'll have to be considered for a Gold Glove this year.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his June #s, the 3rd spot #s, the 9th spot #s, and the PH #s, as well as the left field #s and overall outfield #s.

June batting average: .341

OBP: .413

SLG: .516

OPS: .930


Michael played in 24 (of 26) games, 21 complete, in June. he started and played left in 23 games, completing 21 of those games. he was subbed out of 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians had a solid lead. he left 1 game early after a blow to the head/neck area and played 4 innings. he came in to PH in the bottom of the 9th inning for 1 game. he missed 2 full games due to a mild concussion from the blow.

Michael bat 3rd in 23 games.

Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (PH)


Michael played left field in 23 games. (21 complete, 2 started: 11 innings)

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael played in 21 complete games.



in June, Michael had a total of 104 plate appearances and 91 at bats. here is how he fared:

31 hits

21 singles

7 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

20 runs scored

9 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 stolen base

1 GIDP

11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)

11 first at bat hits

47 total bases


22 left on base

28 putouts

3 assists

1 double play

202.1 innings, 24 games

(21 complete games)

June batting average: .341 (31-91) (24 games)


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


when Michael bat 3rd in June, he had a total of 103 plate appearances and 90 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

20 singles

7 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

20 runs scored

9 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 stolen base

1 GIDP

11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)

10 first at bat hits

46 total bases


22 left on base

28 putouts

3 assists

1 double play

202.1 innings, 23 games

(21 complete games)

June batting average in the 3rd spot: .333 (30-90) (23 games)

overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot: .333 (65-195) (49 games) (425.2 innings)


when Michael bat 3rd and played left in June, he had a total of 103 plate appearances and 90 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

20 singles

7 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

20 runs scored

9 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 stolen base

1 GIDP

11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)

10 first at bat hits

46 total bases


22 left on base

28 putouts

3 assists

1 double play

202.1 innings, 23 games

(21 complete games)

June batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .333 (30-90) (23 games)

overall batting average so far in the 3rd spot while playing left: .342 (63-184) (47 games) (407.2 innings)


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

1 hit

1 single

1 first at bat hit

1 total base


1 game

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


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

1 hit

1 single

1 first at bat hit

1 total base


1 game

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


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

1 hit

1 single

1 first at bat hit

1 total base


1 game

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

now let's break down his outfield numbers.

when Michael played the outfield in June, he had a total of 103 plate appearances and 90 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

20 singles

7 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

20 runs scored

9 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 stolen base

1 GIDP

11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)

10 first at bat hits

46 total bases


22 left on base

28 putouts

3 assists

1 double play

202.1 innings, 23 games

(21 complete games)

June batting average while playing the outfield: .333 (30-90) (23 games)
overall batting average so far while playing the outfield: .313 (92-294) (76 games) (668.2 innings)


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


when Michael played left in June, he had a total of 103 plate appearances and 90 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

30 hits

20 singles

7 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

20 runs scored

9 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 stolen base

1 GIDP

11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)

10 first at bat hits

46 total bases


22 left on base

28 putouts

3 assists

1 double play

202.1 innings, 23 games

(21 complete games)

June batting average while playing left: .333 (30-90) (23 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .324 (84-259) (68 games) (579.1 innings)


 
June #s while playing left: 28 putouts, 3 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (202.1 innings, 23 games)

overall #s so far while playing left: 96 putouts, 8 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (579.1 innings, 68 games)

overall #s so far while playing center: 24 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.962 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 13 games)

June #s while playing the outfield: 28 putouts, 3 assists, 1 double play, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (202.1 innings, 23 games)

overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 120 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, 1 error, 0.992 fielding percentage (668.2 innings, 76 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 55/Game 1, June 1: 2-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/CG9)

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

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

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

Game 59/Game 5, June 6: 1-4, walk (first at bat), single. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 60/Game 6, June 7: 1-5, double, run scored. AVG: .305
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

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

Game 61/Game 7, June 8: 0-5, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .298
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 62/Game 8, June 9: 3-3, walk (first at bat), run scored, walk, run scored, home run, run scored, single, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/GS7)

Game 63/Game 9, June 10: 1-3, double (first at bat), hit by pitch, hit by pitch, run scored. AVG: .307
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 64/Game 10, June 11: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .310

(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 65/Game 11, June 12: 2-4, single, double, run scored. AVG: .313
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 66/Game 12, June 13: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI double, reached on fielding error. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 67/Game 13, June 14: 2-4, hit by pitch, stolen base, single, run scored, single. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 68/Game 14, June 15: 2-4, home run (first at bat), run scored, single, walk. AVG: .322
(3rd/LF/CG11) 

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

Game 69/Game 15, June 16: 1-2, RBI single. AVG: .323
(3rd/LF/GS4)

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

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

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

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

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

Game 70/Game 16, June 20: 1-1, single (first at bat). AVG: .326
(9th/PH)

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

Game 71/Game 17, June 21: 0-5. AVG: .320
(3rd/LF/CG10)

Game 72/Game 18, June 22: 3-5, single (first at bat), RBI double, 2-run double. AVG: .325
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 73/Game 19, June 24: 1-5, single, run scored, walk, walk, run scored. AVG: .323
(3rd/LF/CG13.1)

Game 74/Game 20, June 25: 2-4, single (first at bat), RBI groundout, home run, run scored, walk, run scored. AVG: .325
(3rd/LF/CG9)

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

Game 75/Game 21, June 27: 0-3, RBI sac fly. AVG: .322
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 76/Game 22, June 28: 1-4, RBI single (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .321
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 77/Game 23, June 29: 0-3, walk (first at bat). AVG: .318
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 78/Game 24, June 30: 0-3. AVG: .314
(3rd/LF/CG8)



so far in 2014, Michael has a total of 335 plate appearances and 299 at bats in 78 games (668.2 innings). in total, he has 94 hits, 62 singles, 19 doubles, 1 triple, 12 home runs, 53 RBI, 2 sac flies, 54 runs scored, 28 walks, 6 hit by pitches, 9 stolen bases, 8 GIDP, 30 strikeouts (23 swinging, 7 looking), 23 first at bat hits, 151 total bases, 111 left on base, 120 putouts, 9 assists, 1 double play, and 1 error.

2014 season batting average: .314 (94-299)

OBP: .382

SLG: .505

OPS: .887

Brantley's 1st (Mild) Concussion

FUCK YOU John McDonald! >O

why the vitriol towards this former Indians player you ask? cause he did my boy dirty, and i don't like it. for the first time in Michael's career, he has a mild concussion. and i am pissed.

how did this happen? well i'll tell you. with 1 out in the bottom of the 3rd inning in a game against the LA Angels on June 16, Michael hit a go-ahead RBI single and was at 1st base. then when the next batter, Jason Kipnis, hit into an inning-ending double play, Michael tried to break it up when sliding into 2nd base. unfortunately for Michael, the Angels shortstop at 2nd base, John McDonald, didn't even try to avoid the collision and just kneed Michael in the fuckin head like it was nothing as he turned the double play.

photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer

that's a dick move and it's not the first time McDonald's done this. he did the same thing before to 1st baseman Justin Morneau on July 7, 2010, and Morneau's concussion was so bad that he did not return that season. the concussion also negatively impacted his playing ability for some time after that year as well. most guys who turn a dp know enough to at least try and avoid contact when a runner tries to interfere with his path. old man McDonald, who isn't even a good player and should probably just retire anyways, needs to take a Baseball 101 course again or something.

so after Michael got bonked, he just kinda sat on the infield for a bit.

screenshot taken from a live look-in

then when he got up, he didn't look right.

screenshot taken from a video on Indians.com

i was "lucky" enough to have a live look-in on my computer for his RBI single and then Kip's inning-ending dp. so i saw how Michael was looking into the dugout, almost as if to say, 'did you see that? should i keep playing? should you take me out of the game?' i think if Michael had gone back into the dugout once the 3rd inning ended, he never would have gone to left field and played the top of the 4th inning. but since he was already on the field when the inning ended, his hat and glove were brought to him, as is common practice, and he trotted back out to left field. Michael even managed to record the 2nd putout of the inning. but something didn't look right about his catch. he was looking into the dugout and rubbing his eye or his head afterwards.

series of screenshots taken from a video on Indians.com

he probably should not have been out there in the first place and he was removed from the game before the top of the 5th started.

later on in the game it was revealed that Michael left the game with head/neck soreness. my immediate fear was concussion. after the game they said Michael passed all the initial concussion tests, but it didn't make me feel better because i knew he very well could show up to the ballpark the following day with a concussion.

on June 17, the starting lineup was released online with Michael batting 3rd. a short time later, a new lineup was released without Michael's name. it was then that i learned that while Michael was performing his pregame baseball routine, he started feeling pressure in his head and had a stiff neck, though he claimed he was feeling fine prior to this. the Indians then sent him off to Cleveland Clinic for further testing.

we did not get another Michael update until June 18, when it was finally confirmed that he did have a mild concussion. "i just didn't feel perfect (Tuesday)," Brantley said. "it's a day-by-day process. i don't want to put a deadline on anything, but my goal is to get back out there with my team as fast as possible. that involves listening to the medical staff and making sure i'm ready to go 100 percent. i'm making progress each and every day. it's all positive."

because of the progress he's making and the fact that he already played catch and hit off the tee today, they opted not to put him on the special concussion DL. Francona said, "the way it was explained to me, it's the type of concussion that should go away faster. and i think we're actually seeing that. Brantley already looks more clear-eyed. i think he's doing very well. every activity that's been given to him (Wednesday), he's handled without any occurrences of anything. there's a progression in place."

they're hoping Michael will be okay to play again on Saturday, June 21. (coincidentally, that is the next Tribe game i'm going to. so i REALLY hope he's back then.) if this happens, he would only miss a total of 3 games, which isn't that bad. but it still doesn't make me forgive McDonald.

let me tell you how angry i was with McDonald the night this all went down. i threw things, i swore (way more than i've written here lol), i tried not to cry. then i thought shit, could this have been a set up? we have no idea what goes on in players' heads and we've all seen how some athletes will play dirty to get ahead. maybe it was planned on the part of the Angels. like, the players came together in a meeting and said 'if anyone gets a chance to take out Brantley, go for it,' as a way to ensure Mike Trout wouldn't lose his starting spot on the All Star team or something. who the fuck knows. okay maybe i was reaching there but i was fuckin furious and i needed to place blame somewhere. McDonald called the "accident" unfortunate, but did he even apologize? cause i never heard anything about that. he did ask Michael if he was okay afterwards, because that's what he "tends to do," then didn't give it a second thought. but that doesn't exactly make him or the situation look better imo.

if Michael had done this purely on his own, like banged his head against the left field wall while making a catch, i'd be less upset. but the fact that it was done to him and that it was avoidable, has me fired up. Michael was killing it on the field prior to all this. the hits just kept on coming for him and his batting average kept going up every game he played. Michael had a .323 BA with 11 home runs and 46 RBI before the incident. he also had a 5 multi-hit games streak going, which McDonald abruptly ended. additionally, he had an 8-game hitting streak and a 15-game reached-base streak. if when Michael comes back on June 21 his streaks come to an end, i am gonna be fuckin infuriated.

Michael has not been on the DL since he broke his hamate bone in late July 2011. so he's gone quite a while without needing to be put on the DL for anything, which is good because it shows he's not injury prone. missing games due to a concussion, however, is still worrisome to me because i'm not sure how that will affect him. he could lose his timing and the roll he's been on. this could ultimately fuck up his entire season. as i said, he was literally on the up and up, on his way to challenging for the AL batting title, and now i fear when he comes back he'll be on a downward trend. it would have been nice to see how long Michael's multi-hits streak could have continued, but now we'll never know.

another cruel twist of fate? when Michael is scheduled to come back, he'll have 2 games under his belt before...wait for it...more goddamn interleague play. why?! ugh. that's the last thing Michael needed, to sit out a while and then have to come back and play interleague games, the one area where he's struggled this year. IL games have messed up his numbers every month this season. in April, before the IL games, he had a respectable BA. then after that dreaded San Fran series, his BA became unacceptable. and who can forget how at the end of May, Michael's overall hitting streak and franchise home game hitting streak both ended during IL play. so this is just fuckin typical that he's gotta come back and try to find his momentum again during another IL series. grrr.

i'm also concerned that Francona will put Michael back to his original 5th spot in the batting order when he comes back. i liked Michael batting 3rd when Kip was out, and was happily surprised when Francona let Michael stay there even when Kip came back from his DL stint. but now, i figure Francona will just let Kip have that spot again and Michael will go back to 5. goodbye regularity, it was fun while it lasted.

don't get me wrong, i am very grateful that nothing more serious occurred (even though a concussion is kind of serious), and that no bones were broken and he doesn't need surgery or a DL stint or anything like that. but it still agitates me that this whole thing could have been a non-issue if McDonald would have just moved out the damn way. my advice to Michael, next time someone hits into a double play, just let it happen. don't risk injury to yourself just cause the player behind you is a shit situational hitter. i don't ever wanna see this happen again.

Brantley's 1st Career American League Player of the Week Honor

let me take a minute to get my scream outta the way... AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! lol

Michael Brantley has been named the American League Player of the Week for June 9-15, 2014! this is Michael's first career AL POTW honor. he's also the first AL POTW for the Tribe this season. the last Indian to receive this honor was Jason Kipnis on July 1, 2013.

Michael led all major leaguers in batting average (.538), runs scored (9), and on base percentage (.625). he led all American League players in hits (14), total bases (23), and times on base (20). and mind you, he did all this on the road.

Michael had a hit in 7 of the 7 games he played from June 9-15 and reached base safely in 7 games. he currently has a 7-game hitting streak and 14-game reached base streak. he also had 6 multi-hit games during this time.

in the past week, Michael bat. 588 (10-for-17) against right-handed pitchers and .444 (4-for-9) against left-handed pitchers. he bat .333 (2-for-6) with runners in scoring position, with 1 single, 1 double, 1 RBI, and 2 walks. he also hit .667 (2-for-3) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position and .429 (6-for-14) with 2 outs in an inning.

on June 9, Michael hit his 10th home run of the season, tying his career high from last year. then on June 15, Michael hit his career high 11th home run. i have a blog about that here.

additionally, Michael had 2 nice outfield assists, both at Fenway Park. my boy knows how to work that left field Green Monster wall lol


June 9-15 batting average: .538

OBP: .625

SLG: .885

OPS: 1.510


Michael played in 7 (of 7) games, 6 complete, from June 9-15. he started and played left in 7 games, completing 6 of those games. he left 1 game early after 7 innings because it was a blowout and Michael had done more than enough.


Michael bat 3rd in 7 games.

Michael played left field in 7 games. (6 complete, 1 started: 7 innings)


from June 9-15, Michael had a total of 32 plate appearances and 26 at bats. here is how he fared:

14 hits

9 singles

3 doubles

2 home runs

5 extra base hits

3 RBI

9 runs scored

3 walks

3 hit by pitches

1 stolen base

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

4 first at bat hits

23 total bases


6 left on base

10 putouts

2 assists

59 innings, 7 games

(6 complete games)

June 9-15 batting average: .538 (14-26) (7 games)



everyone knows i'm well aware of all the stats Michael's been racking up lately, but i never once thought about him being named the AL Player of the Week. this season just seems to be getting better and better by the day for my boy. congratulations, Michael!

Brantley's Career High 11 Home Runs

Michael Brantley was not projected to be much of a home run hitter. year after year, writers talked about how he lacked power. and i would defend him against this, saying that with all the other things he does for the team, he doesn't need to worry about being a power hitter. well, i think Michael had enough of that because it's June 15, and he's already hit his 11th home run, most on the team by 3 right now. he leads the team in pretty much every category that matters, and it's pretty obvious he's on his way to the first All Star game of his career. there are more career highs coming, he's hitting too good right now for there not to be. he's going to shatter some of his other previous career highs this year, no question. but right now, let's talk about his latest feat.

with 2 outs in the top of the 1st inning at Fenway Park, Michael hit home run #11 on the 7th pitch of a 2-2 count from Brandon Workman of the Boston Red Sox. 11 home runs is now a career high for Michael. during his at bat, Hammy was talking about how Michael went 3-for-3 against Workman when we played Boston in Cleveland on June 9. so i thought back to what Michael did against him, and i remembered that was when he hit his 10th home run. so then i thought, "he's gonna hit another home run off this guy." because sometimes you just know, you can sense these things. the count was 1-2, then Michael fouled off 2 pitches in a row before ball 2 came. and then bam! the next pitch was hit to right field, just inside Pesky's Pole =D

picture courtesy of The Plain Dealer

i knew when this day came it would be special, for him as a player and for me as a fan. and maybe Father's Day (Michael's first officially) had something to do with it, maybe not. but either way, the pride i am feeling for this modest, underrated athlete is immense. it's going to be a season of happy tears for me, and i can't wait to see what he accomplishes next.

Brantley's May 2014 #s

at the end of last month, i said there was nowhere for Michael to go but up, and up he went. forget about a gradual progression. he put his foot down on the pedal and didn't let up. this is the best May Michael's ever had in the big leagues. shit, it's the best month he's had period. he accomplished things he's never accomplished before, he set a new franchise record, and he brought his overall batting average up .048. my boy played the hell outta this month and it was more than i could have asked for.

i have a plethora of statistics in this blog because Michael did so many things worth mentioning, so bear with me. this really was the shortest synopsis i could write lol but if you're not big on reading long blogs, then just direct your eyes to the parts in bold italics, cause that's the best stuff ;D

we're only two months into the season, yet we can already see some big changes in Michael's ABs. and i don't just mean his power equating to more homers. for example, he's hitting more ground balls and less line drives. he has 81 groundouts through May versus 59 flyouts. his fly ball percentage is down quite a bit, which is clearly a result of the increase in balls going out of the park for home runs instead of being caught at or near the wall on the warning track. his home run to fly ball ratio is near 17% so far this year, compared with 6.2% for his career.

at the plate, Michael has also been seeing fewer fastballs and more breaking and offspeed pitches. because of this, he's swinging earlier in the count and taking less pitches. he's swinging less overall on pitches inside and outside the strike zone. he'll jump on a pitch early if he thinks he can do something with it. consequently, that's made his swing-and-miss rate increase to 4.1%, the highest of his career. (thank you to Jordan Bastian for these percentages.) i'm very curious to see how these numbers change as the season continues and if possible future movement in his batting order position has any effect.

on May 2, Kipnis went on the DL and Michael was quickly inserted into his spot in the 3 hole, where he remained for the rest of the month. he proved to be a more than adequate replacement. however, there were two things i disliked about this new BOP. the first thing was that Santana was then batting behind Michael. because Santana was still struggling, he didn't hit to get on base much and that hurt Michael's chances of scoring many runs. the second thing was that hitting higher in the order took away some of Michael's RBI opportunities—at first. it certainly wasn't due to lack of hitting; Michael was swinging the bat well and getting himself on base. it's just that a lot of times there wasn't anyone on base or in scoring position when it was his turn to bat because Swisher was totally lost at the plate in the 2 hole and Bourn wasn't getting on base much then either. the fact that over 30% of Michael's RBIs this month came when he hit his 5 home runs proves this.

but thankfully on May 18, Tito moved both Swisher and Santana down in the order, giving Michael a better chance to add to his RBI total. oddly enough though, Michael hit a solo homer on this date, giving him his first RBI in 9 days since he hit his last (solo) home run on May 9. it measured 423 feet, one of the furthest he's hit in his career. moving Santana down also improved Michael's odds to score more runs other than just from the homers he hit himself.

when Kipnis came off the DL on May 28, Tito opted to keep Michael in the 3 hole and have Kipnis bat cleanup. he thinks Michael has done a great job there and, for once, does not want to move him. Tito believes giving guys some regular spots in the lineup will help the team overall, and i'm all for that where Michael is concerned. i'd love to see Michael finally get one regular place in the batting order after being moved around so much in the past 2 years. so i am hoping now that this will be Michael's new permanent spot in the lineup regardless of whatever handed pitcher is on the mound.

Michael had a hit in 25 of the 27 games he played in May and reached base safely in 25 games. he only had two 0-for games this month.

Michael had 3 significant hitting streaks this month, each a team high. the first was an 11-game hitting streak from April 29 - May 11. during his hitting streak, he bat .356 (16-for-45) with 16 hits and 29 total bases. 7 of those hits were extra base hits, 4 being doubles and 3 being home runs. he also tallied 11 RBI, 7 runs, 3 walks, and only 6 strikeouts. his OBP was .388 and his SLG was .644, making his OPS 1.032.

Michael reached base in 12 straight games from April 28 - May 11 as well.

Michael's second hitting streak this month was a 15-game hitting streak, longest on the team and 3rd longest in the American League this season, from May 14-30. during this streak, he bat .383 (23-for-60) with 23 hits, 7 for extra bases. he hit 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs, giving him 35 total bases. he also had 9 RBI, 14 runs, 6 walks, 4 stolen bases, and just 4 strikeouts. his OBP was .456, his SLG was .583, and his OPS was 1.039. this streak is also the longest streak by an Indian since last year when Jason Kipnis had a season high 16-game hitting streak from June 18 - July 5.

Michael also obviously reached base safely in 15 straight games from May 14-30.

additionally, Michael set a new franchise record with his 19-game hitting streak at home (Progressive Field/Jacobs Field), longest in the major leagues, which was snapped on May 31. it dated back to April 20, 2014. during this streak, he bat .408 (31-for-76) with 31 hits, including 7 doubles and 6 home runs equaling 56 total bases. he also had 20 RBI, 19 runs, 7 walks, 4 stolen bases, and just 3 strikeouts. defensively, he recorded 4 of his current 6 outfield assists as well.

Michael is now batting .309 (43-for-139) against right-handed pitchers and .290 (20-for-69) against left-handed pitchers. these are both great improvements from April, especially with the righty pitchers. and like i said last month, these numbers are closer together and fairly comparable because Michael is a good hitter no matter who is on the mound.

Michael's ability to hit in the clutch has not wavered. he's batting .302 (16-for-53) with runners in scoring position, producing 29 RBI. he's also hitting .222 (2-for-9) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, .400 (8-for-20) with 1 out and RISP, and .250 (6-for-24) with 2 outs and RISP. Michael's batting .326 (30-for-92) with 33 RBI with runners on base, and .667 (6-for-9) with 16 RBI when the bases are loaded. lastly, he improved to hitting .303 (20-for-66) with 2 outs in an inning.

Michael continues to quickly increase his home run total. he hit 5 homers in May, a career high for the month. he had back-to-back home run games on May 8 and 9, and again on May 18 and 19. the home run that he hit on May 19 was his 9th home run of the year, a walk-off no less. 9 home runs at this point in the season is another career high for Michael, and he still holds the team high HR total. last season, he didn't hit his 9th home run until September 21! i might be a believer now that he can finish the year with 20 homers or so.

Michael now has a team high 39 RBI, also a career high for him through May. his 39th RBI didn't come last year until June 28. he's ranked 8th in the American League and 10th overall in the league with his 39 RBI as well.

it's interesting to note that 6 of Michael's 9 home runs have been solo, while the other 3 were 2-run homers. therefore, 6 of his 39 RBI have come from solo homers, and 12 of his 39 RBI (just under one-third) have come from all 9 of his home runs. this shows that Michael doesn't need necessarily need to hit home runs to drive guys home, as has been the case throughout his career so far.

when asked about his newfound power, Michael jokingly credits it to the daddy strength he's acquired from carrying around his newborn baby girl during the offseason. "i'm just putting good swings on good pitches," Brantley said. "i worked hard this offseason to mature my swing and grow as a hitter. i feel like i'm doing a great job at it."

Michael said working in the offseason to have more of a "mature" swing this year was key. "that means just trusting my swing," Brantley said. "it's trusting that every time it's going to be all right and not trying to tinker or make adjustments when there's no need to."

this season he's tried to be the same hitter with the same swing and not toy with his mechanics, as he's sometimes done in the past when going through a little slump. "i was young. i was trying to do whatever worked that felt good at the time, instead of going back to the basics and doing exactly what i was doing before. that's just not trying to do too much and putting good swings on good pitches." sounds like a good strategy to me.

but with newfound power comes responsibility and i do have one concern. it's very important that Michael does not start to get pull happy now and try to knock one out of the park every time he's at the plate in a big situation. he had some poor at bats during the Orioles series this month where he wasn't using the entire field and his fluid swing was absent. he can be too anxious during certain at bats, sometimes swinging at the first pitch and/or not working the count much, resulting in a quick out. he's also striking out more than normal. i just don't want him to lose what's made him such a great hitter to this point--intelligence, confidence, patience, and of course the swing that dubbed him as Dr. Smooth.

aside from once again leading the team in home runs (9)* and RBI (39)*, Michael also leads the team with: 63 hits*, 22 extra base hits*, 104 total bases*, 34 runs*, 8 stolen bases, 54 games*, 231 plate appearances*, 208 at bats*, .303 BA*, .368 OBP*, .500 SLG*, and .868 OPS*. he also leads the outfielders with 6 assists*.

he's tied for 2nd on the team with 12 doubles, and is 3rd with 19 walks. he has the least amount of strikeouts with 19 as well.

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

after doing extensive research, i found that Michael set career highs for himself in the month of May with the following: 38 hits, 13 extra base hits, 62 total bases, 5 home runs, 19 RBI, 21 runs, 9 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 121 plate appearances, .345 BA, .405 OBP, .564 SLG, and .969 OPS.

among Indians players with at least 100 at bats, Michael's slash line of .345/.405/.564 in May was the best in one month since Grady Sizemore's line of .377/.455/.642 in June 2005. before Grady, there was Roberto Alomar in July 2001, Manny Ramirez in September-October 2000, and Alomar again in September-October 2000. besides that, the last Indian to hit .345 with at least 5 home runs, 19 RBI, and 21 runs in one month was Shin-Soo Choo in September-October 2008.

want to know some other facts about Michael's season thus far? okay. he's hit safely in 24 of 28 home games overall. he has 14 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games. he has 11 go-ahead hits and 11 go-ahead RBI this season. and these all rank towards the top of the American League.

now let's get into a couple of the more noteworthy events of the month. a minor scare occurred on May 14 when Michael left the game early with mid-back tightness due to playing on the astroturf in Tampa and Toronto. luckily he only missed 1 game and it didn't hurt his timing or his stats.

on May 19, Michael hit his first career walk-off hit, a home run, on a full count (6 pitches) with 2 outs and no one on in the bottom of the 10th inning against Detroit's Al Alburquerque. Michael got mobbed at home plate, literally running into a waterfall and his excited teammates. it was so funny to me because he is always the guy on the outside of the home plate mob when other guys get walk-off hits, because he doesn't want to get injured. but he had no choice other than to be right in the middle of it all this time, and he loved every second of it. this was his 9th home run of the season and his 33rd RBI. i have a separate blog commemorating this occasion here.

on May 21, Michael tied the franchise record of hitting in 18 straight games at home. the last player to accomplish this was Roberto Alomar in 2000, and Kenny Lofton before him in 1996.

also on May 21, Michael recorded the seventh 4-hit game of his career with 3 singles, 1 double, 3 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. the last player in the big leagues to accomplish this was Alex Rios (then of the Chicago White Sox) on October 3, 1999 at Detroit.

Michael became only the 6th Indians player in history (dating back to 1914) with at least 4 hits, 3 RBI, and 2 stolen bases in a game. the last player to do so was Franklin Gutierrez on July 16, 2007 in an 11-10 loss to the White Sox at Progressive Field. the other Indians who achieved this were Joe Carter on June 10, 1986; Chuck Hinton on June 27, 1965; Lew Fonseca on April 18, 1929; and Charlie Jamieson on June 15, 1925. (thanks to TribeVibe for these statistics.)

on May 30, the next home game following May 21, Michael set a new record by extending his home hitting streak to a franchise high 19 consecutive games (as i mentioned earlier). his historical streak ended the following day when he went 0-for-4. (blame it on bad timing/more goddamn end-of-the-month interleague play again lol) i wrote a blog with all the details about his record here.

Michael is making a strong case to be named to the All Star team this year. compared with other qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael ranks 2nd in RBI (39) behind Jose Bautista; 4th in batting average (.303) behind Alex Rios, Bautista, and Melky Cabrera; 3rd in OPS (.868) behind Bautista and Mike Trout; and tied for 5th in extra base hits (22) behind Yoenis Cespedes, Trout, Bautista, and Cabrera. (apparently Nelson Cruz is not counted in the rankings since he's played almost half his games as a DH.)

keeping in tune with Michael's outstanding offense, he had a great month defensively. Michael spent the majority of May playing left field, as was expected now that Bourn is back. also as expected, Michael did not commit one error and his fielding percentage for the month is a perfect 1.000. he had 45 putouts this month. on May 21, he played 13 innings in left field and did not record one putout. the major league record for zero putouts is held by Chuck Hinton in an 18 inning game way back on June 14, 1963.

also this month, Michael had 3 more nice assists. his 6 total outfield assists tie him for the lead in the major leagues. his 5th assist came on May 20 at Progressive Field, when he caught the ball off the 19-foot left field wall, spun around, and threw a runner out at 2nd base. don't run on Michael! or no, please do, so he can continue to add to his assist total and hopefully get some consideration for a Gold Glove this year ;D




now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his May #s, the 6th spot #s, the 3rd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, the center field #s, and overall outfield #s.


May batting average: .345

OBP: .405

SLG: .564

OPS: .969


Michael played in 27 (of 28) games, 26 complete, in May. he started and played left in 25 games, completing 21 of those games. he left 1 game early with mid-back tightness and played 4 innings. he started and played center in 1 game, and completed it. he was part of a defensive switch in 3 games, moving from left to center. he played 10 innings when he moved over to center with 4 official at bats. he started and was the DH for 1 game. he missed 1 game with mid-back tightness from playing on astroturf.


Michael bat 6th in 1 game.

Michael bat 3rd in 26 games. (Kip DL)


Michael played left field in 25 games. (21 complete, 4 started: 22 innings)

Michael played center field in 4 games. (1 complete, 3 defensive switches: 10 innings)

Michael was the DH in 1 game.

Michael played in 26 complete games.



in May, Michael had a total of 121 plate appearances and 110 at bats. here is how he fared:

38 hits

25 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

5 home runs

19 RBI

21 runs scored

9 walks

2 hit by pitches

4 stolen bases

4 GIDP

11 strikeouts (9 swinging, 2 looking)

7 first at bat hits

62 total bases


41 left on base

45 putouts

3 assists

232.1 innings, 27 games

(26 complete games)

May batting average: .345 (38-110) (27 games)


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


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

3 hits

2 singles

1 home run

3 RBI

2 runs scored

1 strikeout (swinging)

1 first at bat hit

6 total bases


2 left on base

9 innings, 1 game

(1 complete game)

May batting average in the 6th spot: .600 (3-5) (1 game)
overall batting average so far in the 6th spot: .257 (9-35) (10 games) (85.1 innings)


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

3 hits

2 singles

1 home run

3 RBI

2 runs scored

1 strikeout (swinging)

1 first at bat hit

6 total bases


2 left on base

9 innings, 1 game

(1 complete game)

May batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .600 (3-5) (1 game)
overall batting average so far in the 6th spot while playing left: .333 (4-12) (4 games) (27 innings)


when Michael bat 3rd in May, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 105 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

35 hits

23 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

4 home runs

16 RBI

19 runs scored

9 walks

2 hit by pitches

4 stolen bases

4 GIDP

10 strikeouts (8 swinging, 2 looking)

6 first at bat hits

56 total bases


39 left on base

45 putouts

3 assists

223.1 innings, 26 games

(25 complete games)

May batting average in the 3rd spot: .333 (35-105) (26 games)


when Michael bat 3rd and played left in May, he had a total of 103 plate appearances and 94 at bats in 24 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

33 hits

21 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

4 home runs

16 RBI

19 runs scored

7 walks

2 hit by pitches

4 stolen bases

4 GIDP

7 strikeouts (5 swinging, 2 looking)

6 first at bat hits

54 total bases


38 left on base

38 putouts

3 assists

205.1 innings, 24 games

(20 complete games)

May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .351 (33-94) (24 games)


when Michael bat 3rd and played center in May, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

2 strikeouts (swinging)

1 total base


7 putouts

18 innings, 4 games

(1 complete game)

May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center: .143 (1-7) (4 games)


when Michael bat 3rd, he was the DH in May for 1 game. he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 4 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

1 strikeout (swinging)

1 total base


1 left on base

May batting average in the 3rd spot as the DH: .250 (1-4) (1 game)


May/overall batting average so far as the DH: .250 (1-4) (1 game)


now let's break down his outfield numbers.


when Michael played the outfield in May, he had a total of 116 plate appearances and 106 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

37 hits

24 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

5 home runs

19 RBI

21 runs scored

8 walks

2 hit by pitches

4 stolen bases

4 GIDP

10 strikeouts (8 swinging, 2 looking)

7 first at bat hits

61 total bases


40 left on base

45 putouts

3 assists

232.1 innings, 26 games

(25 complete games)

May batting average while playing the outfield: .349 (37-106) (26 games)
overall batting average so far while playing the outfield: .304 (62-204) (53 games) (466.1 innings)


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


when Michael played left in May, he had a total of 108 plate appearances and 99 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

36 hits

23 singles

7 doubles

1 triple

5 home runs

19 RBI

21 runs scored

7 walks

2 hit by pitches

4 stolen bases

4 GIDP

8 strikeouts (6 swinging, 2 looking)

7 first at bat hits

60 total bases


40 left on base

38 putouts

3 assists

214.1 innings, 25 games

(21 complete games)

May batting average while playing left: .364 (36-99) (25 games)
overall batting average so far while playing left: .320 (54-169) (45 games) (377.0 innings)


when Michael played center in May, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

2 strikeouts (swinging)

1 total base


7 putouts

18 innings, 4 games

(1 complete game)

May batting average while playing center: .143 (1-7) (4 games)
overall batting average so far while playing center: .229 (8-35) (13 games) (89.1 innings)


 
May #s while playing left: 38 putouts, 3 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (214.1 innings, 25 games)

overall #s so far while playing left: 68 putouts, 5 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (377.0 innings, 45 games)

May #s while playing center: 7 putouts, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (18 innings, 4 games)

overall #s so far while playing center: 24 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.962 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 13 games)

May #s while playing the outfield: 45 putouts, 3 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (232.1 innings, 26 games)

overall #s so far while playing the outfield: 92 putouts, 6 assists, 1 error, 0.990 fielding percentage (466.1 innings, 53 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 28/Game 1, May 2: 3-5, single (first at bat), run scored, home run, run scored, 2-run single. AVG: .272
(6th/LF/CG9)

Game 29/Game 2, May 3: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .271
(3rd/LF – 3 i, CF – 6 i/CG9)

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

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

Game 32/Game 5, May 6: 1-3, RBI single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .269
(3rd/LF – 7 i, CF – 2 i/CG9)

Game 33/Game 6, May 7: 2-4, 2-run double, single. AVG: .276
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 34/Game 7, May 8: 3-5, double (first at bat), run scored, single, 2-run home run, run scored, RBI fielder's choice. AVG: .289
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 35/Game 8, May 9: 1-5, reached on fielding error (first at bat), home run, run scored. AVG: .286
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 36/Game 9, May 10: 1-3, walk, single. AVG: .287
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 37/Game 10, May 11: 1-4, walk (first at bat), single. AVG: .286
(3rd/DH/CG)

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

Game 38/Game 11, May 13: 0-4. AVG: .278
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 39/Game 12, May 14: 1-3, double. AVG: .279
(3rd/LF/GS4)

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

May 15: precautionary day off, should play tomorrow.

Game 40/Game 13, May 16: 1-4, single. AVG: .278
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 41/Game 14, May 17: 1-3, walk (first at bat), single, run scored. AVG: .279
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 42/Game 15, May 18: 2-3, walk (first at bat), single, home run, run scored, RBI walk. AVG: .287
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 43/Game 16, May 19: 2-4, double, walk, hit by pitch, home run, run scored. AVG: .292
(3rd/LF/CG10) 

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

Game 44/Game 17, May 20: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .291
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 45/Game 18, May 21: 4-7, 2-run single, stolen base, run scored, double, single, stolen base, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG13)

Game 46/Game 19, May 22: 2-6, RBI triple, run scored, single, run scored. AVG: .303
(3rd/LF/CG13)

Game 47/Game 20, May 23: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 48/Game 21, May 24: 1-3, walk (first at bat), stolen base, RBI hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .303
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 49/Game 22, May 25: 1-4, single. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 50/Game 23, May 26: 2-3, RBI single, walk, stolen base, run scored, single. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 51/Game 24, May 27: 1-4, single. AVG: .306
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 52/Game 25, May 28: 2-4, single, single, run scored. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/CG8.1)

Game 53/Game 26, May 30: 1-4, reached on fielder's choice (first at bat), run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .309
(3rd/LF/CG9) 

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

Game 54/Game 27, May 31: 0-4. AVG: .303
(3rd/LF/CG9)



so far in 2014, Michael has a total of 231 plate appearances and 208 at bats in 54 games (466.1 innings). in total, he has 63 hits, 41 singles, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 39 RBI, 1 sac fly, 34 runs scored, 19 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 8 stolen bases, 7 GIDP, 19 strikeouts (14 swinging, 5 looking), 12 first at bat hits, 104 total bases, 89 left on base, 92 putouts, 6 assists, and 1 error.

2014 season batting average: .303 (63-208)

OBP: .368

SLG: .500

OPS: .868

Brantley Sets Another Franchise Record with 19-Game Home Hitting Streak

on May 21, Michael Brantley hit a 2-out, 2-run single in the bottom of the 2nd inning, giving him an 18-game hitting streak at home. that also tied Michael for the longest hitting streak at Progressive Field by an Indians player. at that time, he shared the home hitting streak franchise record with Roberto Alomar, who last achieved it in 2000, and Kenny Lofton, who achieved it in 1996.

unfortunately, the next home game was not scheduled until May 30, so i had to wait all that time to find out if Michael would in fact break that franchise record and set a new one. so this blog may seem like it was posted very late, but i wanted to see if i could blog about Michael setting a new franchise record, rather than him just tying the record.

finally on May 30, a much anticipated game of the season for me, Michael broke the record around 9 pm in his 3rd at bat with a 1-out double in the bottom of the 5th inning! he now has a 19-game home hitting streak, and sits in the record books all by himself. not only that, but Michael's home hitting streak is currently the longest in the major leagues this season. and if that weren't enough, Michael also has an overall 15-game hitting streak going. he's basically on fire lol

screenshot i cropped from his record breaking video

during Michael's record breaking home hitting streak, he hit .408 (31-for-76) and recorded 18 singles, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, and 20 RBI with 19 runs, 7 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 4 stolen bases, and 56 total bases, while only recording 3 strikeouts (swinging) and 1 GIDP. also during this streak, he tallied 4 of his current 6 outfield assists.

breaking into the history books and going back to the days of the Tribe at Municipal Stadium, the last player to have a 19-game home hitting streak pre-Jacobs Field was Julio Franco. he recorded his streak from June 8-22 in 1984.

Michael's next task will be to try and break the longest hitting streak in Progressive Field history by any player who is not an Indian. that record currently stands at 22 games and is held by Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers. and i like Michael's odds.

so congratulations to Michael on setting yet another new record for himself and the Indians! remember, his first franchise record was set earlier in April with his 247 consecutive errorless games in the outfield, and he's set a second record now with this home hitting streak. something tells me there are more records to be broken by this man, whether franchise or career highs for himself, as Michael continues to play like an All Star and MVP this season.

and there's still a chance that Michael can add onto this new franchise record if he keeps hitting while playing at home. i think i will write a whole new blog if he resets the record to a much longer streak, including if he beats out Andrus' record. however, if he ends his streak say tomorrow, then i may just do a quick edit and add that information into this blog. either way, it's a hell of an accomplishment and i am so, so proud of my boy =D <3



**MAY 31 UPDATE**

to my dismay, Michael's 19-game franchise record home hitting streak is not to be extended any more. he went 0-for-4 on May 31, ending that streak as well as his 15-game hitting streak. i was at this game and i wanted him to get a hit more than anything. i felt terrible when his 4th at bat came and he had grounded out for the 3rd time. actually no, i was depressed. i know Michael probably doesn't give a fuck about personal hitting streaks and making Indians history, so why should i be fighting back tears over it like a little bitch? lol i can't help it. i just want him to do amazing things all the time and make his feats as untouchable as possible. is that really too much to ask? =P

but anyways, congrats again on the 19-game hitting streak at Progressive Field! i think it'll be a long time before another player even comes close to breaking your new franchise record ;D

Brantley's First Career Walk-off Home Run!

earlier tonight, on May 19, 2014, Michael Brantley hit his first career walk-off home run, his 9th home run this season, against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field in front of 12,709 ecstatic fans. when he came to bat in the bottom of the 10th inning with 2 outs, nobody on, and the game tied at 4, and he swung and missed at the 4th pitch of the at bat, you could tell he just wanted to end the game right there. and i thought how awesome it would be for Michael if he could get himself a walk-off homer and be the hero of the night.

now Michael is no stranger to late inning heroics. he's had plenty of go-ahead RBI hits in his career that gave the Indians a lead they would never relinquish, but he's never had an official walk-off hit. the closest he came was on May 10, 2011, when he drew a bases loaded walk-off walk in the bottom of the 9th inning against Kyle Farnsworth and the Tampa Bay Rays.

but tonight was different. Michael showed patience and confidence at the plate against Detroit's Al Alburquerque. the count was full, and on the 7th pitch, he just pounded that ball to the visitors bullpen in deep right field. i was lucky enough to be able to watch this game on TV because ESPN was kind enough to show it. (i think they were just trying to embarrass Cleveland by showing the Indians-Tigers game in assumption that the Tigers would demolish us. too bad that didn't happen lol) but of course, i still had Hammy on my computer for great audio. Hammy was ahead of the TV by a pitch and when i heard Hammy start screaming, "A SWING AND A DRIVE TO DEEP RIGHT," my eyes lit up and i screamed, "HOLY SHIT!" he finally did it! and to get to see that as it was happening made me very happy. i could not have been more proud.

Michael got absolutely mobbed at home plate, literally running into a waterfall and his teammates. this was nothing like the walk-off walk from 2011, where he was actually running away from his teammates lol he welcomed this celebration and loved every second of it. and he deserved it.

photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer

photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer

"i hit it kind of low," said Brantley, after the first walk-off homer of his career. "i was kind of nervous and trying to run at the same time. i was fortunate enough that the ball went out. after that i don't remember much until i got to my teammates (at home plate) and they started beating on me."

when Brantley got to the plate, his teammates not only mugged him, they doused him with water. "it's cold outside and they're throwing ice cold water on me. then they got me good with the cooler (during a postgame interview). no one gave me a heads up. i heard them coming, but i didn't want to dive out of the way." (postgame quotes courtesy of Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer)


some fun facts about Michael's walk-off home run:

--it's the 71st walk-off home run in Jacobs Field/Progressive Field history.

--it's their 12th walk-off home run against the Tigers, which is the most against any team.

--it's also the first walk-off home run the Indians have hit against the Tigers since Carlos Santana did it on April 29, 2011.


congratulations, Michael! <3

Brantley's March/April 2014 #s

**blogger's note: it is important for me to make it known that this year i have been going through some health issues that i've never had to deal with before. it has been challenging, as i feel like crap almost on a daily basis. i am going to try my hardest to get these monthly blogs written and posted in a timely manner, but there may be times when i just can't get them posted immediately after the month ends. i have never been a slacker, it's just that now sometimes my health (or lack thereof) prevents me from doing what i love. my apologies in advance should this occur at any time this season and thank you for reading.


as my readers already know, i try to step up my Brantley documentation every year that i do it by providing more and more game details. i've added new colors to my color coding system in my notebook, but i don't think it's overwhelming to everything else that i normally keep track of. on top of that, i have a new section in my notebook dedicated to Brantley's ABs against right-handed vs. left-handed pitching; with RISP; with RISP and 0 outs, 1 out, and 2 outs; and with 2 outs in the inning. however, there is no way i am listing all those statistics here in my blogs. but you can be assured that because i am documenting those numbers daily, all of Brantley's #s here are accurate, even without me presenting the proof. now let's get to his first official blog of the 2014 season.


Michael's usual tendency is to start the season a little slow, and then by the end of April he normally takes off. that pattern did not hold true in 2014. Michael started out very well and was leading the team in almost every category on April 24. immediately after that, we faced some tough interleague play and unfortunately, Michael did not get one hit. that really brought his overall batting average down, as well as the BAs of his BOPs. every out in the month(s) of March/April takes the BA down a lot more than it would in say the month of August or September. this is not a good time to be slumping, because it will be a difficult hill for him to climb to get that average back up to something respectable.

however, as evidenced by some of his other numbers, he still amazingly had a productive month. Michael wasn't the only batter who had a rough start to the season, which explains why he still currently leads the team in some categories. not only that, but Michael even set a few career highs for himself. so it wasn't all bad.

it's still early right now, and even though i am disappointed in some of his numbers, i'm not yet worried or concerned that he can't come back from this. i believe he will get his average back up as the season continues. this could be a season similar to his 2012, where he started out slow and gradually built his numbers up as the year went on. Michael is just too good a hitter to keep trending down, he's got nowhere left to go but up.

Michael had a hit in 19 of the 27 games he played in March/April and reached base safely in 24 games. Michael reached base in 15 straight games from April 9 - April 24 as well.

he bat .246 (15-for-61) against right-handed pitchers and .270 (10-for-37) against left-handed pitchers. Michael usually hits both righties and lefties about the same, not to mention fairly well. so as the season goes on, i expect those numbers to get closer together.

Michael hit .310 (9-for-29) with runners in scoring position, 2nd highest on the team, and provided the team with 17 RBI. he also hit .250 (1-for-4) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, .455 (5-for-11) with 1 out and RISP, and .214 (3-for-14) with 2 outs and RISP. with runners on base, Michael hit .326 (15-for-46) with 18 RBI. additionally, he's batting .667 (4-for-6) with 9 RBI when the bases are loaded, which is already a BIG improvement from a year ago. he finished with a team high 20 RBI, also a career high for March/April. his 20 RBI currently tie him for 7th in the American League and tie for 11th overall in the league. furthermore, Michael's batting .226 (7-for-31) with 2 outs.

a pleasant surprise this month was seeing Michael hit 4 home runs in just 7 games. 4 home runs is a team high and career high in the month of April for him. he didn't hit his 4th home run last year until June 19! so the fact that Michael has already hit 4 balls out of the park has many wondering if he's finally developed power. while the long ball is a nice thing for Michael to add to his repertoire, i certainly don't expect him to hit 24 homers this season. and as i've said plenty of times in the past, that's okay.

besides leading the team in home runs and RBI, Michael also leads the team with 25 hits and 42 total bases (career high). he's tied for the team lead with 4 stolen bases, another career high, and 13 runs scored. he's currently 4th on the team with 10 walks. out of all the regular starters, Michael has the least amount of strikeouts with 8. he also leads the outfielders with 3 assists, yet another career high for Michael for the month. his .255 BA is actually 2nd highest on the team when counting only the players with at least 60 at bats for the month. moreover, Michael is 2nd in SLG and OPS, and 3rd in OBP.

there's no denying these team rankings are very good, but something tells me these numbers won't lead or be near the top of the club for long. the players who are slumping now will eventually come out of it, and Michael's going to need to make up for his mini slump from his California road trip if he wants to continue being one of the best players on the team.

the M.O. for Michael so far this season is that he hits 5th in the lineup against right-handed starters, and 6th against the left-handed starters. while Bourn was on the DL, Michael played left field while batting 5th, and center field while batting 6th. conversely, Michael did play left and hit 6th against left-handed starters, as well as play center and hit 5th against lefty starters on occasion. also while Bourn was out hurt, Michael was part of a defensive switch in one game, moving from left to center field part-way through. as Bourn slowly started playing games again, there was one game where Michael moved from center to left field so Bourn could play center for the final inning, in order to give us a better outfield defensively. when Bourn came back for good, Michael started batting 6th and playing left field exclusively against the lefties. so it's a safe bet that Michael will now mostly be playing left field (as long as Bourn is healthy) and teetering between the 5th and 6th spots depending upon who's on the mound for the opposition.

i'm personally relieved that Michael seems to finally have more of a regular home in the lineup this year. and just like last season, right now he's thriving the most in the 5 hole. also like last season, that seems to be the best place for him to get more RBI opportunities and rack up that total as well.

now let's talk about defense. i was aware that Michael would be seeing more time in center field this season, but i never really anticipated that Tito would be moving Michael from left to center and vice versa during games. one such defensive switch came on April 2, when Michael went from left field to center and Raburn went from PH to left field. in the 7th inning, Raburn did not hear Michael call for a fly ball, his glove banged into Michael's, and that resulted in neither outfielder catching the ball. to my dismay, Michael was then charged with an error, putting an end to his franchise setting errorless streak as an outfielder. that record now stands at 247 consecutive games, but it could have been so many more had Raburn given way to the CF, as is the unspoken rule in baseball. for more details about this incident, see my previous blog here.

aside from that unfortunate error, Michael still played stellar defense in both left and center field. he made some spectacular catches as the center fielder, robbing players of extra base hits. he also had 3 very nice assists. two came as the left fielder, one during the Indians home opener game when he threw a runner out at the plate. the 3rd assist came while Michael was playing center field, when he threw a runner out who was trying to go from 1st to 3rd base. these 3 assists tie Michael for the most assists among outfielders in the American League so far.

wherever Michael plays in the outfield, he is one of the best defensive players on the team and undoubtedly makes our team defense better when he is out there. he recorded 47 putouts and made some tough catches look easy. i'm so confident in Michael that i'm going on record as saying Michael will not have another error for the rest of the year. we shall see if my confidence in him is warranted as the remainder of the season plays out.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his March/April #s, the 5th spot #s, and the 6th spot #s, as well as the left field #s and the center field #s.


April batting average: .255

OBP: .327

SLG: .429

OPS: .756



Michael played in 27 (of 28) complete games in March/April. he started and played left in 19 games, completing 18 of those games. he started and played center in 8 games, completing 7 of those games. he was part of a defensive switch in 2 games, once moving from left to center during a game and once moving from center to left. he played 4 innings when moved over to center with 2 official at bats. he played 1 inning when moved over to left, with no official at bats. the one game he did not play in was just Tito giving him a day off.


Michael bat 5th in 18 games.

Michael bat 6th in 9 games.


Michael played left field in 20 games.

Michael played center field in 9 games.


in March/April, Michael had a total of 110 plate appearances and 98 at bats. here is how he fared:

25 hits

16 singles

5 doubles

4 home runs

20 RBI

1 sac fly

13 runs scored

10 walks

1 hit by pitch

4 stolen bases

3 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

5 first at bat hits

42 total bases



48 left on base

47 putouts

3 assists

1 error

234.0 innings, 27 games

(27 complete games)

March/April batting average: .255 (25-98) (27 games)



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



when Michael bat 5th in March/April, he had a total of 75 plate appearances and 68 at bats in 18 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

19 hits

12 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

18 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

32 total bases


39 left on base

29 putouts

3 assists

1 error

157.2 innings, 18 games

(18 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 5th spot: .279 (19-68) (18 games)


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

17 hits

10 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

8 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

30 total bases


38 left on base

28 putouts

2 assists

144.2 innings, 17 games

(16 complete games)

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


when Michael bat 5th and played center in March/April, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

2 singles

4 RBI

1 run scored

2 total bases


1 left on base

1 putout

1 assist

1 error

13 innings, 2 games

(1 complete game)

March/April batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (2 games)


when Michael bat 6th in March/April, he had a total of 35 plate appearances and 30 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

6 hits

4 singles

1 double

1 home run

2 RBI

4 runs scored

5 walks

1 stolen base

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

10 total bases


9 left on base

18 putouts

76.1 innings, 9 games

(9 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 6th spot: .200 (6-30) (9 games)


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

5 hits

3 singles

1 double

1 home run

2 RBI

3 runs scored

4 walks

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

9 total bases


8 left on base

16 putouts

58.1 innings, 7 games

(6 complete games)

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


when Michael bat 6th and played left in March/April, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 run scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

1 total base


1 left on base

2 putouts

18 innings, 3 games

(2 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .143 (1-7) (3 games)



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



when Michael played left in March/April, he had a total of 78 plate appearances and 70 at bats in 20 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

18 hits

11 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs scored

6 walks

1 hit by pitch

4 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

31 total bases


39 left on base

30 putouts

2 assists

162.2 innings, 20 games

(18 complete games)

March/April batting average while playing left: .257 (18-70) (20 games)


when Michael played center in March/April, he had a total of 32 plate appearances and 28 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

5 singles

1 double

1 home run

6 RBI

4 runs scored

4 walks

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

11 total bases


9 left on base

17 putouts

1 assist

1 error

71.1 innings, 9 games

(7 complete games)

March/April batting average while playing center: .250 (7-28) (9 games)



March/April #s while playing left: 30 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (162.2 innings, 20 games)

March/April #s while playing center: 17 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.947 fielding percentage (71.1 innings, 9 games)

March/April #s while playing the outfield: 47 putouts, 3 assists, 1 error, 0.980 fielding percentage (234.0 innings, 27 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

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

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

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

^^Michael sets new franchise record with 247 consecutive errorless games in the outfield^^
**Michael's 247 consecutive errorless games streak ends**
 
Game 3, April 2 (Night Game): 1-4, walk, RBI groundout, 2-run single. AVG: .364
(5th/LF - 5 innings, CF - 4 innings/CG9)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 30: not in lineup.



i really hope that Michael will go on a hot streak in May. i'd love to see him string together a nice long hitting streak á la 2012 ;D