Brantley's 2018 #s Through August

hey, Brantley fans! can you believe we're into September already? seriously, how have five months of baseball season gone by so fast? and it's very bittersweet this year because that means we have also come upon the final month in the regular season that Michael will play as an Indian before he explores the free agent market. the Michael Brantley Era in Cleveland is truly almost over. ugh. i can't even process that reality yet...😞😟😢😭💔

okay, now that i've depressed the hell out of everyone, let me try to pick things back up. Michael's 2018 campaign has gone extremely well so far. he did much better in some months than others, but he's currently on the upswing and right track with his hitting. highlights to this point include his 19-game hitting streak, his career high 27-game on-base streak at home, hitting his first and second career grand slams, hitting his sixth career walk-off, and being named an All Star for the third time. lowlights include difficulty finding consistency out of the break, continued problem areas, specifically hitting with RISP and 2 outs, struggles against left-handed pitching, and an inexplicable inability to hit well on road (until last month, that is). but overall, he's mainly got exceptional season stats.

and let me remind y'all, too, that the most important thing to focus on might just be the fact that he's healthy! for the first time since 2015, Michael is not

Brantley's August 2018 #s

what's new, Brantley crew? i'm back with the latest monthly post! but first let me express my thanks to those who read my Brantley's July 2018 #s blog and Brantley's 2018 #s Through July blog! i truly appreciate it.😊

okay, so where did my Top 3 audiences come from in August? that would be the countries of Russia, the United States, and Spain.🥇🥈🥉 hello, welcome, and thank you for stopping by!👋 not from one of those locations? let me know where you reside in a comment below!🌎 if you want to up your chances of being named one of my top viewers, share my posts on all your social medias and your friends and family. then check back here next month to see who's been reading up on Dr. Smooth the most!😉 

now let's get into Michael's performance in August!

August Overview

Michael is back, people! lol this was by far and away his best month since April and May. he improved and/or excelled in several areas. what i found particularly relieving was that

Brantley's 6th Career Walk-off!

hello, Brantley fans! today, August 9, was a special day for our boy because Michael Brantley got his first walk-off hit of the 2018 season in the game versus the Minnesota Twins!👏👏👏

photos courtesy of @Indians on twitter

here's how it went down. the Indians held a 4-1 lead until

Brantley's 2018 #s Through July

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

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

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

so far in 2018, Michael has

Brantley's July 2018 #s

hey, Brantley fam! i hope you're all doing well! first, as always, i want to take a minute to thank everyone who read any or all of my previous stats blogs, including Brantley's June 2018 #s, Brantley's 2018 #s Through June, and Brantley's First Half 2018 #s.🕮

secondly, i have to acknowledge my Top 3 viewer countries from the last month, those being the United States, France, and Russia.🥇🥈🥉 thanks so much for coming here to get all your Michael Brantley news! i'm so grateful for your views! if i didn't shout out your location, leave it in a comment below and let me know you stopped by!🌎 make sure you're sharing my blogs with your friends, family, and other Dr. Smooth fans because that will definitely help your chances of getting in my top 3 audiences next month!😉 

okay, now it's time to dissect Michael's July!

July Overview

Michael achieved some big milestones in his career this month. he acquired his 500th career RBI, scored his 500th career run, played in his 1,000th Major League game, and set a new career high with

Brantley's 1,000th Major League Game!

today, on July 28, 2018, Michael Brantley played in his 1,000th Major League game!👏👏👏 it came against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, while he bat 2nd in the lineup and started in left field. when it was over, the Indians lost, 2-1, and Michael went 2-for-4 at the plate. now let me break down all his trips to the plate and defensive plays from this very special day!❶⓿⓿⓿😀

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

in Michael's first at bat in the top of the 1st inning with 1 out and no score, he faced left-handed pitcher Blaine Hardy. after an 0-2 count, he hit a line drive single to center field. Francisco Lindor had been at 1st base to begin with after drawing a leadoff walk, but

Brantley's Career All Star Game #s (Through 2018)

Michael Brantley is now a three-time All Star. he was selected to every game by his peers as an American League OF reserve. his first All Star Game, back during his 2014 season, was all new to him and more about the experience than the results. in his second Midsummer Classic last year, Michael got his first career ASG hit. and most recently, just yesterday in Michael's third affair, he acquired his first ever RBI in an All Star Game.👏👍

photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter

this blog combines Michael's stats from

Brantley's 2018 All Star Game Experience & #s (w/ Pics & Quotes)

Michael Brantley just played in his third career All Star Game⭐ tonight during the 89th annual affair on July 17, 2018, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and i've got all the details!😀

note: this blog contains All Star-related information from three days total, covering July 15-17.


Prior to the All Star Break 

July 15: before the game versus the New York Yankees, Michael and his other All Star teammates received their 2018 American League All Star workout jerseys, which you can watch in this video from mlb.com/indians. (Trevor Bauer was not there/photographed because he

Brantley's First Half 2018 #s

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

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


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

Brantley Named to MLB's 2018 AL All Star Team!

third time's the charm! hi, Brantley fans! our boy Michael has been named an All Star for the second year in a row and is going to Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on July 17 as an American League outfield reserve!⭐⭐⭐👏👏👏

the happy news came tonight, on July 8 during ESPN's All Star Selection Show. Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees are the starting outfielders for the American League team, which we basically already knew weeks ago. as soon as the very first AL All Star ballot updates came out, it was pretty apparent that those three would be starters.

Michael was in 4th place on the fan ballot for the first two updates before he fell to 5th on the third released update. then, on July 2, MLB Communications posted one last voting update and Michael remained in 5th place. though he'd gained 299,302 votes since June 26, he was 48,285 votes behind George Springer of the Houston Astros and 927,972 votes behind 3rd starter Judge. Betts held a whooping 2,025,730-vote lead on Michael, who was only ahead of 6th place Andrew Benintendi of the Red Sox by 22,241 votes. Brant was never really in the running to start, sadly.

thankfully, Michael was selected by his peers to be an AL All Star reserve player for the third time in his career! he's the only Indians outfielder to