hi, Brantley fans. so it would appear as though we have watched Michael play in a Cleveland uniform for what most likely was the last time. that's because yesterday, on October 8, the Cleveland Indians were eliminated from postseason play when they lost the American League Division Series to the Houston Astros in a very quick three-game series. i wish i could say i didn't see this coming, but i think a lot of us did. the only thing that surprised me is that the Tribe got swept. i really thought they'd make it a close series and go the full five games. i was at Game 3, the first and only game in Cleveland, so my blog is going up a day late. my apologies.
the format of this is much like a monthly post, except i've added some pre-ALDS news to start with. also, because i only had three games to cover, i went ahead and listed out all of Michael's at bats in my redesigned Game Talk, At-Bat Details, Pictures, and Quotes section.
while many want to say that the top of the order didn't perform well, i'm about to prove that Michael was actually one of the top performers and did
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Brantley's 2018 Situational #s & Statistics
what's up, Brantley fans? this is the third installment of my series of wrap up blogs detailing Michael's season and it has a lot of numbers, as it features all his situational #s and statistics for 2018. more specifically, that includes Michael's batting averages and stats against right-handed and left-handed pitchers, at home and on the road, with runners in scoring position, with runners on base, with the bases loaded, and with the bases empty. you're also going to see his team highs, career highs, offensive league rankings, and some defensive league rankings, as well as his final numbers versus every AL Central Division team and each National League team the Indians played in 2018. in addition, i've incorporated things like his K rate, LOB, types of outs he made, number of times he reached base, and number of times he was left stranded. Michael's WAR, wRC+, BsR, UZR, and DRS are all in here, too. no offense to Michael's game lines and BOP #s, but i'd bet that this is the blog you really wanna see because it's got all the meat of his 2018 numbers. enjoy!😁
in 2018, Michael had
in 2018, Michael had
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Brantley's 2018 Batting Order Position & LF/PH/DH #s
hi, Brantley fans! hope you are well. this is the second Michael Brantley wrap up blog, which contains all of his number breakdowns based on his batting order positions and LF, PH, and DH #s for the 2018 regular season.
let's take a quick dive back into the past before i get into the present. in case you don't remember, prior to this season, Michael was the Indians' 3 hole hitter. in fact, he'd been regularly batting 3rd in the order since May 3, 2014 (minus the couple of games he played in 2016). even when Michael was out hurt, he would always return to the 3 spot, which he rightfully earned after his outstanding 2014 and 2015 seasons. even manager Terry Francona admitted to essentially building the lineup around Michael in the 3 hole. but while Michael was on the 10-Day DL battling his right ankle sprain in the second half of 2017, Jose Ramirez replaced him in the 3 hole. and Tito liked what he brought to that spot so much that he decided to continue letting Ramirez bat 3rd whether Michael was playing or not.
Michael started the 2018 campaign on the 10-Day DL and he remained in Arizona as he continued to build up endurance after spending another offseason/spring training rehabbing, this time from right ankle surgery. once he returned to the Tribe, Michael alternated between the Tribe's cleanup hitter and 5 hole hitter, depending on
let's take a quick dive back into the past before i get into the present. in case you don't remember, prior to this season, Michael was the Indians' 3 hole hitter. in fact, he'd been regularly batting 3rd in the order since May 3, 2014 (minus the couple of games he played in 2016). even when Michael was out hurt, he would always return to the 3 spot, which he rightfully earned after his outstanding 2014 and 2015 seasons. even manager Terry Francona admitted to essentially building the lineup around Michael in the 3 hole. but while Michael was on the 10-Day DL battling his right ankle sprain in the second half of 2017, Jose Ramirez replaced him in the 3 hole. and Tito liked what he brought to that spot so much that he decided to continue letting Ramirez bat 3rd whether Michael was playing or not.
Michael started the 2018 campaign on the 10-Day DL and he remained in Arizona as he continued to build up endurance after spending another offseason/spring training rehabbing, this time from right ankle surgery. once he returned to the Tribe, Michael alternated between the Tribe's cleanup hitter and 5 hole hitter, depending on
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Brantley's 2018 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes
hi again, Brantley fans! it's time for my series of wrap up blogs where i break down Michael's 2018 season numbers in a couple different ways, so as not to overwhelm you all with a plethora of stats and information.🕮
i'm going to begin with a post concentrating on Michael's 2018 Game-by-Game Numbers and Notes.🖩📓
for the third straight year, Michael was behind everyone in spring as he was working to come back from an injury. this time his delay was a result of the right ankle surgery that he had in October 2017 for ankle synovitis and a deltoid ligament sprain. Michael spent most of spring training still rehabbing from his surgery while the rest of the Indians played in Cactus League games. in the middle of March, Michael finally got some game action, first with the minor leaguers before "graduating" to playing with his Tribe teammates. but since he only played in three Cactus League contests, it was decided that Michael would open the season on the 10-Day DL in order to continue building up his endurance to ensure that he'd be capable of playing full games right away upon his return.
Michael only missed the first
i'm going to begin with a post concentrating on Michael's 2018 Game-by-Game Numbers and Notes.🖩📓
for the third straight year, Michael was behind everyone in spring as he was working to come back from an injury. this time his delay was a result of the right ankle surgery that he had in October 2017 for ankle synovitis and a deltoid ligament sprain. Michael spent most of spring training still rehabbing from his surgery while the rest of the Indians played in Cactus League games. in the middle of March, Michael finally got some game action, first with the minor leaguers before "graduating" to playing with his Tribe teammates. but since he only played in three Cactus League contests, it was decided that Michael would open the season on the 10-Day DL in order to continue building up his endurance to ensure that he'd be capable of playing full games right away upon his return.
Michael only missed the first
Monday, October 1, 2018
Brantley's Second Half 2018 #s
hello, Brantley fans! you're going to see a lot of blogs coming out this week from me containing all of Michael's final 2018 #s. but first, i have to tell you about his second half #s and statistics! the schedule after the All Star Break consisted of 67 games for the Cleveland Indians. Michael received extra rest days towards the end of the year in preparation for the playoffs, but he still played enough to be considered a qualifying player. so let's check out his performance!
post-All Star Break in 2018, Michael had a total of 259 plate appearances and 229 at bats in 59 games (481.0 innings). in total, he had 71 hits, 17 extra base hits, 54 singles, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 20 RBI, 2 sac flies, 34 runs, 23 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 6 stolen bases (5 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 4 reached on fielder's choice, 1 reached on forceout, 2 reached on fielding error, 1 reached on catcher interference, 1 reached on passed ball, 1 sac bunt, 5 GIDP, 29 strikeouts (23 swinging, 6 looking), 13 first at bat hits, 99 total bases, 86 left on base, 97 putouts, 3 assists, and 1 double play.
2nd Half 2018 batting average:
post-All Star Break in 2018, Michael had a total of 259 plate appearances and 229 at bats in 59 games (481.0 innings). in total, he had 71 hits, 17 extra base hits, 54 singles, 11 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 20 RBI, 2 sac flies, 34 runs, 23 walks, 3 hit by pitches, 6 stolen bases (5 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 4 reached on fielder's choice, 1 reached on forceout, 2 reached on fielding error, 1 reached on catcher interference, 1 reached on passed ball, 1 sac bunt, 5 GIDP, 29 strikeouts (23 swinging, 6 looking), 13 first at bat hits, 99 total bases, 86 left on base, 97 putouts, 3 assists, and 1 double play.
2nd Half 2018 batting average:
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Brantley's September 2018 #s
now let me reveal which countries visited my blogspot the most over this past month. the #1 viewers came from... the United States!🥇 the 2nd largest audience resided in... Ukraine!🥈 and rounding out the Top 3 in September is... Spain!🥉 hello!👋 and wow! it is so humbling to see that Michael has amazing fans all over the world!🌐 you guys rock!👊
quick note: i have a new schedule regarding posts coming up before and during the postseason. make sure to read all the way to the end of this post for information about what to expect from here on out!
okay, ready to see how Michael did in September? let's go!
September Overview
this September very well could have been Michael's final regular season month as an Indian.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Brantley's 7th Career Walk-off!
Michael Brantley has done it again! during the game on September 22, just before the 11th hour, in the 11th inning, he hit his second walk-off of the season to help the Indians defeat the Boston Red Sox, 5-4!👏👏👏
let me first backtrack before i get into Michael's heroics. the Tribe had
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| photos courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
let me first backtrack before i get into Michael's heroics. the Tribe had
Saturday, September 15, 2018
The Indians Are the 2018 AL Central Division Champions!
great news, Tribe fans! after defeating the Detroit Tigers today, on September 15, your Cleveland Indians are the 2018 American League Central Division Champions!👏👏👏
this is their third straight season winning the division, having clinched it last year on September 16, and on September 26, 2016. the Indians have not won that many consecutive division pennants since 1995-1999! in addition, this marks the club's fourth division title since 2007 and 10th title in
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| photo courtesy of @MLB on twitter |
this is their third straight season winning the division, having clinched it last year on September 16, and on September 26, 2016. the Indians have not won that many consecutive division pennants since 1995-1999! in addition, this marks the club's fourth division title since 2007 and 10th title in
Saturday, September 1, 2018
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
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
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