Brantley's May and Overall 2012 #s

i'm not ever going to be able to just document Brantley's numbers without long-winded explanations am i? well let's get into it. as i've already blogged, Brantley was told on May 1 that that would be his final game as our regular leadoff hitter. from then on, Johnny Damon would join the club and be the leadoff man, a decision i myself can say i knew was going to be a fail from the jump. Brantley was still leading off in the games that Damon sat out, but those games would only be a few before Manny once again decided to change the leadoff situation.

those who remember, and check my April blog if you do not, know that Michael was finally starting to get himself turned around in the leadoff spot right before Manny made the first move. i felt it was irresponsible to rip Michael out of that spot and replace him with someone who hadn't even played Triple A ball yet. not to mention, Damon is not going to be on our team next year, unlike Brantley, so why make that move? when Damon was leading off, Brantley took over the 7th spot in the order. and after a forgivable adjustment period, he did fairly well in that spot. Manny said he liked Michael there because it'd give him RBI opportunities. so what happened next, as Michael is finally getting that batting average up? Manny realizes the Damon experiment is not working. and instead of letting Michael get back into the leadoff flow, Manny decided that Choo would be the better option.

Choo? why? because despite his struggles, he still had a high on base percentage apparently. since Choo's been leading off, he's been hitting well. i always say, if you have a guy hitting that well, you'd benefit having that bat lower in the order to drive in more runs. but Manny insists that Choo is perfect at the top cause he's an RBI guy. how's that now? and how does that differ from when Michael led off? your guesses are as good as mine.

now that Choo is leading off, Brantley, for the most part, bats 6th. when Hafner got a day off, he would bat 5th. and when Cabrera was out, he hit 2nd for a few games. when he first started batting 6th, his numbers were not good at all. did he need yet another adjustment period? i can't imagine it's easy to come in to work every day and honestly not know where you're going to be in the lineup after for the majority of your career you knew you were leading off. is it just coincidence or bad timing re: opponents that he doesn't hit as well in the 6th spot? i feel bad for him, and of course i would, but there's nothing that can be done about it now and he's just going to have to figure it out for himself.

and i know how Tribe fans are. they love the numbers. so nobody other than myself is going to look at Michael's May or April/May #s combined so far and cut him some slack. guy's been moved around so much, which he's not used to, and in baseball regularity/repetition does play an important part in the game. but the fans will look at the batting average and claim to be right about proclaiming that he's an average/mediocre player at best. it's unfortunate that he started the season out slow, but he improved a lot in May. his batting average jumped up .040 this month and he's currently riding a 9-game hitting streak. i think fans would agree that that is pretty damn good. and i expect improvement to continue.


now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his May #s, the May leadoff/overall leadoff #s, the 7th spot #s, the 6th spot #s, the 5th spot #s, the 2 spot #s, and the #s of everything not leadoff combined. i will include his overall #s so far here as well. who else does this? #1 fan in the house lol


May batting average: .296

OBP: .308

SLG: .391

OPS: .699


Michael played in 29 (of 30) games in May. he started and played center in all 29 games.

Michael led off 4 games.

Michael bat 7th in 10 games.

Michael bat 6th in 9 games.

Michael bat 5th in 3 games.

Michael bat 2nd in 3 games.


in May, Michael had a total of 117 plate appearances and 115 at bats. here is how he fared:

34 hits

24 singles

9 doubles

1 triple

0 home runs

16 RBIs

15 runs scored

2 walks

10 strikeouts

7 stolen bases (caught stealing twice)

6 first at bat hits

May batting average: .296 (34-115)


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


when Michael led off in May, he had a total of 17 plate appearances and 17 at bats in 4 games.

3 hits

2 singles

1 double

1 RBI

2 runs scored

1 caught stealing

May batting average leading off: .176 (3-17)
overall batting average in the leadoff spot for 2012: .237 (22-93). (assuming he never bats there again.)


when Michael was not leading off in May, he had a total of 100 plate appearances and 98 at bats in 25 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

31 hits

22 singles

8 doubles

1 triple

0 home runs

15 RBIs

13 runs scored

2 walks

10 strikeouts

7 stolen bases (caught stealing once)

6 first at bat hits

May batting average everywhere other than lead off: .316 (31-98)


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


when Michael bat 7th in May, he had a total of 41 plate appearances and 41 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

14 hits

9 singles

5 doubles

0 triples

0 home runs

7 RBIs

4 runs scored

0 walks

3 strikeouts

0 stolen bases (caught stealing once)

4 first at bat hits

May batting average in the 7th spot: .341 (14-41)


when Michael bat 6th in May, he had a total of 35 plate appearances and 34 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

8 hits

6 singles

2 doubles

0 triples

0 home runs

1 RBI

4 runs scored

1 walk

3 strikeouts

3 stolen bases

1 first at bat hit

May batting average in the 6th spot: .235 (8-34)


when Michael bat 5th in May, he had a total of 11 plate appearances and 11 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

5 hits

4 singles

0 doubles

1 triple

0 home runs

1 RBI

1 run scored

0 walks

0 strikeouts

3 stolen bases

1 first at bat hit

May batting average in the 5th spot: .455 (5-11)


when Michael bat 2nd in May, he had a total of 13 plate appearances and 12 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

4 hits

3 singles

1 double

0 triples

0 home runs

6 RBIs

4 runs scored

1 walk

2 strikeouts

1 stolen base

May batting average in the 2nd spot: .333 (4-12)


now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 19/Game 1, May 1: 0-4, fielder's choice, caught stealing. AVG: .237
(leading off)
^^prior to this game, Michael was informed that Damon would be taking over the leadoff spot, and i have to believe that news affected his performance^^

Game 20/Game 2, May 2: 1-5, single, run scored. AVG: .235
(batting 7th)

Game 21/Game 3, May 3: 1-4, single (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .236
(batting 7th)

Game 22/Game 4, May 4: 1-3, single (first at bat), caught stealing. AVG: .239
(batting 7th)

Game 23/Game 5, May 5: 2-5, double, single, run scored. AVG: .247
(leading off)

Game 24/Game 6, May 6: 0-4. AVG: .238
(batting 7th)

Game 25/Game 7, May 7 (Day game): 2-4, RBI single (first at bat), 2-run double, run scored. AVG: .248
(batting 7th)

Game 26/Game 8, May 7 (Night game): 1-4, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .248
(leading off)

Game 27/Game 9, May 8: 0-4. AVG: .239
(batting 7th)

Game 28/Game 10, May 9: 0-3. AVG: .233
(batting 7th)

Game 29/Game 11, May 10: 4-5, double (first at bat), run scored, 2-run double, single, single. AVG: .256
(batting 7th)

Game 30/Game 12, May 11: 2-5, RBI single, RBI single. AVG: .262
(batting 7th)

Game 31/Game 13, May 12: 0-4. AVG: .254
(leading off)

Game 32/Game 14, May 13: 3-4, double, single, double. AVG: .269
(batting 7th)

Game 33/Game 15, May 14: 0-4. AVG: .261
(batting 6th)
^^this is the day Manny decided Damon would no longer be leading off, and neither would Michael. he will now bat 6th unless Travis Hafner is not in the lineup^^

Game 34/Game 16, May 15: 2-4, triple, single, stolen base. AVG: .268
(batting 5th)

Game 35/Game 17, May 16: 2-3, double, RBI single, walk. AVG: .276
(batting 6th)

Game 36/Game 18, May 17: 0-5. AVG: .267
(batting 6th)

Game 37/Game 19, May 18: 0-4. AVG: .260
(batting 6th)

Game 38/Game 20, May 19: 0-3. AVG: .255
(batting 6th)

Game 39/Game 21, May 20: 1-4, single, stolen base, run scored, fielder's choice, run scored. AVG: .255
(batting 6th)

Game 40/Game 22, May 22: 2-4, single, stolen base, run scored, single, stolen base. AVG: .261
(batting 6th)

Game 41/Game 23, May 23: 1-3, double. AVG: .262
(batting 6th)

Game 42/Game 24, May 24: 2-3, single (first at bat), single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .269
(batting 5th)
^^this is the game in which Michael tweaked his left ankle after stealing 2nd base^^

May 25: not in lineup

Game 43/Game 25, May 26: 1-4, 3-run double, run scored. AVG: .269
(batting 2nd)

Game 44/Game 26, May 27: 2-5, RBI single, RBI groundout, single, run scored. AVG: .272
(batting 2nd)

Game 45/Game 27, May 28: 1-3, fielder's choice, walk, run scored, RBI single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .273
(batting 2nd)

Game 46/Game 28, May 29: 1-4, fielder's choice RBI, stolen base, single. AVG: .273
(batting 5th)

Game 47/Game 29, May 30: 2-4, single (first at bat), run scored, single. AVG: .277
(batting 6th)
^^Michael ends the month on a 9-game hitting streak^^


so far in 2012, Michael has a total of 201 plate appearances and 191 at bats in 47 (of 50) games. in total, he has 53 hits, 36 singles, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 0 home runs, 21 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 10 walks, 18 strikeouts, and 9 stolen bases (4 caught stealing).

season batting average: .277 (53-191)

OBP: .313

SLG: .377

OPS: .690

New Brantley Predictions

the more i think about things, the more i realize that my expectations for Michael this season will probably not be possible. when Grady comes back, if he's really healthy, then Brantley becomes the 4th or maybe 5th OF option. (i say maybe 5th because it's possible they put Duncan or Cunningham--if he's still here--in the lineup instead of Michael on certain days.) so after thinking things through and as i'm referencing my preseason expectations blog, i am going to make new predictions and lower my expectations a bit.

Brantley was 1-5 in his first game batting 7th last night, with a single and run scored. he had 2 very quick at bats when his first 2 opportunities came. (and it was funny that he ended up leading off both innings with those 2 at bats lol) i didn't need to actually watch him at the plate to know that he was basically "lost." he will need time to adjust to the pitches he's now going to see in that spot. and he will need time to get his mind right as i call it. can't blame the guy for being upset, but at some point he'll have to turn the switch because going up to bat being all pissed off is not going to be good for anybody, least of all himself.

(and this is how much i really think about the life of a baseball player... you tell someone that they're not going to be leading off anymore, and you do it on a road trip, so the guy is all alone in his hotel room and can't even go to his own home to his normal support system and vent and be comforted, that has got to be hard.)

i don't expect him to have a great average for May. that's just not realistic. it was going to take time to get his average up from last month even if he continued batting leadoff, but now i can see it stay around .240 for a little bit. and for the people that already don't have any confidence in Michael and think he's a bad player/bad center fielder/shouldn't be a starter/shouldn't be in the majors, that is not going to instill anymore confidence in the guy for them.

Michael is probably not going to have as many at bats now that he's lower in the lineup. there will be games where he only gets to bat 3 or 4 times, as opposed to 5. or if we're on a hitting tear, then he could potentially miss out on a 6th at bat as well. and as i said earlier, when Grady comes back, there will be a lot more off days for him. (anyone wanna disagree with me now that that isn't a hindrance in his development? in the development of a 24 year old who will be the only one of the three that's still here next year, so then people can start complaining that he's 25 and "still not a very good player" when he hasn't been given enough of a chance yet? =P) so based on that, and if Brantley stays healthy, i am going to predict his average for the season to be around .265.

i'm also gonna guess that he's not going to have as many opportunities to steal bases being that low in the order either. he will probably steal 10-15 max.

he can probably still hit 8-10 home runs.

the RBIs are the trickiest to predict. you would think that being lower in the order, when he goes up to bat that more people would be on base and he'd have more of an opportunity to drive guys in. but because Manny's order so far has been changing on the daily and is extremely odd at times, that may not be the case. therefore, i again am going to lower my original guess to 40-50.

as the season goes on, i am just envisioning Brantley's playing time becoming less and less. how can someone get better and reach his potential if other guys are continually put ahead of him? letting Grady play center when he was healthy last year was one thing, because Michael can man left field like nobody's business and i came to realize he was very valuable there. i complained, but i got over that. but pulling him out of the leadoff spot this year after only 17 games, (i say 17 because he only started in 17 games and the decision to demote him was made before the May 1st game), and thinking he's a bad leadoff man/assuming he would hit poorly all season, is illogical.

and i don't want anyone to misinterpret me here. i am all about the Tribe and doing whatever it takes to win. but as a huge Brantley fan, you know this saddens me. and i will proudly 'go to bat' and stick up for him. it doesn't sound like we'll ever get to see him be the leadoff center fielder he was projected to be. nobody ever should have said that. cause if they hadn't, i probably would not be as enraged about things. right now he's simply a backup. maybe that's all they really wanted from that CC deal in 2008 =/

maybe i'm wrong though. and if he does better than all my guesstimates, that'd be great. maybe now that he's batting 7th, he can eventually view it not as "they have no faith in me," but more like "the pressure's off me now." maybe he will relax and start hitting more and get that average right back up to where i think it should be.

at least i got him to autograph my baseball card right out the gate. that was the easiest call to make; no way i wouldn't get it at some point this year. the next game i go to (in 2 days), if he's in the lineup, i really want to make him smile at the baseline before the game. i've done it before, so here's hoping i can do it again.

19 Games Played and Now the Adversity Begins

so i just wrote an April wrap-up for Brantley and his numbers and his progression. and i felt pretty good about things. but then today i read he will not be the leadoff man anymore when Johnny Damon is in the lineup. and now i'm disturbed. i really shouldn't have been surprised though. the Indians clearly aren't serious about letting Michael develop as a leadoff man. this is technically his 4th season as part of the Indians, and up til this point, he's really only been the leadoff man by default.

who remembers in 2009, before Michael's September call up, all the writers and scouts and others who said Brantley was going to be like a Kenny Lofton, our future leadoff center fielder? even after that, people continued to say he would be our future leadoff man. i cannot forget that and it ticks me off because i believed it and now it just doesn't seem to be true. guess these people didn't know that Mr. Manny Acta would view things differently. after all, this is a manager who makes very questionable decisions at times. and this specific quote from him makes me angry because it is hypocritical:
 
"Listen, I just want to put the best team on the field that gives me a chance to win," said Acta. "I'm not here trying to keep people happy or fulfilling people's agendas."

but i digress. i'm upset and sad for Michael. he always says he loves leading off, he likes to set the table and wreak havoc on the basepaths. but apparently the Indians do not feel that he's earned that right indefinitely. and he's not going to be happy about this (he wasn't last year), nor should he be.

in the past, he's had to take a backseat to (a broken down) Grady. i was so happy when we did not pick up Grady's option in the offseason. i was so happy for Michael because i knew he was finally going to get his chance to shine. and it should have happened a lot sooner than this. i was excited for the season that was to come. but then i was devastated when we re-signed Grady because i knew it meant Michael once again was not going to bat leadoff or play center. literally my heart dropped when i saw that bit of info on the Plain Dealer site. can't lie and say i wasn't selfishly glad when Grady got hurt again. (i didn't like bringing him back also because i just don't think he's got anything left in the tank. waste of 5 million in my book.) so then Brantley was guaranteed the leadoff and center field spot, once again by default and not because he earned it. but i was willing to accept that. just take it however you get it.

then the Beltran rumors began. and there was speculation that if he signed with us, Michael was going to either be on our bench, or they would send him back down to Columbus to get regular playing time. i can't even process how i would have handled that had it happened. thanks Carlos for thinking we're too crappy a team and not wanting to play here.

then we acquired Damon. i thought this was going to be a great thing. and then Manny drops the bomb today that he will leadoff every time he's in the lineup. give me a break. he may have good numbers as a leadoff man, but he's got more power than Michael, so he's the better candidate to bat lower in our weak order. Brantley won't serve any purpose down there. he's not going to hit many home runs. let Damon bat down there and drive in runs.

aside from being angry that Michael again is taking a backseat to an older guy, my other concern is this is going to hinder Brantley's progress. he said he sees different pitches when he bats lower in the order. he has to make adjustments. and i think this is going to mess with the nice flow he seemed to recently get going. he was getting leadoff hits and hitting well as of late. now he'll need time to readjust and i imagine his batting average will waver. this puts him in a difficult spot if he's going to be leading off one day and then the next day he's batting 7th or 9th. that would be hard for anyone i'd imagine, having to change your mindset and approach at the plate every other day. and again, considering he is not new to the team/majors, i don't think that's right.

i just want the Tribe to commit to Brantley, kind of like how they've committed to Kipnis. doesn't matter what that kid does, he's guaranteed to be our 2nd baseman and has his place on the team. and he doesn't even have a full year here yet. i don't wanna hear stuff like 'if we bring in this guy, Brantley's the 4th option off the bench' or whatever. it's not fair. if he's our future, that's ridiculous. he has the skills to be a great leadoff man, but he has yet to be the leadoff hitter because they believe he's the best one for the job. by now he should have had a full year leading off, but he does not. they don't give him a chance to play consistently and show everyone what he's got. if Grady's not hurt and Damon's in the lineup, Brantley's now the 3rd option. i don't like that they treat him this way and if it continues, he will be gone the first chance he gets. and i wouldn't blame him.

how much longer can you refer to someone as "your future" when he's been in the organization now for a few years? makes no sense. the future should be now. not "well maybe next year." what's he gotta do to earn anyone's respect? how can he prove himself if other guys will always be put ahead of him? i feel so bad that this keeps happening to him. and as his self-proclaimed #1 fan, of course i would feel that way and have these concerns. i don't expect anyone to agree with me or really even care, but my point here should be pretty clear and i'm not changing my opinions and won't apologize for my feelings on this matter. some of the people who know me very well have joked that i should just be Michael's manager with the way i always talk about him and his career like i do. well believe me, if i was his manager i would not tolerate this.


so that leaves us with the question, when Grady comes back, who is going to bat leadoff then? Grady feels most comfortable batting leadoff, and despite what Manny said in the quote above, Manny has always catered to his needs to make him happy. 30 year old G and 38 year old Damon will probably have to battle it out lol and poor 25 year old Michael, the youngest potential candidate with the most upside, will be the backup backup option. and he's the only one of those three who will still be on this team next year. really makes ya think, doesn't it? smh.

Brantley's April 2012 #s

before i get into all Brantley's #s for the month, let's get a little backstory out there first. Michael did not have a good start to the season. while he was on the plane to Kansas City for the Tribe's first road trip, he watched video of all his at bats. this is when he noticed some things he needed to change in his stance. once he did that, he was having better at bats. but then, after sliding into a base on April 17, he tweaked his right wrist. the next day he was not in the lineup and he once again struggled at the plate after that. he did not start in the April 24 game because his wrist was sore yet again. since then however, he's improved greatly at the plate. in the last 5 April games, Michael is 8-20 and batting .400. hopefully this momentum carries into May and throughout the rest of the year.


April batting average: .250

season batting average: .250

OBP: .321

SLG: .355

OPS: .677


Michael played in 18 (of 20) games in April. he started, led off, and played center in 17 games, and he was a defensive (center) substitution for the 8th and 9th innings in 1 game. he did not have any at bats in the 1 game that he did not start.

Michael had a total of 84 plate appearances and 76 at bats. here is how he fared:

19 hits

12 singles

6 doubles

1 triple

0 home runs

5 RBIs

11 runs scored

8 walks

8 strikeouts

2 stolen bases (caught stealing twice)

5 leadoff hits


now to my game-by-game notes and numbers.

Game 1, April 5: 1-6, double, walk. AVG: .167

Game 2, April 7: 0-5. AVG: .091

Game 3, April 8: 0-2, 2 walks, 1 caught stealing. AVG: .077

April 9: not in lineup

April 10: Game PPD

Game 4, April 11: 0-4, walk. AVG: .059
**this is when Brantley reviewed tape of his at bats and decided changes were needed**

Game 5, April 13: 2-5, leadoff single, RBI double, run scored. AVG: .136

Game 6, April 14: 1-6, triple, run scored, fielder's choice, run scored. AVG: .143

Game 7, April 15: 3-6, single, run scored, 2-run double, single. AVG: .206

Game 8, April 17: 1-5, leadoff single, stolen base, run scored, RBI, fielder's choice, run scored. AVG: .205
^^this is the game in which Michael tweaked his right wrist sliding^^

April 18: not in lineup

Game 9, April 19: 1-4, single, intentional walk. AVG: .209

Game 10, April 20: 1-4, walk, double. AVG: .213

Game 11, April 21: 1-5, single, run scored. AVG: .212
**Michael had a 7-game hitting streak until...

Game 12, April 22: 0-4. AVG: .196

Game 13, April 24: did not start due to sore wrist. defensive sub for 8th and 9th innings. no ABs.

Game 14, April 25: 1-4, single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .200

Game 15, April 26: 1-4, drag bunt single, run scored, walk. AVG: .203

Game 16, April 27: 3-5, leadoff single, single, caught stealing, RBI double, run scored. AVG: .232

Game 17, April 28: 1-4, leadoff double. AVG: .233

Game 18, April 29: 2-3, leadoff single, walk, run scored, single. AVG: .250


because people love to look at the numbers and make a snap decision about a player's performance, Michael finishing the month with a .250 batting average is not going to be very attractive to many fans. but he's definitely moving in the right direction. it's a shame he had the slow start because he still has a bit of a hill to climb to get that average back up to a respectable number, but i believe he can and will. and i anticipate a very good May from him.

my only fear at the moment is that his wrist will hinder him. it's just odd to me that he had surgery on August 31, 2011, and then sliding into a base in April can tweak his wrist. i really hope it's not going to linger and be a problem all season. hopefully wearing that big wrist guard every time he bats will be effective in keeping his wrist safe from harm. stay tuned...

Brantley's 2012 Spring Training #s and My Expectations

Brantley's 2012 Spring Training #s are as follows:
 
batting average: .286

OBP: .367

SLG: .571

OPS: .939


Michael played in 16 spring training games. he missed a week with a tight right hamstring. because of this, his numbers resulted from only 42 at bats, a low for him in ST.

he did however have:

2 home runs, his first ever in ST

7 RBIs

4 doubles

1 triple

6 walks

6 strikeouts

0 stolen bases and was caught stealing once. had he not had the hamstring injury, i imagine he would have attempted to steal more.

he also scored 5 runs.


his offseason routine was altered due to him still recovering from his August 31, 2011 hamate surgery. normally he would have worked with his father taking swings every day, and he had to really cut that back to ensure his recovery would be 100% and that he'd be ready to go for the 2012 season. all things considered, i think he still fared well in Spring Training this year.


here are my game-by-game notes and numbers.

1st game: 2-3, leadoff double, run scored. AVG: .666

2nd game: 1-3, leadoff triple, run scored. AVG: .500

3rd game: 3-4, leadoff single, run scored, single, RBI double. AVG: .600

4th game: 0-2, walk. AVG: .500

5th game: 0-1, RBI sac fly, walk. AVG: .462

6th game: 0-3. AVG: .375

7th game: 0-1, leadoff walk, caught stealing, walk. AVG: .353

8th game: 1-4, 2-run double. AVG: .333

9th game: 0-3. AVG: .292

10th game: 0-1. left game with tight hamstring. AVG: .280

11th game: 1-2, single. AVG: .296

12th game: 1-3, home run. AVG: .300

13th game: 0-2, walk. AVG: .281

14th game: 2-4, leadoff home run, double. AVG: .306

15th game: 0-3, walk, fielder's choice RBI. AVG: .282

16th game: 1-3, single. AVG: .286

Brantley also had an RBI in the game the Indians played against the Mudcats.


my expectations for Brantley, assuming he stays healthy and plays a full season, are that he maintain a batting average between .280-290. will that be enough for Tribe fans to be content with his production and not consider him a mediocre player? i think he's got a chance to hit 10-12 home runs this year and drive in 50-60 runs. i love him in the leadoff spot and think he will get on base and set the table plenty. i wanna see him steal around 20 bases, because i believe he can. i also expect to get his autograph on my baseball card this year too lol


my prediction for the Tribe's 2012 season, assuming everyone plays to the max of their abilities and we don't get hit with too many major injuries, is we go 84-78. yeah, that seems high, i know. but you won't see me going into the season being negative, i don't operate that way. last year i said we'd finish 82-80, and we were 80-82.

what can make a difference this year that we didn't have last year:

--a full season with Kipnis in the lineup

--not losing Brantley for most of August and all of September

--Choo getting back to his normal Choo self

--improved defense at 1st base and possibly a better batting average coming from there as well

if we can get a decent left fielder at some point, and if Jimenez can pitch somewhat respectably, i think we can improve from last season. will that be enough to win our division though? probably not. will it be good enough for the 2nd wild card spot? here's hoping. i'm all in for 162 regardless and i'm very excited that the season is about to get started again. LET'S GO TRIBE!

Dissecting Brantley's 2011 Season

after reading some things about Brantley's season being "mediocre" at best, i decided to put the facts out there that clearly disprove that. i'm sure people have forgotten how in April and May, Michael had either the 2nd or 3rd highest batting average in the lineup every game. but that's okay, let me remind you.

here are Michael's official final #s for the 2011 season:

in 114 games, and 451 at bats, he had a .266 batting average, 63 runs scored, 120 hits, 7 home runs, 24 doubles, 4 triples, 46 RBIs, 34 BBs, 13 SBs, .318 OBP, and .702 OPS. his fielding % was .988 and he committed 3 errors.


it's time to dissect his season fairly, so i'm going to break it down month by month up until he started playing injured. (again, how do people not love a player like that, with the attitude that "i know i'm hurt, but i'm going to play every day until they tell me i can't play anymore." so selfless. can't ask for much more than that as a fan.)

April 2011 batting average: .297, 2nd highest on the team for the month. nothing mediocre about that.

May 2011 batting average: .278, 2nd highest on the team for the month.

June 2011 batting average: .231. up until June 6, he had a solid .290 average. this was his slump month. but that happens to every player at some point and as you will see, he does get out of it.

July 2011 batting average: .294, highest on the team for the month. hell of a way to bounce back. and according to his interview on January 18, 2012, he said he was beginning to experience his wrist problems during this month. so let's break this down further.

July 19, his batting average was .281. on July 25, also .281. after that point, his average dropped, so it's easy to conclude that his injury was really starting to bother him then. at the end of July, his overall average was .274.

now let's talk about August. he only played 14 games and his batting average was .211. he was officially shut down on August 26. he so desperately wanted to play through his injury, hoping that it would eventually go away, but surgery derailed his plans. bless his heart for pushing through as much as he could, which unfortunately brought his batting average down to .266 before they realized he was going to need surgery. this was something he had no control over and it was so unfortunate not to be able to see him finish out the year and bring his numbers back up.

his other August #s: in 57 at bats, Michael still managed to have 12 hits, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 6 RBIs, and score 7 runs.

the injury really took its toll on his stats, 19 games/78 at bats with a messed up wrist can do some big damage to your final numbers, but the fact that he so badly wanted to be on the field and sacrifice his body to help the team win makes up for those lowered #s in my book. but let's look at his numbers if we remove the games in which he played while injured.

the 14 games he played in August, he was definitely hurt. i will also take out the last 5 games in July. and if you do that, that gives Michael a .281 batting average for the 2011 season when he was healthy. that's real good for him. does that not equate to a good player? is .281 when healthy still mediocre? had he remained healthy and played a full August and September, who's to say his batting average wouldn't have gone up a little bit? based on how he played in the early months, i think he could have finished between .285-.290. hard to say. i don't believe he would have finished with a .266 though.

it's not like Michael is an injury-prone player. this was his first DL stint. he's not one of those guys who spent more time on the DL than the baseball field in the past 2 years. this is not a trend that's going to continue. he's got nowhere to go but up. and i cannot wait to see him (hopefully) get a full year in in 2012, so the non-believers can finally get on his side about him being a good player and important part of our team.

in conclusion, calling Brantley a mediocre player simply because he ended up with a .266 batting average and didn't finish out the final month of the season is a tad on the ignorant side. i didn't even get into how he was still performing stellar defense in the outfield during the latter part of his year. no, he's not perfect, but who (especially on our team) is? who would you rather see in left field other than Michael on a daily basis? cut this kid some slack people and get on the Brantley train.


bonus "fun" fact: at the end of our 2011 season, the person with the highest batting average on the team was A-Cab, with a .273. think about that for a second... .273, playing all year and not missing significant time, vs. .266 while playing injured and ending his season early. i'm not picking on Cabby at all, i'm just saying and making a point. there's no need to be so hard on or dismissive of Michael. absolutely no need.

Wrapping Up The Tribe's 2011 Season

this should have been done a few weeks back, but better late than never lol i remember before the season even started, a startling number of people were not sold that the team would do well this year. some predicted we'd even lose as many as 90 games. i on the other hand, knew that that would be next to impossible. i made a list of 8 points about why we would improve from the previous (2) season(s). we ended up finishing 80-82 (i predicted 82-80 btw), which was good enough for 2nd place in our division. but some people are not satisfied with that because 2nd place is the 1st loser. to that i argued we were not even supposed to be in contention this year, and the improvement should provide satisfaction going into 2012. the experience all the young kids gained will prove to be valuable for the 2012 season, just as the kids' experience in the 2010 season helped them improve in this past 2011 season.

it's been said by many all along that 2012 was the year we would emerge as serious competitors. so why did numerous fans believe 2011 was going to be another bad season? how did fans think we would go from losing 90 something games one year (in 2011), to losing 80 or less another year (in 2012)? that's not usually how things go in baseball. i mean, i know it can happen, but i'd never expect that kind of jump with the Tribe. we tend to do things more gradual. which is precisely why i knew we would do better this year. and we should continue to improve next year. i recall writing in a blog on my old CF account that 2011 would be a huge stepping stone towards a big 2012. so far my written words seem prophetic.


now, let's look back on my original pre-season 8 points. and remember, all these were made assuming nobody would be injured.

1. Asdrubal looks back to form and i like the Cabrera-Cabrera part of the infield.

2. Santana is back for a whole season. that alone has to add a few more wins into the equation.

3. Brantley will be here for the whole season and i have to believe the kid is going to produce.

4. we have Choo. i don't need to say anymore than that do i?

5. we're getting Grady back, and even though we may not get him in the same capacity as he was a couple years ago, he should still add some punch to our lineup.

6. Chiz is going to be up here by June, i'm calling that right now. and if his bat can do what it did in spring training, look out.

7. Fausto's lookin like he might be back to his 07 form according to Manny. i think he will be an ace this year. and if the rest of the starters aren't performing well, we've got some excellent talent waiting to be called up from Columbus.

8. Chris Perez is a legit closer. if we've got the lead going into the 9th, he's going to save the game.


okay so let's see how i did.

1. A-Cab had an amazing start to his season. things cooled off for him after the ASG, but he was easily still our MVP for the year and he should use this season as a learning experience to not tire out next year. O-Cab did not stay with us past the trading deadline, but his defense at 2nd was solid before Kip was ready to take his turn in the majors. i'd say #1 panned out pretty good.

2. Santana did last a whole season, and led the team in home runs when all was said and done. people want to complain about his defense, but more experience will help him. Rome wasn't built in a day and i still see big things coming from this kid in the future. i think i'm 2-for-2 so far.

3. Brantley started out HOT, which was no surprise to me lol the thing that hurt him was that damn wrist injury/hamate bone situation. his batting average went down right when it started becoming a problem, and that is why his final #s for the year look worse than they really were. and again, this year in the bigs will only help him for the future. 3 for 3.

4. here's where things get dicey. Choo never played like his Choo self and was pretty much a non-factor for the entire season. and yet we still managed to remain competitive and in contention for our division until September. think about that... let's just hope next year he doesn't drink and drive and nobody plunks his thumb.

5. another fail here. Grady showed a few bright spots for a few weeks, but other than that he was not much of a contributor. if he hadn't totally sucked and gotten injured again and again, i believe his bat would have made a difference (along with a healthy Choo), and we prob could have really given Detroit a run for their money.

6. in ST, everyone wanted Chiz to be on the Opening Day major league roster. well he wasn't. and after a quick start once he finally did get up here, he was not great offensively or defensively. who was? Kipnis, a non-mention in my 8 points. if Kip had not strained his hamstring and did not spend any time on the DL, it's probable we could have squeezed out a few more wins and few less losses.

7. well Fausto was up and down, and down again. when he was on, he was so on. and when he was off, we were down 9 runs and the bullpen was warming up before the 3rd inning was over. BUT, Huff and Gomez were ready and waiting down in C-bus when a gap in our rotation arose, and both did pretty damn good. i'll be happy with either in the 4th or 5th spot next year.

8. Perez had a couple blunders, but for the most part, when we gave him the game to close, he shut the door. didn't do so great in non-save situations, but that's relative to most closers so it's not a concern of mine. can't wait to see lots more Rage in 2012.


now i'm not going to blame anything on injuries, but regarding the points of mine that didn't pan out, if you take injuries out of the equation (minus the Grady situation), there are more things to be positive about for the upcoming 2012 season. i personally would never go into a season assuming somebody is going to be hurt and a non-factor, hence ruining the team's chances in avoiding mediocrity, so i think my points were pretty solid even though some did not end up coming true. and i enjoyed the season, even though the last 2 games i went to were Brantley-less. i went to a record 7 games, got 27 autographs, took 252 videos, and 3,825 pictures. it was a good year for me personally lol

but let's get our 1st base situation figured out, aka find someone to split some time there with Santana, and find a right handed OF, and i don't see how people cannot be excited for next year. i of course am. Go Tribe!