Sunday, April 29, 2012

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...

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