Michael only bat in 4 different spots in the order this season, a dramatic decrease from last year. it would have been just 3 spots if not for coming in to pinch hit for a pitcher in one National League game that he was originally supposed to have off. and like most years, the Indians' starting lineup in March/April was very different from September, including Michael's place in it. so let's get into the details.
when the season began, Francona had Michael batting 5th and playing left field against right-handed pitchers, while batting 6th and playing center field against left-handed pitchers. the left field-center field switch off was due to Michael Bourn being out injured to start the year, and his CF replacement--Nyjer Morgan--not being able to hit lefties. when Bourn came back, the formula wasn't always so cut and dry, but Michael continued to rotate between left and center as well as the 5th and 6th spots. he had 20 hits in 19 games in the 5th spot, driving in 18 runs and scoring 10 runs. in only 10 games batting 6th, Michael had 9 hits and 5 RBI. his overall batting average in this spot wasn't very high, but i'm sure that wouldn't have been the case had he hit more there throughout the season.
on May 2, Michael began hitting in the 3rd spot. that started because Jason Kipnis suffered an oblique injury and went on the DL. but even when Kip came back on May 28, Francona did not want to move Michael and actually kept him in the 3 hole. and that's where he found his home for the rest of the season (minus 2 PH appearances in the 9th and 5th spots.) i was so grateful that Michael finally had some regularity in the lineup and wasn't being jumbled around anymore. i do question whether or not he will "own" the 3rd spot next year, or if Francona will decide he wants someone else 3rd. considering that Michael did such a phenomenal job there, i'm hoping that's now where he'll stay. in 126 games, Michael had 170 hits, 39 doubles, 15 home runs, 74 RBI, 78 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases while batting 3rd. so i think he's earned it to at least start out there next year and see how things go.
Bourn had another DL stint from July 6 to August 15, giving Michael more playing time in center field. in 46 total games, Michael compiled 46 hits, including 10 doubles, and 24 RBI. his CF batting average was respectable, but 51 points lower compared with LF. and Michael went through both of his slumps this year all while playing left field, if you can believe that. the overall numbers mask those slumps quite well, as he had 138 hits in 107 games, along with 31 doubles, 14 homers, and 66 RBI.
in 2 games as a PH, Michael got on base both times, once with a single and once with a double. he also did very good in 8 games as a DH. he had 14 hits, including 3 doubles and 2 home runs, drove in 7, scored 6 times, and drew 5 walks, all in the designated hitter role.
no matter where Michael hit in the order or played in the outfield (if he played in the outfield), one thing remained consistent--his ability to hit in the clutch. this year, he had the highest batting average on the team with RISP at .376. that was also 1st in the American League. additionally, he had 76 RBI. last season, Michael bat .375 with RISP and had 59 RBI. so 2014 showed an increase on both counts.
Michael also performed well against both right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers. he ended the year batting .337 against righties and .307 against lefties, both outstanding averages. in 2013, he bat .288 and .276, respectively. Michael's clearly starting to develop more power and his swing has gotten even smoother, if that's possible, resulting in more hits and therefore better batting averages. for the third straight season, Michael finished with the highest batting average on the team, this time a career best .327.
Michael played in 156 (of 162) games in 2014.
Michael bat 3rd in 126 games. (3 left early w/ injury: 14.1 innings, 4 subbed out: 27 innings, 1 lifted for PR: 8 innings, 8 DH)
Michael bat 5th in 19 games. (1 PH/defensive sub: 1 inning)
Michael bat 6th in 10 games.
Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (PH)
Michael was the DH in 8 games.
Michael was the PH in 2 games.
Michael played in 146 complete games.
Michael played left field in 107 games, for a total of 931.1 innings. (106 started, 95
complete, 5 started: 31 innings, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning, 2 left early w/
injury: 8 innings, 3 subbed out: 22 innings, 1 lifted for PR: 8 innings)
Michael played center field in 46 games, for a total of 373 innings. (40 started, 37
complete, 1 started: 8 innings, 5 defensive switches: 15 innings, 1 defensive sub (PH): 1 inning, 1 subbed out: 5 innings, 1 left early
w/ injury: 6.1 innings)
Michael missed 3 games due to injury.
he missed 1 game with mid-back tightness
from playing on astroturf and he missed
2 games with a mild concussion.
Michael had 3 complete games off.
in 2014, Michael had a total of 676 plate appearances and 611 at bats in 156 games. here is how he fared:
200 hits
133 singles
45 doubles
2 triples
20 home runs
97 RBI
5 sac flies
94 runs scored
52 walks
4 intentional walks
8 hit by pitches
23 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
16 GIDP
56 strikeouts (38 swinging, 18 looking)
51 first at bat hits
309 total bases
211 left on base
271 putouts
12 assists
2 double plays
1 error
1304.1 innings, 156 games
(146 complete games)
2014 batting average: .327 (200-611) (156 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 559 plate appearances and 506 at bats in 126 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
170 hits
114 singles
39 doubles
2 triples
15 home runs
74 RBI
4 sac flies
78 runs scored
42 walks
4 intentional walks
7 hit by pitches
19 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
13 GIDP
47 strikeouts (32 swinging, 15 looking)
43 first at bat hits
258 total bases
161 left on base
224 putouts
9 assists
2 double plays
1060.1 innings, 126 games
(118 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 3rd spot: .336 (170-506) (126 games)
when Michael bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 76 plate appearances and 69 at bats in 19 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
20 hits
12 singles
5 doubles
3 home runs
18 RBI
1 sac fly
10 runs scored
5 walks
1 hit by pitch
3 stolen bases
1 GIDP
5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)
4 first at bat hits
34 total bases
39 left on base
29 putouts
3 assists
1 error
158.2 innings, 19 games
(18 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 5th spot: .290 (20-69) (19 games)
when Michael bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 40 plate appearances and 35 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
9 hits
6 singles
1 double
2 home runs
5 RBI
6 runs scored
5 walks
1 stolen base
2 GIDP
4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)
3 first at bat hits
16 total bases
11 left on base
18 putouts
85.1 innings, 10 games
(10 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 6th spot: .257 (9-35) (10 games)
when Michael bat 9th in 2014, 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
1 total base
1 game
(0 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 9th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
defensively, Michael played both left and center field this season, but mainly left field. and because he played several games as a DH and was a PH twice, his
numbers while playing the outfield are not all the same as the numbers
above. so next i will get into the break down of his numbers based on
where he played in the outfield, along with where he hit in the lineup while playing left field, center field, as a DH, and PH.
Michael played 147 games total where he was in the outfield for some portion of the game. he started 146 games in the outfield, completing 138 of those games. he left 3 games early with injury after playing a total of 14.1 innings. he was subbed out of 4 games after playing a total of 27 innings. he was lifted for a pinch runner in 1 game after playing 8 innings. he was a defensive substitute into the outfield in 1 game after PHing and played 1 inning.
Michael played 107 games total where he was the left fielder for some portion of the game. he started and played left in 106 games, completing 95 of those games. he was part of a defensive switch into left field (from center) for 1 game and played 1 inning with no official at bats. he left 1 game early
with mid-back tightness after playing 4 innings. he left 1 game early after a blow
to the head/neck after playing 4 innings. he was subbed out of 1 game after 7
innings because the Indians were winning a blowout. he was subbed out of
1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were getting blown out. he was subbed out of
1 game after 8 innings because the Indians were losing. he was lifted for a
pinch runner in 1 game after hitting a double and playing 8 innings in left field prior to his
final at bat of the night in a game where the Indians were getting blown out.
Michael played 46 games total where he was the center fielder for some portion of the game. he started and played center in 40
games, completing 37 of those games. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th
inning for 1 game, and then played 1
inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution. he was subbed out of
1 game after 5 innings because the Indians had a solid lead. he left 1 game early
after banging his right knee into the right-center field wall and played 6.1 innings.
additionally, Michael was part of a defensive switch into center field (from left) for 5 games and played 15 innings with 6 official at bats. breaking those 5 games down are as follows. he played 4 innings and had 2 official at bats in 1 game. he played 6 innings and had 2 official at bats in 1 game. he played 2 innings and had 1 official at bat in 1 game. he played 2 innings and had 1 official at bat in 1 game. he played 1 inning and had no official at bats in 1 game.
Michael started and was the DH for 8 complete games.
Michael was a PH in 2 games. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th
inning in 1 game, and then played 1
inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution. he also came in to PH in the bottom of the
9th inning in 1 game.
when Michael played in the outfield in 2014, he had a total of 637 plate appearances and 578 at bats in 147 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
184 hits
123 singles
41 doubles
2 triples
18 home runs
90 RBI
4 sac flies
87 runs scored
47 walks
4 intentional walks
8 hit by pitches
23 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
16 GIDP
53 strikeouts (36 swinging, 17 looking)
46 first at bat hits
283 total bases
204 left on base
271 putouts
12 assists
2 double plays
1 error
1304.1 innings, 147 games
(138 complete games)
2014 batting average while playing in the outfield: .318 (184-578) (147 games)
when Michael played the outfield and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 522 plate appearances and 475 at bats in 118 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
156 hits
105 singles
36 doubles
2 triples
13 home runs
67 RBI
3 sac flies
72 runs scored
37 walks
4 intentional walks
7 hit by pitches
19 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
13 GIDP
44 strikeouts (30 swinging, 14 looking)
40 first at bat hits
235 total bases
154 left on base
224 putouts
9 assists
2 double plays
1060.1 innings, 118 games
(110 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing the outfield: .328 (156-475) (118 games)
when Michael played the outfield and bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 75 plate appearances and 68 at bats in 19 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
158.2 innings, 19 games
(18 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 5th spot while playing the outfield: .279 (19-68) (19 games)
when Michael played the outfield and bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 40 plate appearances and 35 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
9 hits
6 singles
1 double
2 home runs
5 RBI
6 runs scored
5 walks
1 stolen base
2 GIDP
4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)
3 first at bat hits
16 total bases
11 left on base
18 putouts
85.1 innings, 10 games
(10 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 6th spot while playing the outfield: .257 (9-35) (10 games)
now let's break down the numbers based on where he hit in the lineup while playing left field.
when Michael played left field in 2014, he had a total of 458 plate appearances and 415 at bats in 107 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
138 hits
92 singles
31 doubles
1 triple
14 home runs
66 RBI
2 sac flies
67 runs scored
33 walks
3 intentional walks
8 hit by pitches
19 stolen bases
9 GIDP
37 strikeouts (27 swinging, 10 looking)
34 first at bat hits
213 total bases
151 left on base
165 putouts
10 assists
2 double plays
931.1 innings, 107 games
(95 complete games)
2014 batting average while playing left field: .333 (138-415) (107 games)
when Michael played left and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 375 plate appearances and 340 at bats in 86 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
117 hits
79 singles
27 doubles
1 triple
10 home runs
49 RBI
1 sac fly
56 runs scored
27 walks
3 intentional walks
7 hit by pitches
15 stolen bases
8 GIDP
31 strikeouts (23 swinging, 8 looking)
30 first at bat hits
176 total bases
110 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
2 double plays
759.2 innings, 86 games
(76 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .344 (117-340) (86 games)
when Michael played left and bat 5th in 2014, 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)
2014 batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .270 (17-63) (17 games)
when Michael played left and bat 6th in 2014, he had a total of 13 plate appearances and 12 at bats in 4 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
4 hits
3 singles
1 home run
3 RBI
3 runs scored
1 walk
1 stolen base
1 strikeout (swinging)
1 first at bat hit
7 total bases
3 left on base
2 putouts
27 innings, 4 games
(3 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .333 (4-12) (4 games)
now let's break down the numbers based on where he hit in the lineup while playing center field.
when Michael played center field in 2014, he had a total of 179 plate appearances and 163 at bats in 46 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
46 hits
31 singles
10 doubles
1 triple
4 home runs
24 RBI
2 sac flies
20 runs scored
14 walks
1 intentional walk
4 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
7 GIDP
16 strikeouts (9 swinging, 7 looking)
12 first at bat hits
70 total bases
53 left on base
106 putouts
2 assists
1 error
373 innings, 46 games
(37 complete games)
2014 batting average while playing center field: .282 (46-163) (46 games)
when Michael played center and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 147 plate appearances and 135 at bats in 36 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
39 hits
26 singles
9 doubles
1 triple
3 home runs
18 RBI
2 sac flies
16 runs scored
10 walks
1 intentional walk
4 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
5 GIDP
13 strikeouts (7 swinging, 6 looking)
10 first at bat hits
59 total bases
44 left on base
89 putouts
1 assist
300.2 innings, 36 games
(30 complete games)
2014 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center: .289 (39-135) (36 games)
when Michael played center and bat 5th in 2014, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 3 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
14 innings, 3 games
(1 complete game)
2014 batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (3 games)
when Michael played center and bat 6th in 2014, 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)
2014 batting average in the 6th spot while playing center: .217 (5-23) (7 games)
2014 #s while playing the outfield: 271 putouts, 12 assists, 2
double plays, 1 error, 0.996 fielding percentage (1304.1 innings, 147
games)
2014 #s while playing left: 165 putouts, 10 assists, 2 double
plays, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (931.1 innings, 107 games)
2014 #s while playing center: 106 putouts, 2 assists, 1 error, 0.991 fielding percentage (373 innings, 46 games)
now let's break down his DH numbers.
when Michael was the DH in 2014, he had a total of 37 plate appearances and 31 at bats in 8 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
14 hits
9 singles
3 doubles
2 home runs
7 RBI
1 sac fly
6 runs scored
5 walks
3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)
3 first at bat hits
23 total bases
7 left on base
(8 complete games)
2014 batting average as the DH: .452 (14-31) (8 games)
when Michael was the DH and bat 3rd in 2014, he had a total of 37 plate appearances and 31 at bats in 8 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
14 hits
9 singles
3 doubles
2 home runs
7 RBI
1 sac fly
6 runs scored
5 walks
3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)
3 first at bat hits
23 total bases
7 left on base
8 games
(8 complete games)
2014 batting average as the DH in the 3rd spot: .452 (14-31) (8 games)
now let's break down his PH numbers.
when Michael came in to PH in 2014, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
2 hits
1 single
1 double
1 run scored
2 first at bat hits
3 total bases
2 games
(0 complete games)
2014 batting average as a PH: 1.000 (2-2) (2 games)
when Michael came in to PH and bat 5th in 2014, 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 double
1 run scored
1 first at bat hit
2 total bases
1 game
(0 complete games)
2014 batting average as a PH in the 5th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
when Michael came in to PH and bat 9th in 2014, 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
(0 complete games)
2014 batting average as a PH in the 9th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
the next blog i will be writing is a "wrap-up" of Michael's season, if i can somehow manage to wrap up all the amazing things he did this year lol, and it should be posted in a few days.
previous blogs:
Brantley's 2014 Career Highs, Career Firsts, & Franchise Records
Brantley's 2014 Game-by-Game Numbers and Notes
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