Thursday, June 30, 2016

Brantley's 2016 #s Through June (w/ All Star Voting Updates)

this blog is going to be very similar to the "#s Through May" blog. why is that? because Michael hasn't played a game since May 9!

Michael has never missed an entire month of a season as long as i've been documenting and blogging about his numbers, so i've never faced this conundrum before. while it might seem pointless to you for me to list out all his numbers again, i came to the conclusion that it was necessary because despite him not having any June statistics, most of the sections in this blog did still change slightly and were updated accordingly.


so far in 2016, Michael has 43 plate appearances and 39 at bats in 11 games (89.1 innings). in total, he has 9 hits, 2 extra base hits, 7 singles, 2 doubles, 7 RBI, 1 sac fly, 5 runs, 3 walks, 1 intentional walk, 1 stolen base (3rd), 1 GIDP, 6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking), 1 first at bat hit, 11 total bases, 14 left on base, 18 putouts, and 1 assist.

2016 batting average through June:
.231 (9-39)

OBP: .279

SLG: .282

OPS: .561


Does This Team Even Miss Michael?

before i get into the Michael-specific stuff, let me take a second to comment on how remarkable the Indians have been playing without him. this team did so astonishingly well in June that they ran themselves right to the top of their division and truly look to be headed for some October playoffs. and they did it all without the benefit of their best/most consistent hitter--Michael Brantley. my god, it doesn't even seem like they miss him or need him at all anymore. this is undoubtedly the best the Tribe has ever played through June since Michael's been an Indian, and [it's definitely a bummer that] he hasn't been a part of it or contributing to their great performances in what could end up being a very special season to remember. i can only hope his eventual return will provide a positive boost and give the Tribe an extra gear to make it to this year's Fall Classic.


No Chance To Be a Qualifying Player

the Cleveland Indians have played 78 games through June, and Michael has played in a mere 11 of them.

by now, i've made it clear to you all that Michael is not going to qualify this year. as more games came and went, and he continued to reside on the disabled list, Michael dipped down to 0.6 plate appearances per game. he has no way to get that up to 3.1 by the end of the season because there's just not going to be enough time for him to acquire the required 495 PA in order to achieve that.


Team Leads and Career Highs

through June, Michael does not have any team leads.

however, he is tied for 2nd with 1 intentional walk.

Michael does not have any career highs through June.


HR, RBI, K Rate, LOB, and Outs (unchanged)

after 11 games in 3 months of play, Michael has not hit any home runs.

he has 7 RBI to this point in the season and left a total of 14 men on base.

Michael's K rate so far in 2016 is 14.0% (6 K/43 PA). he currently averages 1 strikeout for every 7.2 plate appearances.

through June, Michael has 11 groundouts, 5 flyouts, 7 lineouts, and 1 pop out versus 6 strikeouts.


Situational Statistics

Michael hit in 6 of the 11 games he's played in so far in 2016 and reached base safely in 7 games. he has 5 hitless games, but still reached base in 1 of those. Michael has 1 multi-hit game, 1 three+ hit game, and 1 multi-RBI game. he has at least 1 RBI in 5 games. in addition, he has 2 go-ahead hits and 2 go-ahead RBI. the Indians are now 6-5 in games that Michael played in and 42-25 in the games he sat out/missed.

after three months, Michael is batting .219 (7-for-32) against right-handed pitchers and .286 (2-for-7) against left-handed pitchers.

Michael's hitting .389 (7-for-18) with 6 RBI at home. he has 1 double (1 extra base hit) at Progressive Field, along with 4 runs, 2 walks, 1 GIDP, 2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging), and 8 total bases while playing 5 out of 35 total home games. he hit safely in 4 of the 5 home games he's played in and safely reached base in all 5 of them. he has 1 hitless game at home, but still reached base in it.

on the contrary, Michael's hitting .095 (2-for-21) with 1 RBI away from Progressive Field. he has 1 double (1 extra base hit) on the road, along with 1 sac fly, 1 run, 1 walk (intentional), 1 stolen base (3rd), 4 strikeouts (2 swinging, 2 looking), and 3 total bases while playing 6 out of 43 total road games. he hit safely in 2 of the 6 road games he's played in and safely reached base in 2 of them. he has 4 hitless games away from home, reaching base in none.

Michael's batting .385 (5-for-13) with runners in scoring position, producing 7 RBI through June. breaking that down, he's batting 1.000 (1-for-1) with RISP and 0 outs, .429 (3-for-7) with RISP and 1 out, and .200 (1-for-5) with RISP and 2 outs.

with 2 outs in an inning, Michael's batting .154 (2-for-13). he has 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 walk (intentional), and 4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking).

additionally, he's hitting .333 (5-for-15) with 7 RBI with runners on base and has not come to bat at all with the bases loaded yet this season.

lastly, Michael's hitting .167 (4-for-24) with the bases empty. he has 1 double and 4 strikeouts (2 swinging, 2 looking).

through the first three months of the season, Michael has a 0.0 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 43 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), a 0.5 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings), and a 1.5 UZR (ultimate zone rating). even without playing, his wRC+ went down 3 points while his BsR went up 0.1 from the end of May due to the league averages of those stats having changed. and once again, these numbers do not rank among qualifying AL left fielders because Michael is not a qualifier. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]


Versus AL Central Division Teams

vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael's batting .500 (6-for-12) in 3 games. (he missed 6 games/2 series against this team so far. he missed 3 games while on the 15-Day DL recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery/out on a minor league rehab assignment with the Columbus Clippers. he also missed 3 games while on the 15-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis and was shut down from baseball activities due to the cortisone shot he'd recently received.) he has 5 singles and 1 double, as well as 5 RBI, 2 runs, and 7 total bases while leaving 2 men on base. in the field, Michael's played 27 innings in left and recorded 5 putouts.

vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael's batting .167 (1-for-6) in 2 games. (he missed 4 games in one series while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and was hitting off a tee, and he missed 3 games in another series while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and was doing soft toss. he had 1 scheduled off day.) his lone hit was a single, but he also has 1 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 1 total base. he's grounded into 1 double play, has 2 strikeouts (1 looking, 1 swinging), and stranded 3 runners. defensively, Michael's played 18 innings in left field, recording 3 putouts and acquiring 1 outfield assist.

vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael's batting .125 (1-for-8) in 3 games. (he missed 1 game because of right shoulder fatigue and had an MRI, and he missed 2 games after just being put on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation.) he has 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 run, 1 walk (intentional), 1 stolen base (3rd), and 1 total base. he also has 2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking) and 4 left on base. in left field, he's played 18.1 innings and recorded 5 putouts. (he was a PH in 1 game, then played 1 inning in LF after a defensive switch.)

when the Indians played the Chicago White Sox, Michael was on the disabled list and has missed all 9 games/3 series so far against this team. he missed 2 games in the first series while on the 15-Day DL still recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery; he missed 4 games in the second series while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and had just begun some light swinging; and he missed 3 games in the third series while on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement and was doing soft toss.


Interleague Play

the Indians have played a total of 13 games against National League teams through June, but Michael has played in only two games. overall, he's batting .111 (1-for-9) in Interleague Play in 2016.

when the Indians played the New York Mets at Progressive Field, Michael was on the 15-Day DL recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery/out on a minor league rehab assignment with the Akron RubberDucks. he missed all 3 games of their series.

vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .111 (1-for-9) in 2 games. (he had 1 scheduled off day.) he had 1 double equaling 2 total bases. he also struck out twice (1 swinging, 1 looking) and stranded 4 runners. in the field, Michael played 18 innings in left and recorded 5 putouts.

when the Indians played the Cincinnati Reds at both Progressive Field and Great American Ball Park (no designated hitter allowed in the latter), Michael was on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder inflammation and a subacromial impingement, for which he received an anti-inflammatory shot. he missed all 4 games in the home-and-home set of series.

when the Indians played the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field (no designated hitter allowed), Michael was still on the 15-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis and had just resumed hitting activities after being shut down for five days. he missed all 3 games in this series.


Spotlight On 2-Baggers

i knew Michael wasn't going to continue to rank near the top here forever without playing. coming into June, Michael had the 2nd most doubles in the American League since 2014. but on June 12, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, who'd been ranked 3rd since September 2015, finally passed Michael when he hit his 93rd double. in addition, David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox got himself into the conversation when he passed Michael's 92 doubles on June 16.

so now the new doubles leaders from 2014 through June 2016 are:
Jose Altuve (of the Houston Astros) - 111
Miguel Cabrera - 96
David Ortiz - 95
Michael Brantley - 92
Yoenis Cespedes (NL player from the New York Mets) - 91

(this information was originally brought to light by Paul Hoynes on May 12, 2015 and later Jordan Bastian on September 25, 2015.)


League Rankings

i was flabbergasted to discover that Michael actually still has two (minor) stats in the Top 10 when compared with other players. 

among left fielders in the American League, Michael ranks tied for 5th in intentional walks (1) and tied for 9th in sac flies (1).

i'll be stunned if these stats hold up in the Top 10 a month from now if Michael does not play at all in the majors in July in order to possibly add on to them.


All Star Voting Results

i previously explained all the voting stipulations and restrictions in the Brantley's 2016 #s Through May blog. and i should have known the month of June wouldn't go by without something else developing. on June 17, after i voted with an email for the last five times, a new pop up emerged on my computer, reading "congratulations! you have voted 35 times from this email address." that hadn't happened any of the previous times i'd finished voting with an email. here we go again with more changes so late in the voting process. sigh. but i guess it's not really important anymore because at the time this blog went live, there was only a little over an hour left before the voting window closed. i just hope that people read all the information i uncovered and at least took advantage of the loophole i pointed out.

the second wave of AL All Star ballot results was made public on Tuesday, June 7. not surprisingly, Michael was still not in the top 15 outfielders, though one of the top 3 differed. Jackie Bradley, Jr. (of the Boston Red Sox) moved ahead of Mark Trumbo (of the Baltimore Orioles) for the #3 spot. also, there were no Indians in the top 5 at any of their respective positions either.

when the third set of AL All Star results came out on Tuesday, June 14, neither Michael nor any other Indians were found. the sole difference in the top 3 OF was the order, as Bradley moved up to the #2 spot in front of Lorenzo Cain (of the Kansas City Royals).

on Tuesday, June 21, the fourth AL All Star updates were released and guess what? yep, no Michael or his teammates appeared anywhere. in one week, however, the 3rd starting spot in the outfield changed once again, this time with Mookie Betts (of the Boston Red Sox) replacing Cain.

the fifth AL All Star ballot results were posted online on Monday, June 27, featuring the same 3 outfielders at the top for the second straight update. and, as expected, there were still no Indians on the ballot. if Tribe fans didn't vote from the beginning and figure out how to utilize multiple emails to vote with, then those poor Indians players never really had a chance. that's a shame too since they're now one of the best teams in the league.

photo courtesy of @MLB_PR on twitter

with less than a full four days to vote after this was unveiled, i can't imagine there'll be any change in the final top 3 OF unless Cain and Trumbo fans really got their vote on. the AL and NL rosters will be revealed on July 5 at 7 pm ET during the Esurance All Star Selection Show on ESPN as per Mark Newman's article on indians.com.


yes, i voted for Michael Brantley quite a bit. when the ballots first came out at the end of April, it made sense. once Michael went on the 15-Day DL in May with right shoulder inflammation, i held hope that he would return to the Indians shortly after those 15 days were up, so i continued to include him on my ballot throughout May. but once the calendar turned to June and Michael wasn't making much progress in his hitting program and then suffered another setback with the right biceps tendinitis, that's when voting for him became somewhat silly. but i did it anyway because what kind of #1 fan would i be if i didn't? besides, it surely wasn't going to have an effect on the outcome of the top 3 OF lol but let me thank everyone else who voted for him as well! i'm sure he appreciated it in spite of his circumstances!

when all was said and done and i got my final votes in today, i tallied a grand total of 2,240 votes for Michael. comparing that to last year when i cast 3,605 votes for him, i voted considerably less this time. clearly the new voting restrictions made it hard for me to match my 2015 total. and if this is how we will all be voting for the ASG again next year, i'm unsure if Michael will make the top 15 OF even when he is back and playing regularly. he'll need a lot more help from other Tribe/baseball fans...which brings me to my next topic.


How Come No Indians Ranked Anywhere When The Team Is Leading Their Division?

i have to speak on this for a minute because it needs to be said. my thought is i don't think you can fully cite the lack of National love for the Indians as the reason why nobody from the team placed anywhere in the top. i believe Indians fans themselves hold the majority of the blame.

as an example, let me point out a difference between Tribe fans and Kansas City Royals fans. Royals fans, they're loyal fans. they've got a player in every position on the ballot. it's obvious those fans got to work the day the ballot was posted online and intelligently used several emails to vote as many times as possible. the team's record and player batting averages were insignificant; fans were voting regardless because they are a determined fan base. that's something i can respect.

on the other hand, i know from past interactions that many--not all, but many--Indians fans are much more critical of their team and seemingly didn't vote as soon as voting opened or as much as they could have. i'm sure some people spent time complaining about ownership, or the team's standing in the division, or how certain players on the squad maybe had bad stats in April and didn't deserve to go to the All Star game. other fans, no doubt, were more concerned with the happenings of another Cleveland sports team and probably didn't care about voting for the Tribe right away either. and a lot of fans are simply 'what have you done for me lately' fans, as i've claimed for years.

in regards to something like this though, none of that should matter. you should simply vote because you're a fan and you want your team well represented. i think, once the Tribe seized the top spot in the AL Central, that that's when some of the aforementioned fans finally decided to vote. and by then, it was too little, too late. everybody should have voted right away, no excuses, and figured out (like me) how to vote more than 35 times.

now the Indians will rely on the manager/player vote to see which (most likely) one of them will be representing the team at the 87th annual All Star game in San Diego, California come July 12. my money's on Francisco Lindor. (although some of the guys in our starting rotation are extremely deserving of a spot on the team and might make it as well.) be sure to tune in on FOX to see how he does!

who do YOU think should be named to the All Star team from the Tribe? leave it in a comment below!


In The Field

Michael's defense thus far in 2016 has been ideal. playing strictly left field, he's acquired 18 putouts and 1 assist to give him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Michael has played 30 straight games without committing an error in the outfield. at this point, he's more than one season away from reaching and potentially breaking the franchise record 247 errorless games that he achieved in 2014.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his 2016 #s through June, the leadoff #s vs. the non-leadoff #s combined, the 3rd spot #s, the 4th spot #s, and the PH #s, as well as the left field #s, the BOP + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


2016 batting average through June: .231

OBP: .279

SLG: .282

OPS: .561


Michael played in 11 (of 78) games, 10 complete, in 2016 through June.

he started and played left in 10 games, completing 10 of those games, appearing in 11 total. he was a defensive switch in 1 game for 1 inning after a PH appearance.

he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game.

he missed 16 games because he was still on the 15-Day DL rehabbing from offseason right shoulder surgery/out on a minor league rehab assignment.

he missed 3 games because of shoulder fatigue.

he missed 37 games because he was on the 15-Day DL again with right shoulder inflammation/a subacromial impingement.

he missed 9 games because he was on the 15-Day DL with right biceps tendinitis.

he had 2 scheduled off days.


Michael bat leadoff in 1 game. (PH)

Michael bat 3rd in 1 game.

Michael bat 4th in 9 games.


Michael played left field in 11 games. (10 complete, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning)

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael played in 10 complete games.



through June 2016, Michael has a total of 43 plate appearances and 39 at bats. here is how he fared:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

14 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

89.1 innings, 11 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average through June: .231 (9-39) (11 games)


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


when Michael bat leadoff in 2016, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

2 left on base


1 inning, 1 game

2016 average in the leadoff spot through June: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat leadoff and played left in 2016, he had no plate appearances and no at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 inning, 1 game

2016 batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left through June: N/A (1 game)


when Michael bat leadoff, he was a PH in 2016 for 1 game. he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

2 left on base


1 game

2016 batting average as a PH in the leadoff spot through June: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael came in to PH in 2016, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

2 left on base


1 game

2016 batting average as a PH through June: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat everywhere other than leadoff in 2016, he had a total of 42 plate appearances and 38 at bats in 10 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

12 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

88.1 innings, 10 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average everywhere other than leadoff through June: .237 (9-38) (10 games)
2016 batting average everywhere other than leadoff while playing left through June: .237 (9-38) (10 games)


now let's break down the numbers when he was not leading off.


when Michael bat 3rd in 2016, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

3 left on base


2 putouts

8 innings, 1 game

(1 complete game)

2016 batting average in the 3rd spot through June: .000 (0-4) (1 game)
2016 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left through June: .000 (0-4) (1 game)


when Michael bat 4th in 2016, he had a total of 38 plate appearances and 34 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

9 left on base


16 putouts

1 assist

80.1 innings, 9 games

(9 complete games)

2016 batting average in the 4th spot through June: .265 (9-34) (9 games)
2016 batting average in the 4th spot while playing left through June: .265 (9-34) (9 games)


when Michael played the outfield in 2016, he had a total of 42 plate appearances and 38 at bats in 11 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

12 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

89.1 innings, 11 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average while playing the outfield through June: .237 (9-38) (11 games)


now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.


when Michael played left in 2016, he had a total of 42 plate appearances and 38 at bats in 11 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

9 hits

2 extra base hits

7 singles

2 doubles

7 RBI

1 sac fly

5 runs

3 walks

1 intentional walk

1 stolen base (3rd)

1 GIDP

6 strikeouts (3 swinging, 3 looking)

1 first at bat hit

11 total bases

12 left on base


18 putouts

1 assist

89.1 innings, 11 games

(10 complete games)

2016 batting average while playing left through June: .237 (9-38) (11 games)



2016 #s so far while playing left: 18 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 11 games)

2016 #s so far while playing the outfield: 18 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 11 games)



Michael's game-by-game numbers and notes are not included in my cumulative blogs. if you want to see those, please refer back to my monthlies:
Brantley's April 2016 #s
Brantley's May 2016 #s
Brantley's June 2016

thank you again for reading! and remember to follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for daily DL/rehab updates and news about Michael before i post my monthly and cumulative blogs. also, be sure to subscribe to my email list on the right side of the blog for notifications every time a new blog gets published!

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