this blog is the second in what i'm referring to as my Brantley wrap up series. happily, i can reveal that there's definitely more numbers in this one than in my first because the core of it revolves around Michael's BOPs. and even though he played in just 11 games, he did bat in three spots in the order; therefore, i have stuff to break down.
note: if you don't recall, Michael played 11 minor league games while on his rehab assignments this year in addition to playing in the big leagues. i am only breaking down the numbers from his time with the Indians here. if you want to see his overall rehab number breakdowns, please read the Brantley's Overall 2016 Minor League Rehab #s blog.
Michael didn't play much in 2016, yet he finished the year with three different batting order positions on record. the original plan was for Michael to reclaim his 3rd spot in the lineup again this season once he was done rehabbing from his offseason right shoulder surgery and ready to rejoin the Indians. well that got scrapped before he even came off the disabled list. while Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor were batting 1 and 2 against right-handed starters, Terry Francona was content with Rajai Davis leading off in front of them against left-handed starters. so it was assumed, when Michael came back, that he would bat
3rd when righties were starting against the Tribe, and bat in the cleanup spot when southpaws started. but you know what they say when you assume things...
in the series prior to Michael's return, Tito decided to let Carlos Santana bat leadoff (like he did in some spring games) and the skipper was quite pleased with the results. i knew then that Michael's regular spot in the order was no more.
the day that Michael was activated from the DL, his name was not in the starting lineup, though he did get a chance to pinch hit late in the game. he made his 2016 debut in the leadoff spot, getting one at bat and lining out. when Michael finally got to start, he bat 4th, and did so for nine of his 11 games played. the one and only time Michael was back to batting 3rd in the order was during an interleague game at the end of April.
Francona proclaimed early on that he was not married to his new Top 4 and if Michael was uncomfortable, a change could be made. (source: Paul Hoynes' article on cleveland.com.) as Michael weathered his first at bat in his first game batting 4th, radio broadcaster Tom Hamilton told WTAM 1100 listeners that Michael preferred to hit 3rd in the order, but agreed to batting cleanup when Francona talked to him before making out the lineup. it's hard to know if Tito actually would have strayed from it had Michael struggled there and/or expressed objection, however, especially since Michael couldn't make it past his 11th game on May 9.
with Santana mostly leading off, Michael saw a new batter succeeding him in 2016. initially, i had reservations about Mike Napoli batting behind Michael because he's known to strike out a lot. and he did exactly that in April and May when Michael was playing, so i thought that was going to take away from Michael's runs scored total specifically by leaving him on base much of the time. but looking back at Nap's season as a whole now, i wish i could have seen those two batting back-to-back and Michael scoring on many of Napoli's home runs.
now let's talk defense. Michael played his entire (short) season in left field
this year, which is essentially going to be the case when he returns
from his latest biceps surgery in 2017. other than the one at bat he had while he was a PH, his overall stats for 2016 are almost completely equal to his left field
stats. i admit i was excited to see Michael record one outfield assist during his minimal time in the field. not that his ability to throw was ever in question because it was his right shoulder/bicep that gave him problems, not his left [throwing arm]. (some fans seem very confused by that and have already penciled Michael in as the DH for 2017. smh.) still, i thoroughly enjoy his assists and am glad he got one in the record books despite his lack of game appearances.
typically, i assess Michael's numbers in each of his BOPs, in the outfield, and if he DH'd (which he did not this year) or PH'd. in this case, because he didn't play enough to draw conclusions from anything, there's not much point in doing that. for example, he bat 4th in a mere nine games and, just like in the other two games he played, he didn't perform that well due to the fact that he was still trying to come back from shoulder surgery, had an almost non-existent spring training, and played in very few rehab games. does that mean he can't be a good cleanup man? no. can he not pinch hit because in his one chance at it he hit into an out? no. and yeah, he went 0-for-4 in his lone game as the 3-hole hitter, but clearly we know, based on his career numbers batting 3rd, that that is his best spot in the lineup thus far. so analyzing this season's stats in that way isn't going to tell us a whole lot.
what i will take a second to recognize is that although Michael wasn't 100% this year and barely played when you look at the grand scale of a baseball season, he did contribute to the team. first off, he acquired seven RBI in 10 complete games. then in May, Michael had at least one RBI in three straight games, and at least one RBI in four out of five straight games. that impressed me. imagine what kind of numbers he would have put up had he played a full year and been healthy... sigh.
Michael played in 11 (of 161*) games in 2016.
(*1 game in September was
postponed due to rain. MLB rescheduled it for the day after the regular
season ended, but it was only to be played if the game would have any
postseason implications. because the Indians won and the Boston Red Sox lost on the final day of
the regular season, that secured the Indians home field advantage in the
ALDS, AND also because the Detroit Tigers lost and were eliminated from the
AL Wild Card race on the final day of the regular season, the PPD game became unnecessary and was
officially cancelled.)
Michael bat leadoff in 1 game. (PH)
Michael bat 3rd in 1 game.
Michael bat 4th in 9 games.
Michael was the PH in 1 game.
Michael played in 10 complete games.
Michael
played left field in 11 games, for a total of 89.1 innings. (10
started, 10
complete, 1 defensive switch: 1 inning)
Michael missed 148 games due to injury.
he missed 3 games with right shoulder fatigue. he missed 145 games while on the DL (64 on the 15-Day and 81 on the 60-Day DL) with right shoulder inflammation, a subacromial impingement, right biceps tendinitis, and chronic right biceps tendinitis, during which time he also missed 19 games while out on two separate minor league rehab assignments. he missed the last 46 games of 2016 after having season-ending biceps tenodesis (surgery) for his chronic right biceps tendinitis.
Michael had 2 scheduled games off.
in 2016, Michael had a total of 43
plate appearances and 39
at bats in 11 games. 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: .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: .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: .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: .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: .265 (9-34) (9 games)
defensively,
Michael exclusively played left field
this season. he also was a PH once. so next i will get into his numbers based on
when he played in the outfield, along
with the breakdown of where he hit in the lineup
while playing left field and as a PH.
Michael appeared in 11 games in the outfield, starting and completing 10 games. he was a defensive switch in 1 game for 1 inning after a PH appearance.
Michael appeared in 11 games in left field, starting and completing 10 games. he was a defensive switch in 1 game for 1 inning after a PH appearance.
Michael appeared in 1 game as a PH. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game.
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: .237 (9-38) (11
games)
note: i am not listing the general outfield breakdowns (OF + leadoff, OF + non-leadoff, OF + 3rd, and OF + 4th). those are all the same as Michael's left field breakdowns since he solely played LF this year. so if you want the OF breakdowns, just pick the corresponding BOP and refer to the left field breakdown for that BOP.
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 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 field: .237 (9-38) (11 games)
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: N/A (1 game)
when Michael bat everywhere other than leadoff and played left 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 while playing left: .237 (9-38) (10 games)
when Michael bat 3rd and played left 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 while playing left: .000 (0-4) (1 game)
when Michael bat 4th and played left 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 while playing left: .265 (9-34) (9 games)
2016 #s while playing the outfield: 18 putouts, 1 assist, 0
errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 11 games)
2016
#s while playing left: 18 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (89.1 innings, 11 games)
now let's break down his PH numbers.
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: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
when Michael came in to PH and 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 game
2016 batting average as a PH in the leadoff spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
next
up: Brantley's 2016 Situational #s & Statistics
(this blog will delve into Michael's final #s for 2016 with a heavy focus on situational
hitting such as RHP vs. LHP, home vs. away, RISP, runners on, bases
loaded, and bases empty. it will further include his K rate versus other types of outs, how many times he reached base vs. how many times he was left stranded, and stats like WAR, wRC+, BsR, and UZR. Michael's 2016 #s against all the AL Central Division teams and from Interleague Play will be featured as well, along with the one statistic he had that ranked in the Top 10 around the league all year!)
previous blog: Brantley's 2016 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes
here's my usual friendly reminder that you can follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23
for updates on Michael's recovery from surgery as i read them. and you can sign up to receive emails every time i post a new blog by joining my subscription list over on the right side of the page if you'd like.
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