Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Brantley's 2017 #s Through July

Michael Brantley has done an admirable and inspiring job so far in 2017 after missing all but 11 games last year. no one can say otherwise. in fact, he's got a very good chance to be a candidate for AL Comeback Player of the Year.👍 however, i am going to make an argument at the bottom of this post that Michael's not fully back to his ordinary self yet, and likely won't be until next season. so make sure you read all the way to the end for that.📖

but first, let's get into the numbers. this blog consists of Michael's 2017 regular season numbers and statistics from April 3 - July 31.


so far in 2017, Michael has 350 plate appearances and 314 at bats in 82 games (686.0 innings). in total, he has 94 hits, 29 extra base hits, 65 singles, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 49 RBI, 4 sac flies, 42 runs, 30 walks, 3 intentional walks, 2 hit by pitches, 11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (2nd), 7 GIDP, 49 strikeouts (40 swinging, 9 looking), 21 first at bat hits, 140 total bases, 128 left on base, 127 putouts, 8 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play.

2017 batting average through July:
.299 (94-314)

OBP: .360

SLG: .446

OPS: .806



Batting Average Competition

Jose Ramirez's .320 batting average is currently the highest on the team out of all the qualifying players.

Michael has enough plate appearances to be considered a qualifying player now, so i can rank his average among Indians qualifiers again. his .299 batting average is 2nd highest on the team.

i said that if Michael could remain no more than 20 points behind Ramirez, then he'd still have a shot to finish the year with the highest BA on the team. i further rationalized that if he could next cut the deficit down to 10 points at the end of August, then it would be winner takes all at the culmination of the October 1 game. based on the difficulties Michael's recently been having and the large lead Ramirez has built, it's a tall order and i'm less confident than i was a month ago in Michael's ability to retake the BA lead. but, there are two more months of baseball left to be played, so we shall see what happens.


Team Leads and Career Highs

while Michael was out for the majority of June, he lost all the major offensive team leads that he had and has not yet managed to get them back.

through July, Michael is tied for the team lead with 4 sac flies.

he leads the outfielders with 127 putouts, 8 assists, 686.0 innings, and 81 games. he's tied for 1st with 1 double play.

he is 2nd on the team with a .299 batting average. he's tied for 2nd with 11 stolen bases. he also has the 2nd least amount of strikeouts among five qualifying players with 49.

additionally, he's 3rd with 94 hits, 65 singles, .360 OBP, and .806 OPS.

Michael does not have any career highs through July.


HR:RBI Ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs

after going through a power lull for a few months, Michael apparently looked to make up for it in July. presently, he has a total of eight home runs which, all things considered, isn't bad. the team leader in home runs right now is Edwin Encarnacion with 21. after him, Jose Ramirez is 2nd with 18. Francisco Lindor (16), Carlos Santana (14), and Lonnie Chisenhall (12) are the only other Indians in double digits.

through July, Michael has a total of 49 RBI vs. 128 men left on base. he stranded a lot of runners in July so his total LOB for the season is exceptionally high. but i'm not mad at his ribbies count, knowing that he's missed over 20 games so far this year. hopefully he'll continue to get more RBI opportunities in August and September/October and can finish the season with 80+ RBI. Encarnacion currently leads the team in RBI with 60, while Ramirez and Santana are tied for 2nd with 55. Lonnie Chisenhall has 51, and Michael actually ranks tied for 5th with Lindor.

now let me calculate the new HR:RBI ratio. five of Michael's 8 home runs were solo and the other three were 2-run bombs. therefore, 10.2% of his 49 RBI have come from his solo homers, while 22.4% of his 49 RBI have come from all 8 of his home runs.

Michael's K rate so far in 2017 is 14.0% (49 K/350 PA). he currently averages 1 strikeout for every 7.1 plate appearances. that's almost a 1.5% decrease from the end of last month, so he's trending in the right direction. with more trips to the plate, he should be able to get that lowered even more before 2017 is over.

on July 25, Zack Meisel's cleveland.com article documented how Michael's swinging-strike rate at the time was 5.3% versus his career average of 3.6%. moreover, in 2015, Michael made contact with 84.6% of the pitches outside the strike zone that he offered at, while this year, so far he'd only made contact with 70.8% of those particular pitches.💨

then on July 30, Jordan Bastian's indians.com article stated that Michael's swinging-strike rate was down to 5.2%.

through July, Michael has 91 groundouts, 37 flyouts, 30 lineouts, and 17 pop outs versus 49 strikeouts. i still don't like the large discrepancy between his ground ball outs and fly ball outs, but with only two months remaining, it's not likely that those will ever get close to each other. maybe he can at least hit the ball in the air more and it will drop in for more hits in the last bit of the regular season.


Reached Base vs. Left Stranded

to this point in 2017, Michael has reached base a total of 134 times via hits, walks, hit by pitches, fielder's choices, forceouts, throwing errors, and fielding errors. he's scored 42 runs total, eight of which came from his own home runs. he's been driven in 34 times by other players and left stranded 91 times. (once he was lifted for a PR, so i didn't count that here.) the lineup behind Michael has seen its share of changes, but Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Ramirez are the two main guys who follow Michael and they need to do a better job of getting on base after he does.


Streaks & Situational Statistics

Michael hit in 65 of the 82 games he's played in so far in 2017 and reached base safely in 72 games. he has 17 hitless games, but still reached base in 7 of those. Michael has 27 multi-hit games, 2 three+ hit games, and 10 multi-RBI games. he has at least 1 RBI in 35 games. in addition, he has 8 go-ahead hits and 10 go-ahead RBI. the Indians are now 46-36 in games that Michael's played in and 11-11 in the games he's sat out/missed.

Michael's had various noteworthy streaks to this point in 2017, including:

--a modest 6-game hitting streak on the road between April 8-22. it began on April 8, then continued from April 17-22.

--a 10-game hitting streak, in which he bat .381 (16-for-42), between April 13-27 (over 15 days).

--a 10-game on-base streak between April 13-27.

--a 10-game on-base streak on the road between April 7 - May 3. it spanned over April 7-8, April 17-22, and May 1-3.

--a 14-game hitting streak, in which he bat .345 (19-for-55), between May 15-30.

--a 21-game reached base streak between May 12 - June 3 (over 23 days).

--an 18-game on-base streak between May 15 - June 3.

--a 7-game hitting streak on the road between May 19 - June 3. it spanned over May 19-23 and June 2-3.

--an 18-game reached base streak at home between April 29 - June 10. it spanned over April 29-30, May 12-17, May 24 - June 1, and June 9-10.

--an 8-game hitting streak between June 13 - July 2. it spanned over June 13-14, June 27-29, and July 1-2.

--an 8-game on-base streak between June 13 - July 2.

--a 17-game on-base streak between July 5-26. it spanned over July 5-9 and July 14-26.

--an 11-game on-base streak at home between July 5-26. it spanned over July 5-9 and July 21-26.

--an active 12-game on-base streak on the road between July 1-31. it spans over July 1-2, July 14-19, July 28-29, and July 31.

--an active 8-game hitting streak on the road between July 15-31. it spans over July 15-19, July 28-29, and July 31.

Michael is currently batting .309 (64-for-207) against right-handed pitchers and .280 (30-for-107) against left-handed pitchers. these are both decreases from a month ago. while the RHP average is fine, i am getting concerned with his performance against southpaws. i don't want to see that BA get any lower this year. besides, we all know he's better than a .280 hitter, so he needs to back that up with better numbers.

Michael's hitting .320 (55-for-172) with 34 RBI at home. he has 13 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 home runs (19 extra base hits) at Progressive Field, along with 3 sac flies, 26 runs, 18 walks (3 intentional), 1 hit by pitch, 4 stolen bases (3 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 6 GIDP, 30 strikeouts (23 swinging, 7 looking), and 85 total bases while playing 45 out of 52 total home games. he hit safely in 36 of the 45 home games he's played in and safely reached base in 40 of them. he has 9 hitless games at home, reaching base in 4.

Michael's hitting .275 (39-for-142) with 15 RBI away from Progressive Field. he has 7 doubles and 3 home runs (10 extra base hits) on the road, along with 1 sac fly, 16 runs, 12 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 7 stolen bases (6 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (2nd), 19 strikeouts (17 swinging, 2 looking), and 55 total bases while playing 37 out of 52 total road games. he hit safely in 29 of the 37 road games he's played in and safely reached base in 32 of them. he has 8 hitless games away from home, reaching base in 3.

Michael's now batting .279 (24-for-86) with runners in scoring position with 37 RBI through July. more specifically, he's batting .364 (8-for-22) with RISP and 0 outs, .250 (8-for-32) with RISP and 1 out, and .250 (8-for-32) with RISP and 2 outs. oddly enough, he did improve a little in 2-out situations, but did horribly in July with 1 out, causing that average to drop a lot.

with 2 outs in an inning, Michael is presently batting .256 (32-for-125). he now has 8 doubles, 3 home runs, 13 RBI, 14 walks, and 17 strikeouts (15 swinging, 2 looking). lamentably, this continued to be a struggle area for Michael in July, dragging his overall BA down even more from where it was at the conclusion of June.

additionally, he's hitting .313 (46-for-147) with 44 RBI with runners on base and .200 (1-for-5) with 4 RBI with the bases loaded so far this season. Michael went hitless in four at bats in July with the ducks on the pond and that's why his season average took a nosedive.

lastly, Michael's hitting .287 (48-for-167) with the bases empty right now. he has 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 5 RBI, 13 walks, and 27 strikeouts (24 swinging, 3 looking).

through the first four months of the season, Michael has a 1.3 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 113 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), a 3.8 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings), and -4.7 UZR (ultimate zone rating). his BsR currently ranks 2nd, his WAR ranks 6th, and his wRC+ ranks 8th among 13 qualifying American League left fielders, while his UZR ranks 7th among 8 qualifiers. [these stats all came courtesy of fangraphs.com.]


Versus AL Central Division Teams

vs. the Detroit Tigers, Michael's batting .275 (11-for-40) in 11 games--5 of the 6 at home and 6 on the road. (he had 1 scheduled day off during one April home series.) the Indians are 6-5 in the games he's played in and lost the game he did not play in. overall, Michael has 9 singles, 2 extra base hits--doubles, 6 RBI, 1 sac fly, 6 runs, 5 walks (1 intentional), 2 stolen bases (3rd), 1 first at bat hit, and 13 total bases. he's also grounded into 2 double plays, struck out 4 times (3 swinging, 1 looking), and left 19 men on base. furthermore, he has a .348 OBP, .325 SLG, and .673 OPS. defensively, he's played 92 innings, but only 10 complete games in left field because he was subbed out defensively after 5 innings in 1 game in July because the Indians were winning a blowout. he's also totaled 18 putouts.

vs. the Chicago White Sox, Michael's batting .286 (12-for-42) in 10 games--6 at home and 4 of the 6 on the road. (he had 2 scheduled days off: one during an April road series and one during a July road series.) the Indians are 7-3 in the games he's played in and 0-2 in the games he did not play in. overall, Michael has 5 singles and 7 extra base hits, including 4 doubles and 3 home runs, as well as 8 RBI, 1 sac fly, 5 runs, 2 walks (1 intentional), 1 stolen base (2nd), 1 caught stealing (2nd), 5 first at bat hits, and 25 total bases. he also has 9 strikeouts (8 swinging, 1 looking) and 18 men left on base. furthermore, he has a .311 OBP, .595 SLG, and .906 OPS. while playing left field, Michael's recorded 16 putouts, 3 assists, and 1 error in 89 innings, but only 9 complete games because he was subbed out defensively after 7 innings in 1 game in July because the Indians were winning a blowout.

vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael's batting .375 (12-for-32) in 8 games--5 of the 6 on the road and 3 at home. (he had 1 scheduled day off during one June road series.) the Indians are 3-5 in the games he's played in and won the game he did not play in. overall, Michael has 11 singles, 1 extra base hit--a double, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 stolen bases (2nd), 2 first at bat hits, and 13 total bases. besides that, he's grounded into 1 double play, struck out 6 times (5 swinging, 1 looking), and left 7 runners on base. furthermore, he has a .394 OBP, .406 SLG, and .800 OPS. as the left fielder, he's played 62 innings, but only 6 complete games because he left 1 game early in May after 3 innings following spraining his right ankle, and he was lifted for a pinch runner in the top of the 8th inning in 1 game in June because the Indians were losing a blowout and Terry Francona wanted to give him some extra rest. he's totaled 15 putouts as well.

vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael's batting .333 (8-for-24) in 6 games--3 of the 7 on the road and 3 of the 6 at home. (he missed 7 games/2 series against this team so far. he missed all 4 games in one June road series because he was with his wife following the birth of their child and on the Paternity List, and he missed all 3 games in one June home series because he was on the 10-Day DL with a right ankle sprain, but had just begun running on the treadmill/drills in the outfield.) the Indians are 4-2 in the games he's played in and 4-3 in the games he did not play in. overall, Michael has 6 singles and 2 extra base hits, including 1 double and 1 home run, to go along with 3 RBI, 4 runs, 3 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 3 first at bat hits, and 12 total bases. additionally, he has 2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking) and 14 runners left stranded. furthermore, he has a .429 OBP, .500 SLG, and .929 OPS. he's played 52 innings in left field, but only 4 complete games because he was subbed out defensively after 8 innings in 1 game in April following getting hit on the right shin, and he was lifted for a pinch runner in the bottom of the 8th inning in 1 game in May. he's also recorded 13 putouts.


Interleague Play

the Indians have played a total of 18 games against six National League teams through July. Michael has played in 16 of those games. the Indians are 4-12 in the games he's played in and 1-1 in the games he did not play in. overall, Michael's batting .276 (16-for-58) in Interleague Play so far in 2017, a vast improvement from a month ago.

vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .167 (1-for-6) in 2 of the 3 road games in April. (he had 1 scheduled day off during the series.) the Indians went 0-2 in the games he played in and lost the game he did not play in as well. Michael's lone hit was a single, but he also had 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base (2nd), and 1 total base. in addition, he struck out swinging once and left 3 men on base. furthermore, he had a .286 OBP, .167 SLG, and .452 OPS. in the field, Michael played 16 innings/2 complete games in left and recorded 3 putouts. (note: he was subbed out offensively in the top of the 9th inning in 1 game, depriving him of one more plate appearance.)

vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park (no designated hitter allowed) and Progressive Field, Michael bat .286 (4-for-14) in 4 games--2 road games and 1 home game in May, and 1 home (makeup) game in July. the Indians went 2-2 in the games he played in. overall, he had 3 singles, 1 extra base hit--a double, 2 RBI, 1 sac fly, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 5 total bases. he also had 3 strikeouts swinging and left 7 runners on base. furthermore, he had a .389 OBP, .357 SLG, and .746 OPS. in the field, Michael played 35 innings/4 complete games in left and recorded 11 putouts.

vs. the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field (no designated hitter allowed), Michael's batting .000 (0-for-8) in 2 road games in June. the Indians are 0-2 in the games he's played in. overall, he has 2 strikeouts swinging and 3 men left on base. furthermore, his OBP, SLG, and OPS are all .000. in the field, Michael's played 16 innings/2 complete games in left and recorded 2 putouts. (the Indians have one more series with this team at home in August.)

vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Progressive Field, Michael bat .600 (3-for-5) in 2 of the 3 home games in June. (he missed the final game of the series when he was away from the team to be with his wife, who was about to give birth.) the Indians went 0-2 in the games he played in and won the game he did not play in. overall, he had 1 single, 2 extra base hits--doubles, 3 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 run, 2 walks, 1 first at bat hit, and 5 total bases. he also stranded 1 runner. furthermore, he had a .625 OBP, 1.000 SLG, and 1.625 OPS. in the field, Michael played 18 innings/2 complete games in left and recorded 1 putout.

vs. the San Diego Padres at Progressive Field, Michael bat .333 (4-for-12) in 3 home games in July. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, he had 3 singles, 1 extra base hit--a triple, 1 RBI, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 first at bat hit, and 6 total bases. he also had 1 GIDP, 2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking), and 7 men left. furthermore, he had a .385 OBP, .500 SLG, and .885 OPS. in the field, Michael played 18 innings/2 complete games in left and recorded 2 putouts. he was the DH for 1 game.

vs. the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park (no designated hitter allowed), Michael bat .308 (4-for-13) in 3 road games in July. the Indians went 1-2 in the games he played in. overall, he had 3 singles, 1 extra base hit--a double, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 5 total bases. he also had 1 strikeout swinging and 4 left on base. furthermore, he had a .357 OBP, .385 SLG, and .742 OPS. in the field, Michael played 26 innings/3 complete games in left and recorded 4 putouts.


League Rankings

i can get back to comparing all of Michael's stats to the rest of the qualifying players around the league now because Michael is a qualifier once again. remember, i only list the numbers that fall in the Top 10 among left fielders and other players in the American League and MLB.

among qualifying left fielders in the American League, Michael's ranked 1st in batting average (.299) and intentional walks (3); 2nd in OBP (.360); tied for 2nd in sac flies (4); 3rd in doubles (20); 4th in hits (94), RBI (49), and OPS (.806); 5th in singles (65) and SLG (.446); 6th in extra base hits (29), total bases (140), and plate appearances (350); 7th in walks (30), stolen bases (11), and at bats (314); tied for 7th in runs (42); tied for 8th in triples (1) and games played (82); and tied for 9th in home runs (8) and hit by pitches (2). Michael also ranks 13th out of 13 players in strikeouts (49), making him the hardest AL left fielder to K thus far in 2017.

among qualifying outfielders in the American League, Michael is tied for 5th in sac flies; 6th in batting average and OBP; tied for 7th in intentional walks; 9th in doubles; and tied for 9th in singles. plus, out of 31 players, Michael is 30th in strikeouts, meaning he's the 2nd hardest AL outfielder to strike out right now. 

among qualifying players in the American League, Michael ranks tied for 78th out of 88 players in strikeouts, or tied for the 7th hardest player to strike out in the AL. 

among all qualifying left fielders in the Major Leagues, Michael is 3rd in batting average; tied for 4th in sac flies and intentional walks; 5th in OBP; tied for 6th in singles; 7th in doubles; 8th in hits, RBI, and stolen bases; and 10th in plate appearances, at bats, and OPS. besides that, Michael is 22nd out of 22 players in strikeouts.

among all qualifying outfielders in the Major Leagues, Michael ranks tied for 8th in sac flies. he ranks 59th out of 61 players in strikeouts as well, making him the 3rd toughest player to K.

among all qualifying players in the Major Leagues, Michael's strikeouts are tied for 145th out of 164 players; he's tied for the 11th hardest player to strike out in MLB.


In The Field & League Rankings

after four months of play, Michael has 127 putouts, 8 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play in 136 total chances. he currently has a .993 fielding percentage.

Michael also has a 30-game errorless streak in the outfield. he is quite a ways away from the club record 247 consecutive errorless games in the outfield that he set back in 2014.

now let's check out where some of Michael's defensive stats through July rank around the league:

among AL left fielders, Michael's 8 assists in 2017 rank 2nd. Melky Cabrera of the Chicago White Sox has the most assists right now with 9. Michael's 1 double play ranks tied for 2nd with 10 other players. Corey Dickerson of the Tampa Bay Rays has the most with 2.

among all MLB left fielders, Michael's 8 assists rank tied for 2nd with Adam Duvall of the Cincinnati Reds.

among all AL outfielders, Michael's 8 assists rank tied for 2nd with Jarrod Dyson of the Seattle Mariners.

among all MLB outfielders, Michael's 8 assists rank tied for 3rd with Duvall and Dyson.

the current MLB OF assist leaders are Melky Cabrera and Billy Hamilton of the Reds with 9.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his 2017 #s through July, the 3rd spot #s, the PH #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, the 3rd + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.


2017 batting average through July: .299

OBP: .360

SLG: .446

OPS: .806


Michael played in 82 (of 104) games, 70 complete, in 2017 through July.

he started and played left field in 80 games, completing 69 of those games, appearing in 81 total.

he was a defensive switch into left field in 1 game for 2 innings after a PH appearance.

he was subbed out defensively in 8 games after playing a total of 56 innings; 1 game after 8 innings because he had just been hit by a pitch on the right shin and also because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more than enough in the game, and 7 games after playing a total of 48 innings (7 innings/7 innings/5 innings/7 innings/7 innings/8 innings/7 innings per game) because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more than enough in the game.

he left 1 game early with a sprained right ankle after playing 3 innings.

he was lifted for a PR in 2 games after playing a total of 15 innings; 1 game in the bottom of the 8th inning because the Indians were winning a blowout, and 1 game in the top of the 8th inning because the Indians were losing a blowout.

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

he was the DH in 1 game.

additionally, he was subbed out offensively in the top of the 9th inning in 1 game and lost out on 1 plate appearance, but still played a complete game defensively because there was no bottom of the 9th inning.

he missed 3 games with a right ankle sprain.

he missed 1 game due to the birth of his child.

he missed 4 games while he was on the Paternity List.

he missed 7 games while he was on the 10-Day DL with a right ankle sprain.

he got 7 scheduled games off.


Michael bat 3rd in 82 games. (1 PH)


Michael played left field in 81 games. (69 complete, 1 defensive switch: 2 innings, 8 subbed out: 56 innings, 1 left early with injury: 3 innings, 2 lifted for PR: 15 innings)

Michael was a PH in 1 game.

Michael was the DH in 1 game.

Michael played in 70 complete games.



through July 2017, Michael had a total of 350 plate appearances and 314 at bats. here is how he fared:

94 hits

29 extra base hits

65 singles

20 doubles

1 triple

8 home runs

49 RBI

4 sac flies

42 runs

30 walks

3 intentional walks

2 hit by pitches

11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

7 GIDP

49 strikeouts (40 swinging, 9 looking)

21 first at bat hits

140 total bases

128 left on base


127 putouts

8 assists

1 error

1 double play

686.0 innings, 82 games

(70 complete games)

2017 batting average through July: .299 (94-314) (82 games)


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


when Michael bat 3rd in 2017, he had a total of 350 plate appearances and 314 at bats in 82 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

94 hits

29 extra base hits

65 singles

20 doubles

1 triple

8 home runs

49 RBI

4 sac flies

42 runs

30 walks

3 intentional walks

2 hit by pitches

11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

7 GIDP

49 strikeouts (40 swinging, 9 looking)

21 first at bat hits

140 total bases

128 left on base


127 putouts

8 assists

1 error

1 double play

686.0 innings, 82 games

(70 complete games)

2017 batting average in the 3rd spot through July: .299 (94-314) (82 games)


when Michael bat 3rd and played left in 2017, he had a total of 344 plate appearances and 309 at bats in 81 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

92 hits

28 extra base hits

64 singles

20 doubles

8 home runs

48 RBI

4 sac flies

39 runs

29 walks

3 intentional walks

2 hit by pitches

11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

7 GIDP

47 strikeouts (39 swinging, 8 looking)

20 first at bat hits

136 total bases

125 left on base


127 putouts

8 assists

1 error

1 double play

686.0 innings, 81 games

(69 complete games)

2017 batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left through July: .298 (92-309) (81 games)


when Michael bat 3rd and was a PH in 2017, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 strikeout swinging

1 left on base


1 game

2017 batting average in the 3rd spot as a PH through July: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat 3rd and was the DH in 2017, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

1 extra base hit

1 single

1 triple

1 RBI

3 runs

1 walk

1 strikeout (looking)

1 first at bat hit

4 total bases

2 left on base


(1 complete game)

2017 batting average in the 3rd spot as the DH through July: .500 (2-4) (1 game)


when Michael came in to PH in 2017, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 strikeout swinging

1 left on base


1 game

2017 batting average as a PH through July: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael was the DH in 2017, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

1 extra base hit

1 single

1 triple

1 RBI

3 runs

1 walk

1 strikeout looking

1 first at bat hit

4 total bases

2 left on base


(1 complete game)

2017 batting average as the DH through July: .500 (2-4) (1 game)


when Michael played the outfield in 2017, he had a total of 344 plate appearances and 309 at bats in 81 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

92 hits

28 extra base hits

64 singles

20 doubles

8 home runs

48 RBI

4 sac flies

39 runs

29 walks

3 intentional walks

2 hit by pitches

11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

7 GIDP

47 strikeouts (39 swinging, 8 looking)

20 first at bat hits

136 total bases

125 left on base


127 putouts

8 assists

1 error

1 double play

686.0 innings, 81 games

(69 complete games)

2017 batting average while playing the outfield through July: .298 (92-309) (81 games)


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


when Michael played left in 2017, he had a total of 344 plate appearances and 309 at bats in 81 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

92 hits

28 extra base hits

64 singles

20 doubles

8 home runs

48 RBI

4 sac flies

39 runs

29 walks

3 intentional walks

2 hit by pitches

11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)

1 caught stealing (2nd)

7 GIDP

47 strikeouts (39 swinging, 8 looking)

20 first at bat hits

136 total bases

125 left on base


127 putouts

8 assists

1 error

1 double play

686.0 innings, 81 games

(69 complete games)

2017 batting average while playing left through July: .298 (92-309) (81 games)


2017 #s so far while playing left: 127 putouts, 8 assists, 1 error, 1 double play, 0.993 fielding percentage (686.0 innings, 81 games)

2017 #s so far while playing the outfield: 127 putouts, 8 assists, 1 error, 1 double play, 0.993 fielding percentage (686.0 innings, 81 games)


to see Michael's game-by-game numbers and notes from each month this season, please refer back to:
Brantley's April 2017 #s
Brantley's May 2017 #s
Brantley's June 2017 #s
Brantley's July 2017 #s


leave a comment below with your thoughts and concerns about Michael's performance so far, and/or let me know what you'd like him to accomplish before this year is over!💭


now it's time for a little bonus section with some of my thoughts on how we might want to view Michael's 2017 campaign.

A "Just Get Through It" Year?

i've been mulling over how tough it must be for Michael to now be playing baseball on almost a daily basis after having barely played in 2016. not surprisingly though, he's handling it like the professional that he is and he has been a productive contributor to the team, for the most part. however, i'm wondering if this year isn't a "Just Get Through It" type of year for him. what i mean by that is, maybe the goal isn't necessarily to put up the sexiest stats. maybe what matters most is for him to simply make it through the whole season without a recurrence of shoulder or biceps issues, to prove to him and everyone else that his right shoulder is fine and there's no need to worry about it anymore.

i'm saying this because it's become pretty apparent that there are a few holes in Michael's game this year. while writers and fans keep declaring that Michael is back, i beg to differ. they're claiming he "hasn't missed a beat," but the truth is, he's missing several. upon deeper inspection of his stats, there have been obvious areas where he's lacking, even as the season progresses. so that got me thinking how it may be unrealistic to expect Michael to perform at what had become his customary high level of play. at least for 2017.

he's not used to playing every day, he hasn't done it since 2015, and the daily grind could be taking its toll and affecting his numbers. i study and then present his numbers, that's what i do. and that's why i know he's not totally "back." some of his current season stats have taken an uncharacteristic dip from a month ago and he hasn't been nearly as reliable as he used to be in certain situations. it's a harsh unusual truth, but it's understandable.

in case you forgot, Michael was still rehabbing in the offseason and that continued into the first half of spring training in March as well. it's hard to do that and then come back and hit like .300+ across the board in all offensive categories while playing a full year. therefore, i think there needs to be a lesser importance on his numbers this season, and more focus on the fact that he's returned to game action at long last and is healthy.

i'm well aware that Michael is not big on numbers and rankings and such, but even he would surely admit there are some areas he needs to improve on. that said, i know Michael's doing the best he can, and i both recognize and appreciate his effort and hard work. so if he can complete 2017 without any ailments, then he can finally have a routine offseason and prepare like he normally does for a regular season. regardless of how Michael's season turns out statistically, whether he figures things out before the year concludes or not, let's go easy on him. he'll become a dependable force again in all areas and get those high league rankings and team leads back in 2018, just you wait.😉

what are your thoughts on my thoughts about Michael's game right now? do you have any goals for him for this year? feel free to share them in the comment section below!💻


to keep up with everything Michael does in games and all the latest breaking news, follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23. you can also get on my subscription list to receive email notifications when i post new blogs by entering your email address in the box underneath the Blog Archive sidebar over on the upper right-hand side of this page. do it so you'll never miss a blog post of mine again!📧

and lastly, i've got the new August polls up (under the About Me sidebar). look them over and vote on what Michael's August batting average will be, how many HR he'll hit, how many RBI he'll acquire, and how many games the Tribe will win in August!🗹

thank you for reading and be sure to come back in another month for the #s Through Aug blog!

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