Thursday, October 12, 2017

Brantley's 2017 ALDS #s

it is with a heavy heart that i post this blog. even though Michael Brantley finally got to be a part of the Cleveland Indians' postseason as an active player, the team's playoff appearance was very short-lived, taking practically everyone by surprise. earlier tonight, on October 11, the New York Yankees eliminated the Tribe in the American League Division Series by beating them, 3 games to 2. if you need a minute to cry, go ahead; then keep reading. believe me, i'm right there with you.😭

i had originally planned on posting separate blogs for each series that the Indians played in but... this is it. the format here consists of sections from both the Brantley's 2016 Postseason blog and my monthly Brantley blogs. i've also changed some things around a bit because i felt like it made a little more sense for such a short series.

now without further ado, let's relive the last 10 days.😟


Pre-American League Division Series News

October 2: the Indians held an optional workout on Monday and Michael
was there.

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

October 3: the 2017 ALDS roster was revealed and Michael's name was on it!

photo courtesy of @MLBastian on twitter

Zack Meisel tweeted that Michael will start out as a pinch-hitter, but the Indians are hoping he can take on more as he goes, and T.J. Zuppe tweeted that Tito said carrying [Erik] Gonzalez with [Giovanny] Urshela allows for some aggressive pinch-hitting (Brantley).

Joe Noga's cleveland.com article explained Terry Francona's thinking further. "that's where (outfielder Michael) Brantley comes into play. his ability to hit for one of those guys, we view it kind of as a weapon. so we'll have someone over there who's really good defensively. if we feel the need to hit, we can."

and from Ryan Lewis' article on ohio.com, Tito continued, "you can keep a guy like Brantley, which we really wanted to. but then to make it realistic and helpful, you have to have Gonzalez. it's easy to say, 'we'll hit for him,' but if we don't have somebody to put in for defense, it doesn't really help. so one move necessitated another."

Michael making the ALDS squad did come at the expense of some other players though. "we had to make some difficult decisions for sure, especially because we got a little creative with our roster because of 'like' Brantley," the manager remarked in Chris Assenheimer's article on chroniclet.com. "so there were some relievers that we felt deserved to be on our roster, but we weren't able to do that."

despite that, Michael's teammates were happy to hear that he made the roster. "he's one of the best players in the league," Francisco Lindor lauded. "he's an All-Star, and it will be huge having him."

"everybody knows what kind of a player he is and what kind of leader he is," Joe Smith stated in Jordan Bastian's article on indians.com. "just having him back, with what he went through last year and not being able to play in these games, i know it hurt him. i'm excited for him. i know he's ready to go and pumped up."

photos courtesy of @Indians on twitter

Michael participated in a simulated game against Carlos Carrasco in the afternoon as well. one of his swings, a foul line drive, smacked a cleveland.com camera, as can be seen in cleveland.com's youtube video.

following the loud contact, pitching coach Mickey Callaway asked, "that hit your camera?" while Lindor commented, "he got money." Francona also inquired, "you work for the Indians? oh good..."

videographer John Pana was not injured and the camera survived, except for a broken microphone, according to Pana's article.

October 4: an article on indians.com by William Kosileski denoted that Michael was thrilled when he learned that he made the roster. however, Francona told Michael he won't play in the field to start the ALDS, but the Tribe's decision-makers and Michael are hopeful his role could go beyond just pinch-hitting.

"we also spoke about starting the series off with him on the bench," Tito disclosed. "but at some point, if he's able to do it, we'd love to put him in the field.

"we've talked about that a little bit. one, we're going to wait until we get through [today's] workout--i mean, we should do that. i mean, all intents are for him to be on the roster. if something during the workout presented itself and we had to revisit it, we could. can't rush it because we still have an obligation to him, too, as his health. he's in the middle of a good career, and you kind of have an obligation to look out for him, too." 

Michael's been intensifying his workouts over the past couple days to test his ankle, and it's passed every test so far. "i know it's one day, one time," he said before the team's workout. "but i tested it pretty hard the last couple of days and everything has responded well. i'm really excited about that. we'll see how it goes from there.

"any time you get hurt, you're always concerned whether you're going to get back. especially when there's a time crunch. i'm just excited that so many doctors and so many trainers have helped me to get back to this situation to be a part of this. it's very special."


ALDS Overview

the Indians appeared in their second straight American League Division Series this year, except their opponent this time was the winner of the AL Wild Card game. that contest was played on October 3 between the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees, and the Yankees emerged as the victors. the ALDS was a best of five with a 2-2-1 format and aired mainly on FOX Sports 1, but also featured one game on MLB Network.

the Tribe had home field advantage because they finished the 2017 season with a better record (102-60) than New York (91-71). the Indians were considered the favorites, but the series went the full five games. Michael played in three games, starting two and completing one. the Indians lost the series, 3-2.

the ALDS probably did not go as Michael would have liked in terms of his personal performance, but at least he finally got his feet wet a little bit in the first Division Series of his career where he wasn't a spectator. overall, Michael had a sad .091 batting average with a mere single and one walk. for his first appearance in an ALDS, it didn't go great. then again, he wasn't going into it under normal circumstances either. i think it's fair to say that had he not missed the majority of August and September with a deltoid ligament sprain and ankle synovitis, Michael absolutely would have put up better numbers and been more productive. there won't be an asterisk in the record books about this, but that's what i'm here for!😀

the series opened up at Progressive Field with Games 1 and 2 being played on October 5 and 6, respectively. the Indians won both games in front of sellout crowds. Michael was available to pinch hit in both contests and while he was not used/needed in Game 1, he got five at bats in Game 2 when he replaced designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who left the game after spraining his right ankle. as should have been expected, Michael was having a tough time adjusting at the plate and went 0-for-5 with two swinging strikeouts in the cleanup spot.

the series continued in the Bronx on October 8 and 9. Michael got his first career start in an ALDS on the 8th when he again took over the DH role for Encarnacion. if not for EE's ankle sprain, Michael likely would have played Game 3 as the left fielder. in this game, he was batting 7th, not because he's a No. 7 hitter, but because he simply hadn't played much lately, so justified Terry Francona. (more on this can be found in the Game Time Talk, At-Bat Details, Pictures, and Quotes section of the blog next.) Michael was rendered hitless for the second straight game, going 0-for-2, though he did manage to draw a walk. in Game 4, Michael moved up in the order, batting 6th, and went 1-for-4 with a single as the DH in his first complete game. sadly, the Indians lost both road contests and left NY with the series tied at 2.

sidenote: here's where i have to question what the hell Tito was thinking. the Indians had six starting pitchers on their 25-man ALDS roster. four were supposed to pitch Games 1-4, with Corey Kluber getting the ball in Game 5, should it be necessary. except, come Game 4, Tito couldn't use the tentative starter Josh Tomlin because Tomlin had already pitched out of the bullpen in previous games. i felt strongly that if Francona kept Tomlin on the starter path, the Indians win the series in 4 games, like i originally predicted. maybe instead of mucking with the bullpen that dominated all season and sticking starters in there, Tito should have kept the likes of Nick Goody, Dan Otero, and/or Zach McAllister in the 'pen. idk. anyway, Trevor Bauer volunteered to pitch Game 4 on short rest because he believes he's invincible and doesn't need four days rest. Francona liked that Bauer wanted to pitch and so he let him. well, Bauer wants to pitch every day, but you can't let him do that, can you, Tito? who's really running things here? but i digress.

do or die Game 5 took place back in the 2-1-6 on October 11. Michael did not get the start because lefty CC Sabathia was on the mound for NY. after Sabathia's night was done, Michael still didn't get into the game as either a pinch hitter or defensive replacement. the Indians were trailing NY the entire time, so i'm not sure why Francona wouldn't opt to see if Michael could get something going. the normally reliable bats that had been so hot during last two months of the regular season seemed to go cold in the final three games, opening the door for the Yankees to take advantage. ultimately, the Tribe could not get the clinch at home and had to watch the Yanks celebrate their advancement to the American League Championship Series on their own field. what a gut-wrenching blow.

last year, you could argue that the Indians might have won the World Series if they'd had Michael Brantley's bat. this year, you could argue that maybe the Indians move on to the ALCS if they'd had a Michael Brantley who didn't miss 50 games at the end of the regular season. Michael essentially used the ALDS as a rehab assignment, yet had more quality at bats in Game 4 than some of his teammates had all series; i don't know what their excuses were for underperforming.🤷

the Yankees will now head to Houston to play the Astros, with the first game being Friday, October 13. had the Indians advanced, they would have had home field against the 'Stros. it's funny though, after last year and now this one, playing at home doesn't seem to be any kind of advantage for this squad.😔

share your thoughts on the Indians' performance in the ALDS and Tito's decisions in a comment below because i'd love to hear from other fans. be a couch manager and tell me what do you think went wrong and what would you have done differently? lineup changes? roster changes? starting rotation changes? all of the above?💬


Game Time Talk, At-Bat Details, Pictures, and Quotes

October 5: prior to Game 1 of the ALDS, Jordan Bastian's article on mlb.com confirmed that Michael made the ALDS roster. "personally, it's just great to be back with this team," Michael declared. "i've said it before, this is a team effort all the way around, and whatever is best for this team. if i'm on the roster, which i am, i want to be able to help out in the best way i can. everyone in this locker room deserves to be a part of this, and we're going to do this together."

photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer
photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter
photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer
photo courtesy of John Kuntz via The Plain Dealer

later, Bastian's Pregame Minutiae blog on bastian.mlblogs.com provided an update on Michael from Terry Francona. "he's doing good. i would say he's gaining every day in confidence, in being able to move without maybe thinking about it first. i think that first step out of the box is always probably the toughest for him, but once he gets going, he's fine. we'll see where this leads. i'm trying to be mindful that, one, i'm happy for him that he's able to be involved. if it leads to more, that would be great. it's just, like i said, i want to be mindful of not hurting him, either. so, we'll try to balance that. i think his bat sitting over in our dugout i think can be a differencemaker, and that's the idea."

"Gonzalez will go in [after Michael pinch hits]. if we have a chance to change the game, we're going to hit him."

a twitter video, courtesy of SportsTime Ohio, shows Michael hanging with the guys during batting practice.

Michael was not brought in to pinch hit in Game 1.

October 6: William Kosileski tweeted that Francona announced Michael will come off the bench in tonight's game, work out tomorrow, and could start in Game 3 on Sunday [October 8].

a video from Tito's pregame media session on indians.com had more. "he's gonna be off the bench today. we'll have a workout in New York tomorrow at 4 o'clock, and if all goes well, he might play Sunday. so that's kind of where we're at. he's, i think getting to that point."

"that's kind of the plan, maybe," he went on in Ryan Lewis' ohio.com article. "we want to No. 1 make sure he's OK. but i think things are looking like we're going to be able to do that. but, i'll certainly check with him six more times. but i think he's going to be OK.

"one, i think he helps us win. but, two, i'm excited for him because last year he missed out. this year, with a lot of hard work, he's now going to be a part of what we're doing. and i think--i know it will mean a lot to him, and because of that, it means a lot to us."

during Game 2 versus the New York Yankees, Edwin Encarnacion left the game early in the bottom of the 1st inning with a right ankle sprain. when it was his turn again in the batting order in the bottom of the 2nd, Michael took his spot. oh, the irony. the Tribe led, 3-2, and Michael had to face Yankees starter, left-hander CC Sabathia with the bases loaded--Yan Gomes at 3rd, Francisco Lindor at 2nd, and Jason Kipnis at 1st--and 2 outs. going into the at bat, Michael was 1-for-13 lifetime against the southpaw. after an 0-2 count, in his first postseason appearance since October 2, 2013, and his very first career at bat in an American League Division Series, Michael swung and missed for strike 3 to end the inning. the pitch sequence went: called strike, called strike, swinging strike.

Michael's second AB of the game occurred in the bottom of the 5th inning with 2 outs and the Indians trailing, 8-3. after swinging and missing for strike 1, he grounded Sabathia's second pitch to 2nd base to end the inning once again.

in the bottom of the 7th inning, Michael came to the plate against right-hander David Robertson with 1 out and the Tribe only down, 8-7. after a 2-2 count, he struck out swinging for the second out and his second time in the game.

he got his next AB in the bottom of the 9th inning with Kipnis at 1st base, 2 outs, and the game tied at 8. Michael swung at lefty Aroldis Chapman's first offering and hit a ground ball to 2nd base for the inning-ending force. and so we were headed to extras,

Michael led off the bottom of the 12th inning with the game still tied at 8. righty Dellin Betances was on the mound and Michael swung at his first pitch. then home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called a strike on the second pitch, which was clearly high and should have been ball 1. Michael was not happy. with the count being 0-2, he swung at the next pitch and hit a grounder to 3rd base for the first out in the inning. and that would end Michael's night with an 0-for-5 performance.

on the bright side, here's a picture of Michael and the team celebrating Gomes' walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning to put the Tribe up, 2-0, in the series.

photo courtesy of @Indians on instagram

October 7: on their off day, the team had a workout in New York at 4 pm. prior to that, Francona spoke with reporters, and Joe Noga wrote in a cleveland.com article that Michael would be the DH in the game tomorrow. "it just kind of makes it easy. if you have a choice to make, and you have an open slot at DH, it just seems common sense to put (Brantley) there."

Bastian tweeted that where Michael would hit in the batting order would not be as easy of a decision for the skipper. "as far as the lineup goes, i don't know yet. i mean, one, we've got to check on Edwin. and then we'll put it together. Millsie and i will sit down later and kind of look at things. but, we need to talk to our guys first."

Michael, however, was certain that baserunning is not a problem for him. he went through a full workout on the field, shagging fly balls and running sprints. "i've been doing that a lot before the series even started, just making sure what i could handle, what i couldn't," he shared in Jason Beck's article on indians.com. "we had our limitations, but everything has been going great and i'm very happy where i'm at right now, and we just have to keep moving forward. i'm up for whatever the team needs me to do."

Francona added, "for him to get an opportunity to be part of what we're doing is extra meaningful to him."

here's a picture of Michael taking BP on the off day:

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

October 8: Michael got his first career start in an ALDS game when he was listed in the Indians lineup as the DH, batting 7th against the Yankees in Game 3.

photo courtesy of @mlblineups on twitter

in Francona's pregame presser streamed live on the Indians' facebook page, he clarified the decision. "he came in and hit early today. i thought the at bats off of CC [Sabathia], although difficult, were good for him because he's facing a left-hander. it's not ideal [for him to gain his timing in this context this time of year]. i think he'd say that. but if anybody can find his swing, it's Brantley. there's not very many moving parts. it's, you say 'simple' swing, i don't think that's probably the right term cause he puts in a lot of work, but there's not a lot of moving parts. and he can, he can fend, fend balls off if he needs to, he can fight for himself, and i think if we have an injury, it's awful nice having him able to slide in there. we hit him 7th tonight just because he hasn't been playing much. he's not a 7 hitter." (the written transcription of this can also be found on asapsports.com.)

Bastian's Pregame Minutiae blog on bastian.mlblogs.com contained additional thoughts from the skipper. "we just, Millsie and i just kind of sat and we actually had like three lineups. we kind of put him in there and we're trying to have, ultimately, the best lineup to win the game. but, you also want to have balance. i just think it was fair to him. Ramirez is hitting really good hitting third. Jay's doing [well]. i just thought it was a place where we could break up the right-handers and not put so much glare on him, because he really hasn't played that much. but, you put him in the seven hole, i bet ya there's not too many managers that would complain about having a guy like that come up--no at-bats or not. he'll find a way to help us win." (for my thoughts on this matter, check out the BOP Wherever Needed section of the blog further down.)

you can watch Michael take afternoon batting practice in this video from indians.com. he's in the cage at the 15:00, 19:00, 22:20, and 25:40 marks.

also before the game, Michael sat down to talk with Ken Rosenthal. i only transcribed the parts of the interview that specifically pertained to this postseason, from FOX Sports: MLB's twitter video. (click the link to hear about how Michael coached the guys in last year's playoffs when he was recovering from right biceps surgery.)

how much did jumping right back into Game 2 help him as he prepares for Game 3? "yeah. any time you get at bats under your belt, it's only gonna help. timing's everything as a hitter so, i'm just trying to work on getting my timing down, get down a little earlier, see the ball, slow it down, and just get back to the basics and help my team out."

what does it mean to him simply to be playing in these games? "it means a ton. it's a lot of hard work, a lot of effort by our training staff and doctors to get me back out here. we were in a time crunch even to make it back in the regular season and nothing was guaranteed so, it's a tribute to everybody helping me out and the hard work i put in and i just appreciate it so much to all of 'em."

if you want to see Michael being introduced in the starting lineup prior to the 1st pitch, that's in this video from indians.com.

coming into this contest, Michael had a .429 lifetime batting average (3-for-7) against Masahiro Tanaka with two doubles, one home run, and three RBI. since he was batting 7th, his first AB of the game didn't come until the top of the 3rd inning.😦 he led if off against the right-hander with no score and after a 3-1 count, he grounded out to 2nd base. the pitch sequence went: ball, ball, swinging strike (at a ball low), ball, groundout. Dennis Manoloff summarized the at bat in his postgame cleveland.com article, pronouncing that Michael is "clearly not right right re: ankle; he barely is using lower half in swing. missed hanging splitter on outer half. when right, he lines it to left for single." god forbid the guy just needs more Major League at bats to get re-accustomed to putting good swings on pitches, D-Man.🙄

in his second at bat in the top of the 5th inning with Santana at 1st base, 1 out, and the game still scoreless, Michael hit a ground ball to 2nd base on an 0-1 count for an inning-ending double play.

photo courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer

Michael's next and final trip to the plate came in the top of the 8th inning. he faced right-hander David Robertson with 1 out and the Indians trailing, 1-0, and drew a walk after a 3-2 count. the pitch sequence went: swinging strike, ball, ball, ball, foul, ball.

he was then lifted for pinch runner, Greg Allen. and so Michael finished the night going 0-for-2 with a walk. he worked some deep counts and even though he did swing at some pitches outside the strike zone, i think he did better in this game than his previous.

October 9: in Game 4, Michael got the start at DH once again except he was batting 6th in the Indians' lineup this time. for his career, he was 2-for-8 with a double, home run, and RBI against Yankees' starter Luis Severino.

photo courtesy of @mlblineups on twitter

in his daily press conference, Tito recounted what he discussed with Michael on the field in yesterday's game before removing him for a pinch runner in the top of the 8th. from Bastian's Pregame Minutiae blog on bastian.mlblogs.com, here's the story: "i just wanted to see--Chapman is obviously good. there are some stolen bases against him. i actually just wanted to talk to him a little bit before i just did it, just in case he was like, 'i can do this. i can steal this base.' he wasn't quite there. i didn't want to put him in a position where now he has to score from first on a double and he can't. so that was why. i know it looked a little irregular, but i just wanted to talk to him first."

as for Michael's swing over the last few games, Francona conceded, "it's pretty obvious that he's not like mid-season locked in. i still think he competes and he's intelligent. i'd bet you he'll find a way to help us win, whether he lays a bunt down or fires one into left or fights one off. there's a lot of belief in him, and i know it's not easy. he hasn't played very much."

Tito also specified that Michael isn't playing regularly now simply because Encarnacion is dealing with an ankle sprain. in the presser transcription on asapsports.com, he proclaimed, "we were going to play him in left field last night. but because of Edwin, it just seemed like common sense to, if you've got a guy fighting a foot or ankle thing, let him DH. i think the hope is that the more at-bats he gets, the more his timing will come back. and in the meantime, he finds a way to help us win a game. i know it's not ideal. both he and Lonnie haven't had a lot of at-bats. it's just that's where we are so we try to do the best we can."

Michael's first at bat of the scoreless game came in the top of the 2nd inning with 1 out and Jay Bruce at 1st base. on right-hander Severino's 7th pitch of a 2-2 count, Michael swung and missed at a ball for out #2. the pitch sequence went: called strike, ball, foul, foul, foul, ball, swinging strike.

over an hour later, Michael got his second AB with the Indians behind, 5-2, and 2 outs in the top of the 4th inning. he faced Severino again and after an 0-1 count, he lined out to center field to end the inning.

Severino was still pitching in the top of the 7th when Michael stepped in the batter's box with 1 out and the Tribe down, 7-3. after running the count full, he hit a ground ball single into right field for his first hit of the series! the pitch sequence went: called strike, foul, ball, ball, ball, single. it was the first hit by a DH (between both teams) in the ALDS as well, breaking an 0-for-26 skid, per Bastian.

Michael got a fourth AB in the game with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning and the Indians still losing, 7-3. this time he was facing righty Tommy Kahnle (the pitcher he hit his walk-off double against in the Tribe Home Opener on April 11), but "struck out looking" after a 2-2 count. it was the first bullshit called strike 3 on Michael of the postseason. Michael fouled Kahnle's first pitch off, then took two straight balls before fouling off the fourth offering. then he checked on a high pitch, which home plate umpire Brian O'Nora decided to call as strike 3. the evidence shows otherwise:

photo courtesy of @IndiansUmp on twitter

Michael, who's normally not very argumentative or vocal about calls, was not happy and he expressed as much to O'Nora as he walked away. good for him.👏

photos courtesy of Chuck Crow via The Plain Dealer

the Tribe wound up losing, 7-3. even though Michael had a 1-for-4 showing and two strikeouts on his game line, he still had his best at bats of the series, which was encouraging. i felt like he was finally making progress at the plate and was only going to get better with each game he played.

October 10: the Indians held an optional workout on their off day before Game 5.

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

Bastian wrote on indians.com that Michael may go back to pinch hitting if Encarnacion returns to the starting lineup. "some of it may depend on who's available," Tito informed. "Sabathia's been tough on him historically anyway. we may be better off having him on the bench. i haven't quite worked through that yet. obviously, a lot of that hinges on Edwin."

to the fans who were jumping for joy about Michael not starting because they think Michael is trash and the reason the Indians lost Games 3 and 4: 🖕🖕🖕 no, Michael does not have good career numbers against CC, but at the same time, how is he going to find his timing at the plate and get more reps if he's not playing? as the skipper has already mentioned, the situation certainly is not ideal. poor Michael can't do any more than he's doing and it just sucks. he has to use the postseason essentially to rehab, yet many Tribe "fans" are neglecting to remember that and simply think he's a garbage player now. i don't typically call out fans in my blogs, but i am fed up with the inaccurate criticisms; some of you are straight up dumbasses.

October 11: as expected, Michael was not in the Indians' Game 5 starting lineup. more surprisingly, despite the Indians trailing the entire game, Michael never got off the bench.

here's a picture of Michael in the dugout in the bottom of the 4th inning:

photo courtesy of John Kuntz via The Plain Dealer
 and a picture of Michael in the dugout in the bottom of the 8th inning:

photo courtesy of Thomas Ondrey via The Plain Dealer

at one point in the 8th inning i saw him in the dugout with his sweatshirt off, but by the 9th it was back on and i knew that Francona was not planning on pinch hitting him.

the Indians lost the game, 5-2, and so there was no ALDS champagne celebration for Michael and the Tribe this year.😭

Michael put the blame on himself and his teammates for losing the series in Bastian and Bryan Hoch's co-authored postgame article on indians.com. "everybody in this locker room has the utmost respect for Tito, including myself. he puts us in position to succeed every single day. [losing the series] has nothing to do with him. absolutely not. it's on us."

Zack Meisel tweeted how after the game, the Indians' clubhouse was quiet as a library and everyone sat silently except Michael, who went locker by locker hugging his teammates. a true leader up until the bitter end.

Lewis was the first to post a cryptic tweet (which he quickly DELETED!😲) that left me confused--Michael Brantley on coming back: "i started this journey in 2009 and i want to finish it the right way. i don't want to go out like this." i didn't know if he meant the team coming back next year and winning it all, or Michael returning next season.

Lewis posted a correction tweet later on, but Bastian publicized the full quote in his article on indians.com. "i started a quest back in 2009. i want to finish it the right way. i don't want to go out like this if it's my choice. it's not. i just look forward to hopefully being back here with this group of guys. i have amazing relationships with everybody in this locker room. great teammates. great team. i just look forward to being part of it for a long time." now that sounds more like a plea to the front office to pick up his option. if this was his final year as an Indian, which would really stink considering how he personally ended the season health-wise, i will forever miss him.💔

Michael and Josh Tomlin, another Tribesmen with a club option for next year, were talking quietly in the hallway outside the clubhouse after the loss. Bastian astutely observed that Michael had his hands inside his sweatshirt pocket. the nine year veteran admitted it's hard going into this offseason knowing that several teammates may not return. "absolutely. they're your teammates. they're your brothers. we have so many good baseball players, teammates and people in this locker room. it's going to be tough, but i love every one of these guys in here."

Meisel, Bastian, Lewis, Paul Hoynes, and T.J. Zuppe also did a late night podcast on soundcloud following the Indians' elimination, touching on Michael's team option and agreeing that it looked like Michael was saying goodbye to everyone. they also wondered why Michael had his walking boot on (as i referenced in the Brantley's September/October 2017 #s blog, i think it was just to keep his ankle braced so he didn't accidentally re-injure it, and partially to avoid having to sign autographs for fans after the game as well) and acknowledged that all his teammates signed it. where Michael goes from here is anyone's guess right now, but if his career with the Indians ended with a bullshit strike 3 called at bat, well that's a tough way to go out.😔

if you have anything to say about any of Michael's at bats in the three games he played in or the way he was used, leave a comment.


ALDS Team Batting Winner

normally, a player needs 3.1 plate appearances per game in order to be considered a qualifier and have his batting average ranked. well apparently things are a little different in the postseason because i saw on indians.com that Michael was listed as a qualifying player after Game 4 when he only had 3.0 PA per game. after he did not appear in Game 5, he was no longer in that group, so his .091 batting average cannot be ranked here. i was not able to find the criteria for playoffs regarding BA ranks, so if anybody knows how that works, please leave me a comment below!

every player had a rough time in this series. the player who had the highest ALDS batting average out of all the qualifiers on the team was Jay Bruce with his .278 BA. wow. the next closest average was .211!, owned by Carlos Santana.

and for the record, the other three qualifying players were Jason Kipnis, batting .182; Francisco Lindor, batting .111; and Jose Ramirez, batting .100. each player played in every game in the series. (with those numbers, it's easy to see how we lost.🙁)


BOP Wherever Needed

after missing so much time in the last two months of the regular season, Michael lost his 3rd spot in the batting order, at least for the ALDS. in this series, he bat 4th in one game when he came in to take the place of injured Edwin Encarnacion, 7th in the very first ALDS start of his career, and 6th in his third game of the series.

prior to the EE injury, Terry Francona's Top 4 was automatic, going Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez, and Encarnacion. Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana switched off between 5th and 6th depending on whether a lefty or righty was on the mound. and then the bottom third of the order consisted of the left fielder (Lonnie Chisenhall or Austin Jackson), the catcher (Yan Gomes or Roberto Perez), and Giovanny Urshela.

when i saw Michael was batting 7th, my first thought was "how insulting that he's hitting in the bottom three in front of Perez and Urshela." i understood the reasoning, but this had to feel like a demotion for him. and honestly, Brant hitting 7th reminds me of the Manny Acta days. my thinking was if you want the guy to get his timing back, he probably needs as many ABs as he can get, and generally, the guys batting at the bottom are lucky if they even step to the plate four times in some games. now i'm not saying he should be batting 3rd, but maybe 6th would have been a good spot for him. i'm Brant's #1 fan, so of course i'm gonna have his back on this, whether he's been out two months or not.😛☝

when Michael got his next start in the 6th spot, i figured that's probably the highest he's gonna go at this point. it's a catch 22 though because the lower he bats, the less he bats and the longer it takes for him to feel comfortable at the plate again. but i guess that's all a moot point now.

Michael reached base a total of 2 times via a hit and walk. he scored 0 runs in the ALDS. he was driven in 0 times versus left stranded 1 time by his teammates behind him, who were Chiz and Perez in this series. (once he was lifted for a PR, so i didn't count that here.)


Team Leads & Career Highs

Michael did not have any team leads in the American League Division Series.

since this was the first American League Division Series Michael has ever played in, every number he acquired was a career high: 1 hit, 1 single, 1 walk, 1 GIDP*, 4 strikeouts*, 1 total base, 12 plate appearances, 11 at bats, .091 batting average, .167 OBP, .091 SLG, and .258 OPS.

(*as i've noted in the past, setting career highs in the strikeouts and GIDP categories is not something a player strives for. but now, those numbers are the bars that Michael's future ALDS appearances will be measured against.)


HR, RBI, LOB, K Rate, and Outs

in limited game action in three games, Michael did not hit any home runs. the team leader in the ALDS was Jay Bruce with two homers. Francisco Lindor, Roberto Perez, and Carlos Santana, with one long ball apiece, were the only other players to hit a postseason home run.

Michael also did not acquire any RBI, but did leave 6 men on base. Bruce, Lindor, and Santana all tied for the team lead with four ribbies. Perez was next with two while Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, and Giovanny Urshela all had one. and that was it for the offense in this series.

Michael's K rate in the ALDS was 33.3% (4 K/12 PA). he struck out once every 3 plate appearances. even though it is a small sample size and he was still working his way back from an ankle injury, there's no denying that Michael looked particularly rusty as he swung at several balls that were low and outside the strike zone. it's been a theme all year and with him having been out for over seven weeks, there was no question that that would be a regular occurrence in this postseason series.

Michael had a total of 5 groundouts, 1 lineout, no flyouts, and no pop outs in the ALDS. despite the higher strikeout rate, he still followed suit with his ability to make contact with the ball more often than not.


Situational Statistics

Michael had a hit in 1 of the 3 games he played in the ALDS and reached base safely in 2 games. he had 2 hitless games, but still reached base in 1 of those. Michael had no multi-hit games, no three+ hit games, no multi-RBI games, no go-ahead hits, and no go-ahead RBI this series. the Indians were 1-2 in games that Michael played in and 1-1 the games he sat out.

in the ALDS, Michael bat .125 (1-for-8) against right-handed pitchers and .000 (0-for-3) against left-handed pitchers. it's gonna be really hard for me to evaluate the numbers in this section because he just didn't accumulate enough at bats to draw fair conclusions about his game play. clearly he had trouble against righties and lefties, but that's mainly due to lack of reps.

Michael bat .000 (0-for-5) in 1 of 3 games at home. he did not hit safely in the 1 home game he played in and did not safely get on base in it. he was hitless in 1 home game and did not reach base in it.

Michael bat .167 (1-for-6) in both of the games away from Progressive Field (at Yankee Stadium). he hit safely in 1 of the 2 road games he played in and safely reached base in both of them. he was hitless in 1 road game, but still reached base in it.

Michael hit .000 (0-for-1) with runners in scoring position in the ALDS. to be more specific, he hit .000 (0-for-1) with RISP and 2 outs. he did not come to bat at all with RISP and 0 outs or RISP and 1 out. whether healthy or coming back from an injury, Michael continued to be ineffective with RISP and 2 outs.

with 2 outs in an inning in the ALDS, Michael bat .000 (0-for-4). nothing new there, sadly.

additionally, he hit .000 (0-for-4) with runners on base and .000 (0-for-1) with the bases loaded in the ALDS. so no matter which base a runner was on, Michael was unable to either move him over or get him home.

Michael also bat .143 (1-for-7) with the bases empty. he had 1 single, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking).




now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his ALDS #s, the 4th spot #s, the 6th spot #s, the 7th spot #s, the DH #s, the PH #s, and the PH for DH #s**.

**because Michael came into a game to PH for the DH, the category "PH for DH" has been added into these stats. his one appearance as the PH for the DH counts for both his PH stats AND DH stats.

being a PH for the DH complicates a player's stats in terms of adding everything up. if you try to add Michael's PH #s + DH #s for the ALDS, the sum is NOT going to equal his total numbers; you'll be one at bat over his actual total and have an incorrect overall BA. i always add up Michael's #s like that to cross check my calculations. since that doesn't work here, the only way to get an accurate total is to add up his BOP #s (4th #s + 6th + 7th #s). that should clear things up if anyone was confused.


2017 ALDS batting average: .091

OBP: .167

SLG: .091

OPS: .258


Michael played in 3 (of 5) games in the ALDS, 1 complete.

he came in to PH in 1 game. he came in to PH in the bottom of the 2nd inning in 1 game and then stayed in the game as the DH, which also made him the PH for DH in the game.

he was lifted for a PR in 1 game in the top of the 8th inning.

he was the DH in 3 games. (1 PH for DH)

he did not play in 2 games.


Michael bat 4th in 1 game. (PH/PH for DH/DH)

Michael bat 6th in 1 game. (DH)

Michael bat 7th in 1 game. (DH)


Michael was a PH in 1 game. (PH for DH)

Michael was the PH for DH in 1 game.

Michael was the DH in 3 games. (1 complete, 1 PH for DH)

Michael played in 1 complete game.



in the 2017 ALDS, Michael had a total of 12 plate appearances and 11 at bats. here is how he fared:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

1 GIDP

4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)

1 total base

6 left on base


3 games

(1 complete game)

2017 ALDS batting average: .091 (1-11) (3 games)


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


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

0 hits

2 strikeouts swinging

4 left on base


1 game

(0 complete games)

2017 ALDS batting average in the 4th spot: .000 (0-5) (1 game)


when Michael bat 4th and was a PH in the ALDS, 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

3 left on base


1 game

2017 ALDS batting average in the 4th spot as a PH: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


when Michael bat 4th and was the PH for DH in the ALDS, 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

3 left on base


1 game

2017 ALDS batting average in the 4th spot as the PH for DH: .000 (0-1) (1 game)


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

0 hits

2 strikeouts swinging

4 left on base


1 game

(0 complete games)

2017 ALDS batting average in the 4th spot as the DH: .000 (0-5) (1 game)


when Michael bat 6th in the ALDS, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking)

1 total base

1 left on base


1 game

(1 complete game)

2017 ALDS batting average in the 6th spot: .250 (1-4) (1 game)


when Michael bat 6th and was the DH in the ALDS, he had a total of 4 plate appearances and 4 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking)

1 total base

1 left on base


1 game

(1 complete game)

2017 ALDS batting average in the 6th spot as the DH: .250 (1-4) (1 game)


when Michael bat 7th in the ALDS, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 walk

1 GIDP

1 left on base


1 game

(0 complete games)

2017 ALDS batting average in the 7th spot: .000 (0-2) (1 game)


when Michael bat 7th and was the DH in the ALDS, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

0 hits

1 walk

1 GIDP

1 left on base


1 game

(0 complete games)

2017 ALDS batting average in the 7th spot as the DH: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
 

when Michael was the DH in the ALDS, he had a total of 12 plate appearances and 11 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 walk

1 GIDP

4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)

1 total base

6 left on base


3 games

(1 complete game)

2017 ALDS batting average as the DH: .091 (1-11) (3 games)


when Michael came in to PH in the ALDS, 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

3 left on base


1 game

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


when Michael was the PH for DH in the ALDS, 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

3 left on base


1 game

2017 ALDS batting average as the PH for DH: .000 (0-1) (1 game)



now here are my 2017 ALDS game-by-game numbers and notes.

ALDS Game /1, October 5: did not play.

ALDS Game 1/2, October 6: 0-5. AVG: .000
4th/PH-DH/2-GF(13) 

^^Michael did not start this game, but came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 2nd inning. then he stayed in the game as the DH for the remainder of the game. (the game went 13 innings.)^^

ALDS Game 2/3, October 8: 0-2, walk. AVG: .000
7th/DH/GS(8)

 ^^Michael was lifted for a pinch runner in the top of the 8th inning after drawing a walk.^^

ALDS Game 3/4, October 9: 1-4, single. AVG: .091
6th/DH/CG(9)

ALDS Game /5, October 11: did not play.



in the 2017 Postseason, Michael had 12 plate appearances and 11 at bats in 3 games. in total, he had 1 hit, 1 single, 1 walk, 1 GIDP, 4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking), 1 total base, and 6 left on base.

2017 Postseason/ALDS batting average: .091 (1-11)

OBP: .167

SLG: .091

OPS: .258


keep following me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for any and all offseason news about Michael. the Indians will announce whether they picked up his 2018 club option no later than three days after the World Series ends, so keep a lookout at the beginning of November for a blog about that. fingers crossed he returns.🤞

btw, i am still working on getting the Brantley's 2017 Situational #s & Statistics (from the regular season) wrap up blog posted. i also have other blogs coming over the next two months, so if you'd like to be notified when they go live, you can easily sign up for my subscription list by entering your email address in the box underneath the Blog Archive sidebar over on the upper right side of the page.📧

168 days until Indians' Opening Day on March 29, 2018!
😔

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