let's keep this series of wrap up blogs going with my breakdowns of Michael Brantley's BOP numbers for 2017.
not one Cleveland Indians player bat in the same spot in the lineup for the entire year, but Michael sure came close. when he was healthy, he owned the 3rd spot--at least until the end of the season, that is. Terry Francona really liked Michael batting in the 3 hole, so much so that he repeatedly defended his choice to critics. the guys hitting in front of and behind Michael, however, changed numerous times throughout the 2017 campaign.
Carlos Santana was batting leadoff for the team when the season got underway. Francisco Lindor bat 2nd ahead of Michael, with Edwin Encarnacion batting cleanup and Jose Ramirez hitting in the 5th spot. Yandy Diaz, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Jason Kipnis all got their turns batting 6th in April.
in May, Tito settled on a lineup with Kip leading off, and Lindor, Brant, Santana, Encarnacion, and Ramirez batting consecutively after him. June's main lineup was similar to what it was in May until Michael went
on the Paternity List on June 16 and then the 10-Day DL on June 19 with a right ankle sprain. upon his return, Encarnacion was batting cleanup behind him once again, followed by Ramirez, Chiz, and Santana.
Kip landed on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain in July, which then allowed Bradley Zimmer to bat leadoff against right-handed pitchers, and Santana and/or Brandon Guyer to lead off against left-handers. Lindor and Brantley stayed at 2 and 3 in the lineup, while Ramirez moved up to the cleanup spot, pushing Encarnacion down to 5th. Chiz and Santana then shared the 6th spot.
through August 8, the only change in the order came against lefties, when Lindor would lead off and Guyer would bat 2nd. otherwise, everything else stayed the same... until Michael sprained his right ankle again. once Michael hit the 10-Day DL on August 9, that opened the door for major
lineup changes. the Top 4 mainly became Lindor, Kipnis, Ramirez, and Encarnacion, though sometimes Austin Jackson would hit 2nd with a southpaw on
the mound. newly acquired
Jay Bruce and Santana took turns between the 5th and 6th spots depending on the handedness of the starting pitcher. after 50 games,
Michael was deemed ready to play ball again and was activated on
September 30. he did not reclaim his usual BOP (3), but was used as a pinch hitter
in the final two regular season contests, and that is when he bat 9th
and 4th for the first and only times this year.
now let's talk numbers. since Michael played all but two of his 90 games batting 3rd, that's where the majority of his stats registered in 2017, including: 100 hits, 20 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 52 RBI, 47 runs, 31 walks, 11 stolen bases, 50 strikeouts, 149 total bases, and .299 batting average. i'm going to shine a light on a few of those in particular.
Michael had a short spring training, which he was basically using to rehab from his biceps tenodesis (surgery) in August 2016, and was therefore still getting re-acclimated to Major League pitchers at the beginning of the regular season. that was particularly apparent in regards to his swing and miss rate. Michael definitely had his share of bad at bats where he could not lay off balls that were high/low and outside the strike zone. it took him a while to rectify that and make adjustments. in the end, his 50 strikeouts for the year were abnormally high, but it is understandable considering he was searching for his timing at the plate for much of the campaign early on and then again at the end of it.
in what may have come as a surprise to some, Michael seemingly developed more power thanks to all the conditioning he did while recovering from surgery. as a result, he hit five of his nine total home runs in April. but there was a time when he went through a 54-game drought without
hitting a homer. after that, he hit three homers in six games at the end of July and one in August before he went down with another ankle sprain. i don't think you can point to his spot in the batting
order as far as that was concerned; if a power lull was in the cards for
Michael, changing his BOP was probably not going to make a difference. but i would have liked to have seen how many he could have hit had he not missed those 50 games in August and September...
Michael's overall hitting with runners in scoring position was down this season when compared to his career average. (i will dive more into that in my future Brantley's 2017 Situational #s & Statistics blog.) that said, he still drove in 52 runners, but while he hit 3rd, he left a total of 135 men on base. wow. it's unrealistic to expect him to have had 187 RBI this year, but clearly the opportunities were there for him to have driven in more and had even more of an impact on games.
on the flip side of that, Michael reached base a total of 143 times via hits, walks, hit by pitches, fielder's choices, forceouts, and fielding errors.
he scored 47 runs total, nine of which came from his own home runs. he was driven in 38 times by other players and left stranded 95 times.
(once he was lifted for a pinch runner, so i didn't count that.) unless a batter hits 80 home runs, he's gonna have to rely on the bats of others in order to have a high number of runs scored. all year i made remarks in my monthly blogs that the main guys hitting behind Michael didn't perform very well when he was on base. the numbers speak for themselves and back me up on that.
at one point in 2017, Michael led the team in both stolen bases and batting average. let's start with his steals. he successfully stole 11 and got caught once. i think after his first ankle sprain, he was definitely a little gun shy when it came to stealing, so aside from missing a copious amount of time at the end of the year, his steals total is low. as for Michael's average, well, that's also low compared to what we're grown accustomed to seeing from him. still, if people don't realize by now that Michael is, at worst, a .300 hitter when he's not fighting injuries, i don't know what else to tell them.
in the smaller sample size category, Michael also got to bat cleanup once this season, as well as 9th one time. these instances occurred at the end of September/October when he'd at long last been cleared to play again after a lengthy DL stint for his prolonged right ankle issues, namely a deltoid ligament sprain and ankle synovitis. he struggled batting 4th, going hitless in two at bats after replacing Encarnacion in the lineup in the final game of the season. on the contrary, he put together an outstanding 10-pitch AB when batting 9th in a pinch hit appearance in Game 161 that resulted in a single, making it look like he hadn't just missed the previous 50 games. not much can be drawn from either BOP performance, but that base hit sure resembled vintage Michael.
i personally like Michael batting 3rd in the order. when he's healthy, he can put up tremendous numbers in that spot, as he did in 2014 and 2015. despite his challenges this season, coming back from shoulder surgery and then having to battle through ankle sprains, i still believe his stats were solid and that he did better than some other players would have done under the same circumstances.
in regards to defense, Michael only played left field in 2017, just as was expected and will likely remain the case should the Indians pick up his 2018 club option and not try to move him to 1st base next year.😒 anyway, early on, it was obvious that he was hesitant when going after certain balls and consequently played it safe. as the season continued, however, Michael found comfort in his outfield surroundings again and made several remarkable catches, including two dives. the strength and ability of his throwing arm was never in question and he obtained a total of eight outfield assists--one of which was part of a double play--in only 87 games. i'm sure he would have hit double digits and possibly set a new career high in assists had he not missed so many games at the end of 2017 with that ankle sprain. he did wind up as the co-leader in outfield assists along with Zimmer though.
sadly, Michael committed one error (fielding) as the left fielder this year. it's always rare when he's charged with an error simply because he doesn't make many. he takes pride in his defense and really doesn't like when plays don't get made. maybe his error on June 10 lit a fire under him because he threw a runner out at home in the very same inning of that game, and then threw out another runner at 2nd base three innings later, giving him the first two-outfield assist game of his career.
aside from one PH appearance, Michael's other LF numbers are almost exactly the same as his numbers while batting 3rd in the order. when used as a PH, Michael only got one hit in his three at bats in three games. he had consecutive PH appearances in the final two games of the regular season, as he was working his way back from his deltoid ligament sprain and ankle synovitis. he still wound up with a .333 BA as a pinch hitter though.
Michael also played one full game as the DH in early July to get him off his feet a bit and had a great game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI triple. despite the hitless showing in his DH role in the last game of the year, he finished with a .333 BA as a designated hitter, too. i'll take it.
Michael played in 90 (of 162) games in 2017.
Michael bat 3rd in 88 games. (1 DH)
Michael bat 4th in 1 game. (PH/PH for DH)
Michael bat 9th in 1 game. (PH)
Michael was a PH in 3 games. (1 PH for DH)
Michael was the DH in 2 games. (1 complete, 1 PH for DH)
Michael played in 73 complete games.
Michael
played left field in 87 games, for a total of 731.0 innings. (86 started, 72 complete, 1 defensive switch: 2
innings, 10 subbed out: 70 innings, 2 left early with injury: 7.1 innings, 2
lifted for PR: 15 innings)
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.
Michael missed 60 games due to injury. he missed 50 games with a right ankle sprain and 10 games with a more specifically diagnosed deltoid ligament sprain and ankle synovitis.
Michael missed 1 game due to the birth of his child.
Michael missed 4 games while he was on the Paternity List.
Michael had 7 scheduled games off.
in 2017, Michael had a total of 375 plate appearances and 338 at bats in 90 games. here is how he fared:
101 hits
30 extra base hits
71 singles
20 doubles
1 triple
9 home runs
52 RBI
4 sac flies
47 runs
31 walks
3 intentional walks
2 hit by pitches
11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)
1 caught stealing (2nd)
8 GIDP
50 strikeouts (40 swinging, 10 looking)
24 first at bat hits
150 total bases
139 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
1 error
1 double play
731.0 innings, 90 games
(73 complete games)
2017 batting average: .299 (101-338) (90 games)
OBP: .357
SLG: .444
OPS: .801
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 372 plate appearances
and 335 at bats in 88 games. breaking
down the numbers are as follows:
100 hits
30 extra base hits
70 singles
20 doubles
1 triple
9 home runs
52 RBI
4 sac flies
47 runs
31 walks
3 intentional walks
2 hit by pitches
11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)
1 caught stealing (2nd)
8 GIDP
50 strikeouts (40 swinging, 10 looking)
23 first at bat hits
149 total bases
135 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
1 error
1 double play
731.0 innings, 88 games
(73 complete games)
2017 batting average in the 3rd spot: .299 (100-335) (88 games)
OBP: .358
SLG: .445
OPS: .802
when Michael bat 4th in 2017, he had a total of 2 plate appearances
and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking
down the numbers are as follows:
0 hits
4 left on base
1 game
(0 complete games)
2017 batting average in the 4th spot: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
OBP: .000
SLG: .000
OPS: .000
when Michael bat 9th in 2017, he had a total of 1 plate appearance
and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking
down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 game
(0 complete games)
2017 batting average in the 9th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
OBP: 1.000
SLG: 1.000
OPS: 2.000
defensively,
Michael played strictly in left field this year. he also played a couple of games as a PH and the DH, mostly towards the end of the season. next i am going to break down Michael's numbers based on where he played in the outfield, along with his where he hit in the lineup while playing left field, as a PH, as the DH, and as the PH for DH**.
**Michael's 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 OF #s + PH #s + DH #s together, 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 (3rd #s + 4th #s + 9th #s). that should clear things up if anyone was confused.
Michael appeared in 87 games in the outfield, starting 86 games and completing 72 games.
he was a defensive switch into the outfield in 1 game for 2 innings after a PH appearance.
he was subbed out defensively in 10 games after playing a total of 70 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, 8 games after playing a total of 55 innings (7
innings/7 innings/5 innings/7 innings/7 innings/8 innings/7 innings/7 innings per
game) because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more
than enough in the game, and 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were losing a
blowout.
he left 2 games early with a sprained right ankle after playing a total of 7.1 innings (3 innings/4.1 innings per game).
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.
Michael appeared in 87 games in left field, starting 86 games and completing 72 games.
he was a defensive switch into left field in 1 game for 2 innings after a PH appearance.
he was subbed out defensively in 10 games after playing a total of 70 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, 8 games after playing a total of 55 innings (7
innings/7 innings/5 innings/7 innings/7 innings/8 innings/7 innings/7 innings per
game) because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more
than enough in the game, and 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were losing a
blowout.
he left 2 games early with a sprained right ankle after playing a total of 7.1 innings (3 innings/4.1 innings per game).
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.
Michael appeared in 3 games as a PH. he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning in 1 game. he came in to PH in the bottom of the 5th inning in 1 game and then was subbed out defensively. he came in to PH in the bottom of the 5th inning in 1 game and then stayed in the game as the DH, which also made him the PH for DH in the game.
Michael appeared in 2 games as the DH, starting and completing 1 game.
when Michael played the outfield in 2017, he had a total of 366 plate appearances
and 330 at bats in 87 games. breaking
down the numbers are as follows:
98 hits
29 extra base hits
69 singles
20 doubles
9 home runs
51 RBI
4 sac flies
44 runs
30 walks
3 intentional walks
2 hit by pitches
11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)
1 caught stealing (2nd)
8 GIDP
48 strikeouts (39 swinging, 9 looking)
22 first at bat hits
145 total bases
132 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
1 error
1 double play
731.0 innings, 87 games
(72 complete games)
2017 batting average while playing the outfield: .297 (98-330) (87
games)
OBP: .355
SLG: .439
OPS: .795
when Michael played the outfield and bat 3rd in 2017, he had a total of 366
plate appearances and 330 at bats in 87 games.
breaking down the numbers are as follows:
98 hits
29 extra base hits
69 singles
20 doubles
9 home runs
51 RBI
4 sac flies
44 runs
30 walks
3 intentional walks
2 hit by pitches
11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)
1 caught stealing (2nd)
8 GIDP
48 strikeouts (39 swinging, 9 looking)
22 first at bat hits
145 total bases
132 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
1 error
1 double play
731.0 innings, 87 games
(72 complete games)
2017 batting average while playing the outfield in the 3rd spot: .297 (98-330) (87 games)
now let's break down the numbers based on where he hit in the lineup while playing left field.
when Michael played left field in 2017, he had a total of 366 plate appearances
and 330 at bats in 87 games. breaking
down the numbers are as follows:
98 hits
29 extra base hits
69 singles
20 doubles
9 home runs
51 RBI
4 sac flies
44 runs
30 walks
3 intentional walks
2 hit by pitches
11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)
1 caught stealing (2nd)
8 GIDP
48 strikeouts (39 swinging, 9 looking)
22 first at bat hits
145 total bases
132 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
1 error
1 double play
731.0 innings, 87 games
(72 complete games)
2017 batting average while playing left field: .297 (98-330) (87 games)
OBP: .355
SLG: .439
OPS: .795
when Michael played left field and bat 3rd in 2017, he had a total of 366
plate appearances and 330 at bats in 87 games.
breaking down the numbers are as follows:
98 hits
29 extra base hits
69 singles
20 doubles
9 home runs
51 RBI
4 sac flies
44 runs
30 walks
3 intentional walks
2 hit by pitches
11 stolen bases (9 - 2nd, 2 - 3rd)
1 caught stealing (2nd)
8 GIDP
48 strikeouts (39 swinging, 9 looking)
22 first at bat hits
145 total bases
132 left on base
135 putouts
8 assists
1 error
1 double play
731.0 innings, 87 games
(72 complete games)
2017 batting average while playing left in the 3rd spot: .297 (98-330) (87 games)
2017 #s while playing the outfield: 135 putouts, 8 assists, 1
error, 1 double play, 0.993 fielding percentage (731.0 innings, 87 games)
2017
#s while playing left field: 135 putouts, 8 assists, 1 error, 1 double
play, 0.993 fielding percentage (731.0 innings, 87 games)
now let's break down his PH numbers.
when Michael came in to PH in 2017, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 3 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 strikeout swinging
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
2 left on base
3 games
2017 batting average as a PH: .333 (1-3) (3 games)
OBP: .333
SLG: .333
OPS: .667
when Michael came in to PH and bat 3rd 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 in the 3rd spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
when Michael came in to PH and bat 4th 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 left on base
1 game
2017 batting average as a PH in the 4th spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
when Michael came in to PH and bat 9th in 2017, he had a total of 1 plate appearance and 1 at bat in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 game
2017 batting average as a PH in the 9th spot: 1.000 (1-1) (1 game)
now let's break down his DH numbers.
when Michael was the DH in 2017, he had a total of 7 plate appearances and 6 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
2 hits
1 extra base hit
1 singles
1 triple
1 RBI
3 runs
1 walk
1 strikeout looking
1 first at bat hit
4 total bases
6 left on base
2 games
(1 complete game)
2017 batting average as the DH: .333 (2-6) (2 games)
OBP: .429
SLG: .667
OPS: 1.095
when Michael was the DH and bat 3rd 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 game
(0 complete games)
2017 batting average as the DH in the 3rd spot: .500 (2-4) (1 game)
when Michael was the DH and bat 4th in 2017, he had a total of 2 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
0 hits
4 left on base
1 game
(0 complete games)
2017 batting average as the DH in the 4th spot: .000 (0-2) (1 game)
now let's break down his PH for DH numbers.
when Michael came in to PH for the DH 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 left on base
1 game
2017 batting average as the PH for DH: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
OBP: .000
SLG: .000
OPS: .000
when Michael came in to PH for the DH and bat 4th 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 left on base
1 game
2017 batting average as the PH for DH in the 4th spot: .000 (0-1) (1 game)
leave your thoughts on Michael's BOP #s in a comment below!ðŸ’💻
coming up next:
Brantley's 2017 Situational #s & Statistics
ICYMI:
Brantley's 2017 Game-by-Game Numbers & Notes
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