Brantley's March/April 2018 #s

hi, Brantley fans! i'm back with the first monthly blog of the 2018 regular season!📅 as i left off in my previous post, Michael Brantley was activated from the disabled list on April 6 after opening the year on the 10-Day DL. despite his time in extended spring, Michael received additional days off in April in an effort to make sure the left fielder didn't overexert himself as he continued to get back to playing on a regular basis again. (btw, if you haven't read my two Brantley's Cactus League 2018 Rehab blog posts, i will link them here: Rehab Details and Rehab #s. if you did already read them, thank you so much!🤗)

the team's caution seems to be working because so far, Michael's ankle has been holding up well and he repeatedly says he feels great. (we can't ask for more than that, right?) the DL stint and extra time off, however, resulted in Michael only playing in two-thirds of the games this month. nevertheless, there's a lot of things to discuss and i'm going to get into it all for you shortly. but first, i need to go over some important information.

ordinarily, i like to acknowledge viewers from countries who've never visited my blog before in my intro. well, i didn't see any new countries in my audience over the past month. my readers come from many different places all around the world and at this point, i think it will be a surprise if any newbies pop up here going forward. (i'd love it if they did though!) so instead, when no new views appear, i'm going to shout out the Top 3 countries to view my blog. in April, those include

Brantley's 2017 #s Through August

okay, so maybe i was on to something when i wrote in the Brantley's 2017 #s Through July blog that this year might need to be a "Just Get Through It" type of season for Michael Brantley. (if you haven't seen it or would like to re-read my theory, it's at the bottom of the post.) except, he's hit a snag in that game plan due to his lingering right ankle sprain, of which the latest status can be found in the DL Updates section of my Brantley's August 2017 #s blog.

Michael will be lucky if he even plays 100 games this year. at no point this season did i ever think that would be the case--until now. in my preseason predictions blog, i assumed he'd accumulate at least 125 games, and that was including some extra off days to give his right shoulder a break. i could never have anticipated that he'd miss so much time because his ankle would give out on him. i know it's not his fault, but i can't hide my disappointment in the situation and i'm sure other fans feel the same. forget about Comeback Player of the Year. at the moment, we just need him to come back, period.😞

so when will Michael return? it's unclear because he has yet to resume running and, according to one of the last August updates from Terry Francona, his ankle still needs to heal. but hopefully Michael will be back sooner rather than later in September so that he can get himself going again and finish out the regular season strong and on a good note, or at least try to, before he and the Cleveland Indians embark on playoff baseball!🤞

since Michael barely played in August, his overall numbers have

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:

Brantley's 2017 #s Through June (+ All Star Ballot Results)

these first three months of Michael Brantley's 2017 baseball campaign haven't exactly gone off without a hitch. April was great for Dr. Smooth--his best month so far--which gave every Indians fan the impression that he was back to his old self. conversely, in May, he suffered a right ankle sprain and struggled in some offensive categories, making that month slightly pedestrian. then in June, Michael was unable to significantly add on to his overall stats because he not only spent time on the Paternity List after welcoming a new baby into his family, but was also on the disabled list while dealing with continued ankle soreness. combine that with a couple extra days off early in the season and Michael has missed more games than anticipated to this point.

still, it hasn't all been bad. i mean, his shoulder seems to be holding up quite well. (knock on wood.) and if his ankle issue is now in the past, i think we're going to see some vintage Brantley numbers coming in these last three months of the year. but before we get to that, let's recap what he's done through June.

this blog tallies Michael's 2017 regular season numbers and statistics from April 3 - June 30.


so far in 2017, Michael has 240 plate appearances and 216 at bats in 57 games (484.0 innings). in total, he has 66 hits, 20

Brantley's 2017 #s Through May (+ All Star Ballot Results)

as promised, this is the blog containing Michael's total numbers so far this year. not everyone is curious about a baseball player's statistics within a month, i get that, but most fans are typically interested in current overall numbers, and that is why i now will be writing two blogs at the end of every month. these types of posts feature Michael's 2017 regular season numbers up to the point in the year that we're at. this particular blog covers April 3 to May 31. the format is the same as in my monthlies, except certain sections have been eliminated because they're just not all necessary here.

the main difference between my two blogs is this: the cumulative season blogs focus solely on Michael's numbers, while the monthlies provide stats as well as detailed information that i feel is important to document in regards to each month.

in case you're new or need a refresher, let me quickly give a rundown of what you can expect to find in my 2017 #s Through... blogs this season:
--current overall #s recap
--batting average competition
--team leads and career highs
--HR:RBI ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs
--reached base vs. left stranded (new section this year!)
--streaks and situational statistics
--#s versus AL Central Division teams
--interleague play #s
--league rankings

Brantley's April 2017 #s

hey there, Brantley fans! guess what? Michael played a full month in the regular season and had no physical health issues! when was the last time i could claim that, right? his rehab was such a lengthy process, and i want to thank each and every one of you who followed his journey back to the majors along with me by reading all my blogs about his post-surgery progressions. (and in case you missed the two previous posts containing Michael's Cactus League Rehab information, i will link those HERE and HERE.)

that's all in the past now, fortunately, as Dr. Smooth seems to be rapidly returning to his normal self. and that means i am back in business re: writing a standard monthly blog. it's been a loooooong time since i've been able to do so and you have no idea how happy i am about it. but because it's been a while, i want to provide an outline of what you can expect to find in my monthly compositions. whether you're new to my blog or already familiar with it, this should be helpful in navigating your way around and trying to find the topics that you're most interested in reading.

to keep everything clear and separated, i divide my blogs into sections. this season, i've decided to switch around the order of my presentation a bit, but each month will typically include:
--a monthly overview
--health updates (if applicable)
--batting order position information/changes
--areas of concern
--team batting winner

Brantley's 2016 #s Through August

by now i'm sure everybody has heard that Michael Brantley's 2016 season officially came to an end when he underwent biceps tenodesis for his chronic right biceps tendinitis on August 15. the good news is he's expected to make a full recovery in four months. the bad news is he has no chance to build on his numbers for the year anymore. as a result, this is going to be another "#s Through" blog much like the previous two i've posted. once again, if you see (unchanged) next to a section, it means nothing was added to it, and sections without that marking include new/different information from the last time you viewed them.

note: even though Michael's season is over and his statistics will not be changing, i am going to continue using the present tense when listing them below. i'm also still going to address his numbers and stats throughout this blog using the terms "through August" and "after five months" simply to keep the timeline of the season straight. however, i am no longer using "so far" and "thus far" when describing his stats because they are indeed final.


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

2016 batting average through August:

Brantley's Overall 2016 Minor League Rehab #s

as promised, here is the blog featuring Michael Brantley's overall 2016 minor league rehab numbers. if only i was posting this because he was back in the big leagues again. sigh. unfortunately, Michael just had season-ending surgery on August 15. therefore, there is no more wondering about when he will resume his rehab, cause it's done.

this blog combines Michael's rehab numbers from April with his rehab numbers from July. (oddly enough, Michael played as many rehab games this year as he did regular season games with the Cleveland Indians.) he spent time rehabbing with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Lake County Captains, Akron RubberDucks, and Columbus Clippers. i have done a cumulative breakdown of Michael's overall numbers as well as broken down his total numbers from each minor league team he played with.

THERE ARE FIVE SECTIONS OF STATISTICAL BREAKDOWNS IN THIS BLOG. FEEL FREE TO SKIM THROUGH CERTAIN PARTS AND/OR JUST FOCUS ON WHAT YOU MOST WANT TO READ ABOUT.


i'm beginning with how Michael did in his OVERALL 2016 minor league rehab assignment, which incorporates stats from his appearances with the Scrappers, Captains, RubberDucks, and Clippers all together.

Brantley's 2016 #s Through July

Michael Brantley has not added to his overall season numbers since May 9, but that very well could [finally!] change in August lol until then, we've got another "#s Through" blog that's vastly similar to the last one i posted a month ago. for your convenience, i have denoted sections that weren't modified in any way with (unchanged) next to them. otherwise, everything else contains new information and was updated accordingly.


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

2016 batting average through July:

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

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

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


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

2016 batting average through June:

Brantley's 2016 #s Through May

this blog contains Michael's 2016 season numbers through the month of May. it follows the same format as my monthly blogs, except the sections have been rearranged and some have been omitted. also, due to Michael's lack of play through May, this blog has less information in it than usual.


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

2016 batting average through May:

Brantley's April 2016 #s

Michael Brantley spent most of the month of April on the DL, as he was still trying to make his way back from offseason right shoulder surgery. during his rehab, he played seven games with minor league teams in advance of finally being activated by the Indians on April 25. despite him not playing very much with the big league team this month, the blog must go on. this one will be shorter than usual though, something i think everyone will appreciate after the previous two LONG blogs i posted about his rehabilitation. (if you have not read those yet, they can be found here and here.)

before i get into Michael's April, let me provide a quick rundown of how i do these monthly blogs, just in case you're a new or recent reader of my blogspot. last year, i began sectioning out specific topics of discussion so they'd be easier to see and allow you the option to skim through certain parts or skip to the sections you were most interested in. i'm going to continue doing that, and the divisions generally include:

--a monthly overview
--areas of concern
--lineup changes
--health ailments affecting Michael's performance
--team batting title competition
--HR:RBI ratio, LOB, K Rate, and Outs
--streaks and situational statistics (ie. hit in/reached in, RHP/LHP, home/away, RISP, runners on, bases loaded, bases empty, multi-hit games, multi-RBI games, go-ahead hits/RBI)

Brantley's 2016 Cactus League & Minor League Rehab #s and My Expectations

this is the second part of Michael Brantley's rehab information. it contains Michael's numbers and statistics from his rehab game appearances, spanning from March 17 - April 23, 2016, as well as what my expectations are for him for the 2016 regular season. if you're looking for a very thorough account of his daily progression during this time period and/or details about all his rehab game plate appearances, then please read this in conjunction with my previous blog: Brantley's 2016 Spring Training & In-Season Rehab Details.

because Michael's rehabilitation took longer than expected due to a setback and a brief shutdown period between March 23 and April 11, the overall blog that i had originally planned on doing became far too lengthy. therefore, i cut it into two separate posts--one detailing his daily update information and this one, focusing solely on his rehab numbers and statistics. you're welcome.


now that Michael's rehab is finally done, i will go over how it went and break down all the numbers for you the best i can. please bear with me, as this is not going to be one of my typical Brantley Spring Training #s blogs. once the month of April is over, i can get back to business and write a monthly blog like i normally would, excluding the handful of regular season games he missed, of course.

this blog is divided into different sections comprised of:

Brantley's 2015 #s Through August

Michael just got done putting together a colossal month in August and that moved him right into the thick of things regarding team highs, league rankings, and even the American League batting race. it was incredible and i am so proud of him! he now has up to 32 games to play in before 2015 comes to an end, and if Michael can do anything close to what he did in August in these final weeks, then strap in tight folks because we are gonna be in for a really fun ride to the finish line. go Brantley!



so far in 2015, Michael has a total of 516 plate appearances and 453 at bats in 117 games (885.1 innings). in total, he has 146 hits, 51 extra base hits, 95 singles, 40 doubles, 11 home runs, 73 RBI, 5 sac flies, 60 runs, 56 walks, 8 intentional walks, 2 hit by pitches, 14 stolen bases (13 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 12 GIDP, 43 strikeouts (31 swinging, 12 looking), 32 first at bat hits, 219 total bases, 187 left on base, 181 putouts, 7 assists, 2 errors, and 1 double play.

2015 batting average through August: .322 (146-453)

OBP: .395

SLG: .483

OPS: .879


Michael's .322 batting average is currently the highest on the team out of all the qualifying players. he now has a 3-point lead on Jason Kipnis, who's batting .319.


note: never before in Michael's career has he been

Brantley's 2015 #s Through July

sorry for the delay on this blog. as i said in the blog i posted yesterday, the worst thing that can happen at the end of a month is the Indians playing late night West Coast games because it cuts my calculation time in half. but everything's all done now so let's jump right into it.

Michael's been looking really good since he got those 4 days off during the All Star break, but as a whole, his stats so far just don't rank very high around the league. it's no secret he's been dealing with a back strain since the first day he reported to spring training, so i don't think you can expect much more from him at this point. that's not to say he's doing bad, but he won't be in the MVP race this year or win another Silver Slugger award. nonetheless, his numbers through July are much better than what some other players would be putting up if they had been playing hurt all season. (just check the stats of some of the Indians who played hurt last year.) with 2 months left in 2015, anything can happen, and for Michael, i hope it's nothing but positive things so he can finish the year out strong.



so far in 2015, Michael has a total of 408 plate appearances and 357 at bats in 93 games (734.0 innings). in total, he has 107 hits, 38 extra base hits, 69 singles, 30 doubles, 8 home runs, 56 RBI, 4 sac flies, 41 runs, 46 walks, 5 intentional walks, 1 hit by pitch, 11 stolen bases (10 - 2nd, 1 - 3rd), 1 caught stealing (3rd), 9 GIDP, 30 strikeouts (19 swinging, 11 looking), 28 first at bat hits, 161 total bases, 149 left on base, 145 putouts, 7 assists, 1 error, and 1 double play.

2015 batting average through July:

Brantley's 2015 #s Through June

before i get into this, let me just say that some of Michael's numbers to this point are not where anyone would have expected them to be. in order to get the full story as to why that is, be sure to read my Brantley's June 2015 #s blog in advance of this blog, which contains his overall statistics thus far.

**blogger's note: even though it's been somewhat difficult personally for me to watch various stats of Michael's decrease on a nightly basis, my blogs for this season are not going to stop. yes, Michael may be playing too much and not getting any significant time off to rest and potentially gain some strength back in his back, and consequently his numbers may be suffering. but i started documenting Michael's numbers years ago for a reason and i am no quitter. granted, it has not been as fun this year as in the past because he's having a rough go due to injury. and while there may not be a turnaround coming for him any time soon, i will support him regardless, defend him continuously, and make sure the truth is out there.

Michael is still doing an overall sufficient job, all things considered, but he certainly had higher expectations put upon him this year because of his outstanding 2014 AL MVP-3 season. so far, many could argue there have been numerous times when he

Brantley's 2015 #s Through May

there isn't much i need to say to lead this new blog off. i just figured it would be better to separate all Michael's monthly numbers from his seasonal numbers up to the point in the year that we're at. it's fairly simple. my sections and number break downs will follow the same format as in my monthly blogs, though i have rearranged some things. so without further ado, here is how Michael is doing thus far in 2015.


so far in 2015, Michael has a total of 195 plate appearances and 169 at bats in 43 games (339.0 innings). in total, he has 51 hits, 21 extra base hits, 30 singles, 17 doubles, 4 home runs, 30 RBI, 3 sac flies, 21 runs, 23 walks, 2 intentional walks, 7 stolen bases (2nd), 4 GIDP, 13 strikeouts (8 swinging, 5 looking), 13 first at bat hits, 80 total bases, 77 left on base, 70 putouts, 5 assists, and 1 double play.

2015 batting average through May:

Brantley's April 2015 #s

i was going to start this off by welcoming you to another season of Brantley blogs, but since i've already written several blogs in 2015, that wouldn't make much sense lol you know what they say, there's really no offseason in baseball.

What's New This Year

--new look: because i have a tendency to write a lot [more than i used to] in the beginning of my blogs before getting into Michael's numbers for the month, i am using some dividers so readers can clearly see what topic(s) i'm going to be talking about. then if you don't want to read about that particular thing, you can simply skip it and scroll down to another section.

--new links: any blog that i've previously written and want to re-link in a monthly blog will be a bold hyperlink so it stands out better for you to see.

--new addition: i'm documenting Michael's #s against the

Brantley's Spring Training 2015 #s and My Expectations

happy days are here again--it's baseball season!

i never really had much of an offseason this year because every time i turned around, Michael made it onto another list or was announced as a finalist for some prestigious baseball award. so i continually had to write new blogs from October to December, and even a few in January. not that i'm complaining. but i kept myself very busy with that, plus a new project i'm working on. stay tuned ;D

going into 2015, a big question on everyone's mind is what

Brantley's March/April 2014 #s

**blogger's note: it is important for me to make it known that this year i have been going through some health issues that i've never had to deal with before. it has been challenging, as i feel like crap almost on a daily basis. i am going to try my hardest to get these monthly blogs written and posted in a timely manner, but there may be times when i just can't get them posted immediately after the month ends. i have never been a slacker, it's just that now sometimes my health (or lack thereof) prevents me from doing what i love. my apologies in advance should this occur at any time this season and thank you for reading.


as my readers already know, i try to step up my Brantley documentation every year that i do it by providing more and more game details. i've added new colors to my color coding system in my notebook, but i don't think it's overwhelming to everything else that i normally keep track of. on top of that, i have a new section in my notebook dedicated to Brantley's ABs against right-handed vs. left-handed pitching; with RISP; with RISP and 0 outs, 1 out, and 2 outs; and with 2 outs in the inning. however, there is no way i am listing all those statistics here in my blogs. but you can be assured that because i am documenting those numbers daily, all of Brantley's #s here are accurate, even without me presenting the proof. now let's get to his first official blog of the 2014 season.


Michael's usual tendency is to start the season a little slow, and then by the end of April he normally takes off. that pattern did not hold true in 2014. Michael started out very well and was leading the team in almost every category on April 24. immediately after that, we faced some tough interleague play and unfortunately, Michael did not get one hit. that really brought his overall batting average down, as well as the BAs of his BOPs. every out in the month(s) of March/April takes the BA down a lot more than it would in say the month of August or September. this is not a good time to be slumping, because it will be a difficult hill for him to climb to get that average back up to something respectable.

however, as evidenced by some of his other numbers, he still amazingly had a productive month. Michael wasn't the only batter who had a rough start to the season, which explains why he still currently leads the team in some categories. not only that, but Michael even set a few career highs for himself. so it wasn't all bad.

it's still early right now, and even though i am disappointed in some of his numbers, i'm not yet worried or concerned that he can't come back from this. i believe he will get his average back up as the season continues. this could be a season similar to his 2012, where he started out slow and gradually built his numbers up as the year went on. Michael is just too good a hitter to keep trending down, he's got nowhere left to go but up.

Michael had a hit in 19 of the 27 games he played in March/April and reached base safely in 24 games. Michael reached base in 15 straight games from April 9 - April 24 as well.

he bat .246 (15-for-61) against right-handed pitchers and .270 (10-for-37) against left-handed pitchers. Michael usually hits both righties and lefties about the same, not to mention fairly well. so as the season goes on, i expect those numbers to get closer together.

Michael hit .310 (9-for-29) with runners in scoring position, 2nd highest on the team, and provided the team with 17 RBI. he also hit .250 (1-for-4) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, .455 (5-for-11) with 1 out and RISP, and .214 (3-for-14) with 2 outs and RISP. with runners on base, Michael hit .326 (15-for-46) with 18 RBI. additionally, he's batting .667 (4-for-6) with 9 RBI when the bases are loaded, which is already a BIG improvement from a year ago. he finished with a team high 20 RBI, also a career high for March/April. his 20 RBI currently tie him for 7th in the American League and tie for 11th overall in the league. furthermore, Michael's batting .226 (7-for-31) with 2 outs.

a pleasant surprise this month was seeing Michael hit 4 home runs in just 7 games. 4 home runs is a team high and career high in the month of April for him. he didn't hit his 4th home run last year until June 19! so the fact that Michael has already hit 4 balls out of the park has many wondering if he's finally developed power. while the long ball is a nice thing for Michael to add to his repertoire, i certainly don't expect him to hit 24 homers this season. and as i've said plenty of times in the past, that's okay.

besides leading the team in home runs and RBI, Michael also leads the team with 25 hits and 42 total bases (career high). he's tied for the team lead with 4 stolen bases, another career high, and 13 runs scored. he's currently 4th on the team with 10 walks. out of all the regular starters, Michael has the least amount of strikeouts with 8. he also leads the outfielders with 3 assists, yet another career high for Michael for the month. his .255 BA is actually 2nd highest on the team when counting only the players with at least 60 at bats for the month. moreover, Michael is 2nd in SLG and OPS, and 3rd in OBP.

there's no denying these team rankings are very good, but something tells me these numbers won't lead or be near the top of the club for long. the players who are slumping now will eventually come out of it, and Michael's going to need to make up for his mini slump from his California road trip if he wants to continue being one of the best players on the team.

the M.O. for Michael so far this season is that he hits 5th in the lineup against right-handed starters, and 6th against the left-handed starters. while Bourn was on the DL, Michael played left field while batting 5th, and center field while batting 6th. conversely, Michael did play left and hit 6th against left-handed starters, as well as play center and hit 5th against lefty starters on occasion. also while Bourn was out hurt, Michael was part of a defensive switch in one game, moving from left to center field part-way through. as Bourn slowly started playing games again, there was one game where Michael moved from center to left field so Bourn could play center for the final inning, in order to give us a better outfield defensively. when Bourn came back for good, Michael started batting 6th and playing left field exclusively against the lefties. so it's a safe bet that Michael will now mostly be playing left field (as long as Bourn is healthy) and teetering between the 5th and 6th spots depending upon who's on the mound for the opposition.

i'm personally relieved that Michael seems to finally have more of a regular home in the lineup this year. and just like last season, right now he's thriving the most in the 5 hole. also like last season, that seems to be the best place for him to get more RBI opportunities and rack up that total as well.

now let's talk about defense. i was aware that Michael would be seeing more time in center field this season, but i never really anticipated that Tito would be moving Michael from left to center and vice versa during games. one such defensive switch came on April 2, when Michael went from left field to center and Raburn went from PH to left field. in the 7th inning, Raburn did not hear Michael call for a fly ball, his glove banged into Michael's, and that resulted in neither outfielder catching the ball. to my dismay, Michael was then charged with an error, putting an end to his franchise setting errorless streak as an outfielder. that record now stands at 247 consecutive games, but it could have been so many more had Raburn given way to the CF, as is the unspoken rule in baseball. for more details about this incident, see my previous blog here.

aside from that unfortunate error, Michael still played stellar defense in both left and center field. he made some spectacular catches as the center fielder, robbing players of extra base hits. he also had 3 very nice assists. two came as the left fielder, one during the Indians home opener game when he threw a runner out at the plate. the 3rd assist came while Michael was playing center field, when he threw a runner out who was trying to go from 1st to 3rd base. these 3 assists tie Michael for the most assists among outfielders in the American League so far.

wherever Michael plays in the outfield, he is one of the best defensive players on the team and undoubtedly makes our team defense better when he is out there. he recorded 47 putouts and made some tough catches look easy. i'm so confident in Michael that i'm going on record as saying Michael will not have another error for the rest of the year. we shall see if my confidence in him is warranted as the remainder of the season plays out.



now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his March/April #s, the 5th spot #s, and the 6th spot #s, as well as the left field #s and the center field #s.


April batting average: .255

OBP: .327

SLG: .429

OPS: .756



Michael played in 27 (of 28) complete games in March/April. he started and played left in 19 games, completing 18 of those games. he started and played center in 8 games, completing 7 of those games. he was part of a defensive switch in 2 games, once moving from left to center during a game and once moving from center to left. he played 4 innings when moved over to center with 2 official at bats. he played 1 inning when moved over to left, with no official at bats. the one game he did not play in was just Tito giving him a day off.


Michael bat 5th in 18 games.

Michael bat 6th in 9 games.


Michael played left field in 20 games.

Michael played center field in 9 games.


in March/April, Michael had a total of 110 plate appearances and 98 at bats. here is how he fared:

25 hits

16 singles

5 doubles

4 home runs

20 RBI

1 sac fly

13 runs scored

10 walks

1 hit by pitch

4 stolen bases

3 GIDP

8 strikeouts (5 swinging, 3 looking)

5 first at bat hits

42 total bases



48 left on base

47 putouts

3 assists

1 error

234.0 innings, 27 games

(27 complete games)

March/April batting average: .255 (25-98) (27 games)



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



when Michael bat 5th in March/April, he had a total of 75 plate appearances and 68 at bats in 18 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

19 hits

12 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

18 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

32 total bases


39 left on base

29 putouts

3 assists

1 error

157.2 innings, 18 games

(18 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 5th spot: .279 (19-68) (18 games)


when Michael bat 5th and played left in March/April, he had a total of 70 plate appearances and 63 at bats in 17 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

17 hits

10 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

8 runs scored

5 walks

1 hit by pitch

3 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

30 total bases


38 left on base

28 putouts

2 assists

144.2 innings, 17 games

(16 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 5th spot while playing left: .270 (17-63) (17 games)


when Michael bat 5th and played center in March/April, he had a total of 5 plate appearances and 5 at bats in 2 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

2 hits

2 singles

4 RBI

1 run scored

2 total bases


1 left on base

1 putout

1 assist

1 error

13 innings, 2 games

(1 complete game)

March/April batting average in the 5th spot while playing center: .400 (2-5) (2 games)


when Michael bat 6th in March/April, he had a total of 35 plate appearances and 30 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

6 hits

4 singles

1 double

1 home run

2 RBI

4 runs scored

5 walks

1 stolen base

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

10 total bases


9 left on base

18 putouts

76.1 innings, 9 games

(9 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 6th spot: .200 (6-30) (9 games)


when Michael bat 6th and played center in March/April, he had a total of 27 plate appearances and 23 at bats in 7 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

5 hits

3 singles

1 double

1 home run

2 RBI

3 runs scored

4 walks

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

9 total bases


8 left on base

16 putouts

58.1 innings, 7 games

(6 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 6th spot while playing center: .217 (5-23) (7 games)


when Michael bat 6th and played left in March/April, he had a total of 8 plate appearances and 7 at bats in 3 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

1 hit

1 single

1 run scored

1 walk

1 stolen base

1 total base


1 left on base

2 putouts

18 innings, 3 games

(2 complete games)

March/April batting average in the 6th spot while playing left: .143 (1-7) (3 games)



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



when Michael played left in March/April, he had a total of 78 plate appearances and 70 at bats in 20 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

18 hits

11 singles

4 doubles

3 home runs

14 RBI

1 sac fly

9 runs scored

6 walks

1 hit by pitch

4 stolen bases

1 GIDP

5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)

3 first at bat hits

31 total bases


39 left on base

30 putouts

2 assists

162.2 innings, 20 games

(18 complete games)

March/April batting average while playing left: .257 (18-70) (20 games)


when Michael played center in March/April, he had a total of 32 plate appearances and 28 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:

7 hits

5 singles

1 double

1 home run

6 RBI

4 runs scored

4 walks

2 GIDP

3 strikeouts (2 swinging, 1 looking)

2 first at bat hits

11 total bases


9 left on base

17 putouts

1 assist

1 error

71.1 innings, 9 games

(7 complete games)

March/April batting average while playing center: .250 (7-28) (9 games)



March/April #s while playing left: 30 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (162.2 innings, 20 games)

March/April #s while playing center: 17 putouts, 1 assist, 1 error, 0.947 fielding percentage (71.1 innings, 9 games)

March/April #s while playing the outfield: 47 putouts, 3 assists, 1 error, 0.980 fielding percentage (234.0 innings, 27 games)



now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 1, March 31: 2-4, double, double. AVG: .500
(batting 5th/LF/CG9)

April 1: game postponed, to be made up April 2.
(6th/CF)

Game 2, April 2 (Day Game): 1-3, single (first at bat). AVG: .429
(6th/CF/CG8) 

^^Michael sets new franchise record with 247 consecutive errorless games in the outfield^^
**Michael's 247 consecutive errorless games streak ends**
 
Game 3, April 2 (Night Game): 1-4, walk, RBI groundout, 2-run single. AVG: .364
(5th/LF - 5 innings, CF - 4 innings/CG9)

Game 4, April 4: 1-4, reached on fielder's choice, 2-run single. AVG: .333
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 5, April 5: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .316
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 6, April 6: 3-5, single (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, single. AVG: .375
(5th/LF/CG9)

April 7: game postponed, to be made up April 9 in a traditional DH.
(6th/CF)

**Michael's 6-game hitting streak ends**

Game 7, April 8: 0-4. AVG: .321
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 8, April 9 (Game 1): 1-3, single (first at bat). AVG: .323
(6th/CF - 8 i, LF - 1 i/CG9)

Game 9, April 9 (Game 2): 0-3, walk. AVG: .294
(6th/CF/CG9)

Game 10, April 10: 1-4, double. AVG: .289
(6th/CF/CG8)

Game 11, April 11: 1-4, walk, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .286
(6th/CF/CG8)

Game 12, April 12: 1-3, 2-run single (first at bat), walk, walk, run scored. AVG: .289
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 13, April 13: 1-3, walk (first at bat), home run, run scored, reached on fielder's choice, reached on fielding error, run scored. AVG: .292
(6th/CF/CG8.1)

April 15: game postponed due to cold, to be made up July 19 in a day-night DH.

Game 14, April 16: 0-3, hit by pitch, stolen base. AVG: .275
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 15, April 17: 2-5, 2-run single, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .286
(5th/LF/CG8)

Game 16, April 18: 1-5, single, stolen base. AVG: .279
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 17, April 19: 0-3, walk. AVG: .266
(6th/CF/CG9)

Game 18, April 20: 2-3, home run (first at bat), run scored, RBI double, walk, run scored. AVG: .284
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 19, April 21: 1-4, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .282
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 20, April 22: 2-4, single, stolen base, run scored, single. AVG: .293
(5th/LF/CG9)

Game 21, April 23: 1-3, single, stolen base, run scored, walk. AVG: .295
(6th/LF/CG9)

Game 22, April 24: 1-3, RBI single, run scored. AVG: .296
(5th/CF/CG9)

**Michael's 15-game on-base streak ends**

Game 23, April 25: 0-4. AVG: .282
(5th/LF/CG8)

Game 24, April 26: 0-3, walk. AVG: .273
(5th/LF/CG8)

Game 25, April 27: 0-3. AVG: .264
(5th/LF/CG8.2)

Game 26, April 28: 0-4, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .253
(6th/LF/CG8)

Game 27, April 29: 1-3, double, RBI sac fly. AVG: .255
(5th/LF/CG8)

April 30: not in lineup.



i really hope that Michael will go on a hot streak in May. i'd love to see him string together a nice long hitting streak á la 2012 ;D