Brantley's 2018 #s Through August

hey, Brantley fans! can you believe we're into September already? seriously, how have five months of baseball season gone by so fast? and it's very bittersweet this year because that means we have also come upon the final month in the regular season that Michael will play as an Indian before he explores the free agent market. the Michael Brantley Era in Cleveland is truly almost over. ugh. i can't even process that reality yet...😞😟😢😭💔

okay, now that i've depressed the hell out of everyone, let me try to pick things back up. Michael's 2018 campaign has gone extremely well so far. he did much better in some months than others, but he's currently on the upswing and right track with his hitting. highlights to this point include his 19-game hitting streak, his career high 27-game on-base streak at home, hitting his first and second career grand slams, hitting his sixth career walk-off, and being named an All Star for the third time. lowlights include difficulty finding consistency out of the break, continued problem areas, specifically hitting with RISP and 2 outs, struggles against left-handed pitching, and an inexplicable inability to hit well on road (until last month, that is). but overall, he's mainly got exceptional season stats.

and let me remind y'all, too, that the most important thing to focus on might just be the fact that he's healthy! for the first time since 2015, Michael is not

Brantley's 2018 #s Through July

hi there, Brantley fans! we are two-thirds of the way through with the 2018 baseball campaign, can you believe it? i mean, where has the time gone, am i right? sadder still is this means Cleveland Indians fans only have two months left (in the regular season, at least) to enjoy watching Michael play in a Tribe uniform before he becomes a free agent and most likely signs somewhere else. sigh.😟💔

to give you a brief summary of what's occurred thus far in Michael's season, he put up excellent performances in both April and May, but the past two months have been challenging to say the least. he's been struggling in some areas that he generally does very well in, particularly with runners in scoring position, on the road, and against left-handed pitching. normally one of the most consistent, reliable, and clutch hitters in the game, it's surprising that Michael is having trouble in these specific categories. there is definite room for improvement, as you will soon see, and i know he'd agree. with this being his walk-year especially, him playing well is very important. the good news is, he still has a good amount of time to turn things around. oh and on another positive note, he's remained healthy this year, too!😀🙏

okay, let's get to the numbers. in this blog, you will find Michael's 2018 regular season numbers and statistics covering March 29 - July 31.

so far in 2018, Michael has

Brantley's 2018 #s Through June (+ All Star Ballot Results)

hey, Brantley fans! so we're already halfway through the season in terms of both games--81 down, 81 to go--and months. the year is just flying by. luckily, i've been keeping busy with my blog work in an attempt to distract myself from the reality that there are only three months left in the Michael Brantley Era in Cleveland... the tears will be coming, but for now, i'm trying to enjoy every day that he's still playing in a Tribe uniform.😔

to recap Michael's season thus far, he had a very hot start to 2018, but has since cooled off. if you read through my Brantley's June 2018 #s blog, then you know he struggled in just about every facet of the game. it was very disheartening to see Michael go from batting .366 (30-for-82) during his 19-game hitting streak in May, to batting .243 (25-for-103) over his next 26 games, including nine 0-fers, since then. however, because he excelled so much in both March/April and May, the majority of his overall numbers and situational statistics remain strong.

another big positive is, he's been healthy. not only that, but the extra off days Terry Francona was giving Michael in the beginning of the campaign are no longer necessary. i think we can officially stop worrying about his ankle now (knock on wood👊). and here's hoping that the new calendar month will bring Michael back to the high level of performance that we're used to and he's capable of.

this post contains Michael's

Brantley's 2018 #s Through May

hey, all! two months of Michael Brantley's final year with the Tribe have already passed, can you believe it?!😔 the season is going by fast, but Michael is making every second of it fun to watch.😎

so this is the second blog of the two that you can expect from me at the end of every month and it includes Michael's overall numbers for the 2018 campaign so far. this specific post covers March 29 through May 31. if you're not that concerned with stats per month and just want to know Michael's total numbers to this point in the year without all the extra detailed information that i provide in my monthlies, then this is the blog for you.

in this and all my future 2018 #s Through... posts, you will find the following sections:
--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
--streaks and situational statistics
--#s versus AL Central Division teams
--Interleague play #s
--league rankings

Brantley's May 2018 #s

what's up, Brantley fans? thank you all who read my Brantley's March/April 2018 #s blog. it was a long one, but i hope you found it informative and worth your time.😀

i also want to thank and welcome my new viewers from Cameroon! hi!👋 i'm honored that you found my site and it's great to see Michael has fans all the way in Central Africa!👌 throughout the duration of this month, my site saw the most visitors from Russia, the United States, and Germany (in that order). props to all of you in those countries for keeping up with all the news about Dr. Smooth and i appreciate all of your clicks.👍 leave a comment below and let me know you were here. then check back next month to see if there were any changes in where my largest audience is coming from. feel free to share my posts to better your chances of being in the Top 3!🥇🥈🥉

as i stated in my previously monthly blog, you're going to get two posts from me filled with numbers and statistics at the end of every month now. this one focuses on May and May alone. the upcoming second post will contain Michael's overall numbers and stats so far for 2018 and will be linked at the bottom of this blog once i finish it.

and if you haven't heard, 2018 MLB All Star Game voting begins

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 May 2017 #s

hi again, Brantley fans! let me begin by thanking everyone who read my Brantley's April 2017 #s blog. i know it was long, but i hope you at least found some of the stuff in there interesting! also, while i have no new viewers from the past month to acknowledge, i did notice an abundance of views from people in France. so i want to express my gratitude that you all took the time to check out my writing and read about Dr. Smooth! n'hésitez pas à partager mes publications si vous les aimez!😉

this blog contains Michael's numbers and additional pertinent information from the month of May. if you want season stats and details about his overall numbers so far in 2017, that separate post is linked at the bottom of this one.

and don't forget: if you haven't done so yet, please vote for Michael and your other favorite Cleveland Indians to go to the 2017 All Star Game this July 11. click here for all the voting rules and tips on how to ensure that your ballots are being submitted correctly.

now let's get into Michael's May!


May Overview

for Michael, the month of May was an anomaly. sure there were some definite highlights, but it was not

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 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 May 2016 #s + DL Updates

hello, Brantley fans! i want to take a minute to thank all the people who read my Brantley's April 2016 #s blog. i'm also happy to welcome my new readers in the Philippines, Bahrain, and Antigua & Barbuda! i greatly appreciate you coming here and taking time out of your day to view my blog!

just a reminder: from here on out, you will be getting two blogs from me after every month ends. the first will contain Michael's numbers and other information from the month that just wrapped. the second is going to detail his cumulative stats in 2016 and will be linked at the end of my monthly post.

now without further ado, let's get into Michael's May, because, even though he didn't play many games, there's still a lot to cover.


May Overview

May did not turn out how anybody had hoped for Michael. while i think we were all aware that he wouldn't be able to play a "full" month, no one was prepared for the

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 May 2015 #s

hello again, Brantley fans! i want to take a moment to thank everyone who read my last blog, Brantley's April 2015 #s, and also welcome some new readers--what's up Moldovans!

as i told you last month, there was going to be an additional change to my Brantley blog break downs that you would not see until now. well here it is. because of the plethora of numbers that i calculate for Michael, i have decided it would be best to do TWO blogs at the end of every month going forward: one documenting Michael's current monthly stats, and the other documenting his overall 2015 stats. so this blog will contain only his #s acquired in the month of May.

shortly after this goes live, i will post another blog with all of Michael's 2015 #s through May. the format for that should be quite similar to how i've been doing my past monthly blogs and will include the new changes i added this year as well. it's gonna be more work for me, but it should make things much clearer for you, which i hope everyone will appreciate.

now let's get into Michael's May.


May Overview

this is what continuing to play through a back injury looks like. all-in-all, it wasn't a