Lindor & Ramirez Win Louisville Slugger's 2018 Silver Slugger Awards!

hey, Tribe fans. today, on November 8, Fran Charles and Eric Byrnes revealed on MLB Network that the Cleveland Indians have two Silver Sluggers on their team! Francisco Lindor won Louisville Slugger's 2018 American League Shortstop Silver Slugger Award & Jose Ramirez won Louisville Slugger's 2018 American League 3rd Baseman Silver Slugger Award! this is the second Silver Slugger for both and second straight year that the two won the award together. congratulations!👏

photo courtesy of @MLBNetwork on twitter

Brantley Named to MLB's 2018 AL All Star Team!

third time's the charm! hi, Brantley fans! our boy Michael has been named an All Star for the second year in a row and is going to Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on July 17 as an American League outfield reserve!⭐⭐⭐👏👏👏

the happy news came tonight, on July 8 during ESPN's All Star Selection Show. Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees are the starting outfielders for the American League team, which we basically already knew weeks ago. as soon as the very first AL All Star ballot updates came out, it was pretty apparent that those three would be starters.

Michael was in 4th place on the fan ballot for the first two updates before he fell to 5th on the third released update. then, on July 2, MLB Communications posted one last voting update and Michael remained in 5th place. though he'd gained 299,302 votes since June 26, he was 48,285 votes behind George Springer of the Houston Astros and 927,972 votes behind 3rd starter Judge. Betts held a whooping 2,025,730-vote lead on Michael, who was only ahead of 6th place Andrew Benintendi of the Red Sox by 22,241 votes. Brant was never really in the running to start, sadly.

thankfully, Michael was selected by his peers to be an AL All Star reserve player for the third time in his career! he's the only Indians outfielder to

Brantley Not Ranked in MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now

happy pitchers and catchers report day, Tribe fans! spring training is here and Cactus League games begin in just nine days! so what better time for MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now? the three-day countdown features hosts Greg Amsinger, Bill Ripken, and Ron Darling, as per usual. in six one-hour episodes between February 14-16, the Top 100 Players currently in Major League Baseball going into the 2018 season are being unveiled. this year's reveal is coming in 20-player increments in the first four installments, followed by the Top 20 in the final two shows, with the Top 10 broadcast airing live.

photo courtesy of @MLBNetworkPR

this Top 100 list is compiled by

Brantley Not Ranked in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now

hello, baseball fans! MLB Network is currently in Week 3 of the Top 10 Right Now series where the best players at each position around the diamond are ranked. the 8th annual program has been airing on Saturdays this year, differing from Sundays a year ago and Thursdays in 2016. tonight, on January 27, the "Top 10 Right Now: Left Fielders" show premiered at 9 pm ET.

screenshot cropped from a video on m.mlb.com

host Brian Kenny was once again joined by analyst Eric Byrnes to reveal the Top 10 LFs presently in baseball going into the 2018 season, as determined by

Corey Kluber Wins BBWAA's 2017 AL Cy Young Award!

it's week two of the baseball awards and the Indians have yet another winner in their midst. this evening, on November 15, it was announced that Corey Kluber won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2017 American League Cy Young Award! this is Kluber's second Cy Young of his career, having previously won it in 2014. congratulations, Klubes!👏

photo courtesy of @MLB on twitter

this year, Kluber was a Cy Young finalist along with Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox and Luis Severino of the New York Yankees. he finished with

Carlos Santana Wins Wilson's 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Award!

another day, another trophy for an Indians player! this evening, on November 10, it was announced that Carlos Santana won Wilson Sporting Good's 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Award at 1st base! this is the first Defensive Player of the Year Award of his career. congratulations, Santana!👏

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

created by Wilson in 2012 to recognize the best defensive players in the game, this award uses several defensive metrics to determine its nine winners. a player's defensive WAR (wins above replacement) counts for 25%, Defensive Runs Saved factors in by another 25%, Inside Edge field ratings and Inside Edge arm ratings are 20% apiece, and the final 10% is based on

Lindor & Ramirez Win Louisville Slugger's 2017 Silver Slugger Awards!

baseball awards season is well underway and this evening, on November 9, it was revealed that two members of the Cleveland Indians won Silver Slugger Awards for the first time in their careers! Francisco Lindor won Louisville Slugger's 2017 American League Shortstop Silver Slugger Award & Jose Ramirez won Louisville Slugger's 2017 American League 3rd Baseman Silver Slugger Award! congratulations, boys!👏

photos courtesy of @Indians on twitter

Louisville Slugger's Silver Slugger Award is Major

Brantley Named to MLB's 2017 AL All Star Team!

for the second time in his career, Michael Brantley is an All Star!👏👏 that's right, Michael has been named as an American League outfield reserve and is headed to Marlins Park in Miami, Florida, for the 88th annual All Star Game on July 11, 2017!

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

tonight, on July 2, this year's Midsummer Classic rosters were unveiled in an Esurance All Star Selection Show on ESPN at 7 pm ET. the American League OF reveal was first and i knew better than to expect to see Michael in the top three. the starting outfielders include Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, and George Springer of the Houston Astros. Trout is still on the disabled list due to a torn UCL in his left thumb that he had surgery for at the end of May. originally, no one thought he had a chance to be ready to play in this game, but evidently,

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 Ranked 81st in MLBRank's Top 100 Players Right Now

let me start this off by saying i am shocked that a list of this nature is coming out now when we are approaching the midway point of baseball season. i waited for Baseball Tonight's Top 100 to be released during spring training for weeks, to no avail. apparently, MLBRank's list is the replacement and i was not expecting it. out with the old, in with the new i guess. in any case, i apologize for the lateness of this post.

photo courtesy of ESPN.com

MLBRank's Top 100 countdown commenced today and will run through June 30. each morning, 20 players will be posted on ESPN.com, starting with #100-81 and going all the way down to #20-1. (previously, players were

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 Ranked 74th in MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now

spring training games are set to start in just over a week, which is a little earlier than usual this year due to the World Baseball Classic. so for some of us, Indians fans especially, this baseball offseason flew by very quickly. but before the games get underway, it's time for MLB Network to reveal their annual list of "Top 100 Players Right Now." Greg Amsinger, Bill Ripken, and Ron Darling once again hosted the three-day countdown of the Top 100 Players currently in Major League Baseball going into the 2017 season. the list was unveiled from February 15-17 in five one-hour installments featuring 20 players per show. tonight, on February 15, the second part of the series aired at 10 pm ET.

photo courtesy of @MLBNetwork on twitter

MLBN's Top 100 list is assembled by their research staff and based on

Brantley Ranked 5th in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now

it's that time again, baseball fans! time to rank the best of the best in Major League Baseball by position. MLB Network began airing their annual Top 10 lists last Sunday, which was oddly changed from Thursdays in past years, i might add. and tonight, on January 22 at 10 pm ET, their "Top 10 Right Now: Left Fielders" show premiered.

screenshot cropped from a video on m.mlb.com

Brian Kenny, who was joined by Eric Byrnes, hosted the reveal of this year's Top 10 Left Field players currently in baseball going into the 2017 season as ranked by MLB Network's Shredder. an analytic methodology known as The Shredder, which operates without emotion or bias, assembles these rankings based on

Terry Francona Wins BBWAA's 2016 AL Manager of the Year Award!

today, on November 15, it was announced that Terry Francona won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2016 American League Manager of the Year Award! this is Francona's second MOY award while with the Indians, as he previously won it in his first year managing the club in 2013. the only other Indians skipper in franchise history to win Manager of the Year is Eric Wedge (2007). congratulations, Tito!

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

Francona was a finalist this year along with Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers (who won the award last season) and Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles. he finished with

Francisco Lindor Wins Rawlings' 2016 AL SS Gold Glove Award & Platinum Glove Award!

tonight, on November 8, it was announced that Francisco Lindor won Rawlings' 2016 American League Shortstop Gold Glove Award! this is the first Gold Glove of Lindor's career. congratulations, Frankie!

photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter

no Cleveland Indian has won a Gold Glove since 2008 when Grady Sizemore won the AL CF Gold Glove, and no Cleveland shortstop has won since Omar Vizquel in 2001. Lindor, age 22, is the youngest middle infielder in franchise history to win a Gold Glove, and the youngest Indians player to win one since a 21-year old

Brantley Ranked 4th in Baseball Tonight's Top 10 Left Fielders

now that Baseball Tonight's Top 100 list is complete, it's time for them to name their annual Top 10 players at each position going into the 2016 season. once again, the way in which this was revealed differs from last year.

today, on March 25, ESPN's Baseball Tonight unveiled all of their Top 10s in one day and at the same time online. the panel of MLB writers, analysts, and contributors who ranked the Top 100 also ranked the Top 10s, and some players who didn't make the Top 100 list did make it onto their respective position lists. my blog, however, is solely going to focus on the Top 10 Left Fielders.

this year, BBTN ranked Michael as the 4th best left fielder going into 2016. last year, he was ranked as the best left fielder going into 2015. so clearly their opinion of Michael has gone down, most likely due to the shoulder injury he suffered towards the end of the season. (although, if you've been keeping up with all my Brantley update blogs, then you already know there's now a chance that Michael could open the season with the Tribe.) whatever the reason, i disagree immensely.

here is BBTN's entire Top 10 LF list, featuring both American and National League players:

Brantley Ranked 80th in Baseball Tonight's Top 100 Players

i wasn't expecting Baseball Tonight to start its Top 100 countdown so soon. usually, they do that over two days at the end of spring training, both online and in a TV special. now, the Top 100 reveal is taking place over 10 days, from March 15-24. every morning, a new set of 10 players, beginning with #100-91, is posted on ESPN.com. and when it's time for the Top 10 to be announced on March 24, that will occur on a special edition of Baseball Tonight at 10 pm EST on ESPN2 and WatchESPN.

much like the change in the publication of this list, the way in which it was constituted differs from last year as well. a panel of 70 ESPN experts (vs. 60 previously), including MLB writers, analysts, and contributors, was polled in February and March after being given a list of more than 350 MLB players (vs. 600 last year). these experts evaluated the players by assigning them a number from 0 to 10 based on player projections for 2016.

a year ago, Michael Brantley made his debut on this list when he ranked 43rd on BBTN's Top 100. knowing that Michael's 2015 season was not as strong as his All Star 2014 season, and knowing that projections don't take into account the fact that Michael played hurt a lot in 2015 (which consequently hindered some of his stats), i presumed Michael wouldn't top last year's rank.

so where does Michael fall on this list?

Brantley Ranked 31st in MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now

we are very close to the first game action of Spring Training 2016. in the meantime, MLB Network has been revealing their annual list of "Top 100 Players Right Now." Greg Amsinger, Bill Ripken, and Ron Darling played hosts to counting down the Top 100 current major league baseball players going into the 2016 season. this was done in 5 one-hour episodes, announcing 20 players per show, over 3 days from February 23-25. tonight, on February 24 at 10 pm ET, the 4th segment of the 5-part series aired.

photo courtesy of @MLBNetwork on twitter

the Top 100 players list is created based on player performances from the past 3 seasons (2013-2015), with a heavy weight on the most recent. additional factors used to compile these rankings include projected player performance for 2016, defensive position, individual accolades, and the intangibles a player brings to the game (such as team leadership).

Brantley Ranked 1st in MLB Network's Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now

hello again, Brantley fans! for the past 2 Thursdays, MLB Network has been airing their annual Top 10 lists, and tonight, on January 28 at 10 pm EST, it was time for their "Top 10 Right Now: Left Fielders" show.

photo courtesy of @MLBNetwork on twitter

with hosts Brian Kenny and Cliff Floyd, the Top 10 left field players currently in baseball going into the 2016 season were ranked by MLB Network's Shredder. an analytic methodology going by the name of The Shredder, who operates unbiased and without emotion, compiles rankings based on a player's recent performance and projections for the player's upcoming season. keep in mind that baseball analysts and fans disagree with The Shredder quite often, so this isn't a list to get too worked up about if you dislike the rankings. but it's fun to debate why The Shredder is right or wrong anyway.

before this particular Top 10 even aired, i had concerns about where Michael would place. i felt like

Brantley Finishes T28th For BBWAA's 2015 AL MVP Award

today, on November 19, MLB Network revealed who won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2015 American League Most Valuable Player Award. while Michael Brantley was not a finalist this time, he did finish tied for 28th place overall. congratulations! that Michael is even in the conversation for 2015 Most Valuable Player, after all the injuries he suffered and games he missed, is amazing and i am so proud of him.

this year's AL MVP winner is Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays with 385 points. he had 184 hits, 41 doubles, 41 home runs, 123 RBI, 122 runs, 73 walks, 133 strikeouts, .297 batting average, .371 OBP, and .568 SLG in 158 games in 2015. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels came in 2nd behind Donaldson with 304 points, and Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals finished 3rd with 225 points.

the MVP ballot contains 10 spots and no player is ineligible. two writers from each American League city vote for AL MVP and these writers of the BBWAA submit their picks prior to the postseason. once they do, BBWAA's secretary/treasurer, Jack O'Connell, tallies the votes before the finalists and winners are later announced in November.

each spot on the ballot equals a certain number of points. a 1st place MVP vote is worth