Brantley's 2014 Second Half #s

time for another little blog documenting Michael's second half numbers. the 2nd half of the 2014 season was comprised of 68 games for the Indians. i still don't get how they refer to this as a "half," but it is what it is. just like in the 1st half blog, i won't be doing post-break BOP break downs here; i'm only including the game-by-game numbers and notes.

Michael's batting average in the second half was .335, best on the team. the fact that he could improve upon his first half batting average of .322 is phenomenal. he had an 11-game slump in August, but his .416 September BA more than compensated for that. comparing his past 1st/2nd half batting averages, Michael hit .288/.288 in 2012, and .279/.291 in 2013. so it looks like he's beginning to trend upwards in the 2nd halves now. i'll take that.

Michael did not surpass his 1st half numbers in many categories simply because he played less games in this 2nd half of the season. not to mention he excelled in just about everything in his 1st half, so that would be tough to top. however, he did have 23 doubles versus 22 pre-All Star break, and 13 stolen bases versus 10 pre-ASB. as stated above, his batting average improved 13 points and he also drew all 4 of his intentional walks in this 2nd half.

Michael had a hit in 51 of the 66 games he played in post-All Star break. during these 66 games, Michael had a few significant hitting streaks, including

--5-straight multi-hit games from July 31 - August 4 (for the third time this season).

--a 12-game hitting streak from August 28 - September 8.

--and for the second time this season, a 15-game hitting streak from September 11-24 (over 14 days).

Michael reached base safely in 58 games and had a couple of long reached base streaks as well. he

--reached base in 11 straight games from July 25 - August 5.

--reached base in 28 straight games from August 28 - September 24.

after the All Star break, Michael bat .329 (54-for-164) against right-handed pitchers and .344 (33-for-96) against left-handed pitchers, the latter being a 69 point increase from the 1st half.

he hit .342 (40-for-117) with 18 RBI at home and .329 (47-for-143) on the road. his road BA improved by 49 points in the 2nd half.

Michael also bat .397 (25-for-63) with runners in scoring position, totaling 29 RBI. that's a 37 point increase from the 1st half and a 9 point increase from his 2nd half in 2013. additionally, he hit .364 (4-for-11) with 0 outs and runners in scoring position, .462 (12-for-26) with 1 out and RISP, and .346 (9-for-26) with 2 outs and RISP and 11 RBI. his RISP with 2 outs increased by 68 points in this 2nd half and 26 points compared with 2013.

post-break, Michael had a batting average of .320 (32-for-100) with 31 RBI with runners on base and .000 (0-for-1) with 2 RBI when the bases were loaded, both decreases from the 1st half. on the contrary, he bat .396 (40-for-101) with 12 RBI with 2 outs in an inning, and that's a 107 point improvement in the 2nd half.

Michael led the team in the 2nd half with: 87 hits, 29 extra base hits, 127 total bases, 58 singles, 23 doubles, 31 runs, 4 intentional walks (tied), 2 hit by pitches (tied), 13 stolen bases, 13:1 stolen base:caught stealing ratio, 260 at bats, .335 batting average, .388 OBP, and .877 OPS.

he was 2nd on the team with 22 walks, 66 games, 286 plate appearances, and .488 SLG. he was also 3rd with 34 RBI, and 4th with 1 triple (tied), 5 home runs, and 2 sac flies (tied). he had the least amount of strikeouts with 24 as well.

(these rankings include qualifiers only.)

Michael put together one of the better 2nd halves he's ever had in the big leagues this season. as a result, he had 2nd half career highs of: 87 hits, 29 extra base hits, 127 total bases, 58 singles, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, 34 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 13/1 stolen base/caught stealing ratio, 286 plate appearances, 260 at bats, .335 BA, .388 OBP, .488 SLG, and .877 OPS.

furthermore, Michael joined the 20-20 club for the first time in his career. and he set a new franchise record when he got his final hit, his 200th hit of the season. that made him the 1st Indians player in franchise history to ever have 200 hits, 40 doubles, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in one season.

also in this 2nd half, Michael hit safely in 24 of 31 home games overall. he had 28 multi-hit games, multi-hitting in 42.4% of the games he played in. he recorded an RBI in 26 out of 66 games (39.4%) and had 8 multi-RBI games. he had 7 3+ hit games post-ASB as well.

Michael played both center and left field after the break, but mostly left. he did not make any errors and had a perfect 1.000 overall fielding percentage. so, obviously, his fielding percentage in left field was a perfect 1.000 and his fielding percentage in center was also 1.000. he had a total of 116 putouts, 2 outfield assists, and 1 double play.


2nd Half batting average: .335

OBP: .388

SLG: .488

OPS: .877


2nd Half of July BA: .278

August BA: .286

September BA: .416


Michael played in 66 (of 68) games, 60 complete, after the All Star break.

he started and played center in 22 games, completing 20 of those games.

he came in to PH in the top of the 8th inning for 1 game, and then played 1 inning in center field as part of a defensive substitution.

he was subbed out of 1 game after 5 innings because the Indians had a solid lead.

he left 1 game early after banging his right knee into the right-center field wall and played 6.1 innings.

he started and played left in 36 games, completing 33 of those games.

he was subbed out of 1 game after 7 innings because the Indians were getting blown out.

he was subbed out of 1 game after 8 innings because the Indians were losing.

he was lifted for a pinch runner in 1 game after hitting a double and playing 8 innings in left field prior to his final at bat of the night in a game where the Indians were getting blown out.

he started and was the DH for 7 complete games.

he had 2 games off.

Michael bat 3rd in 65 games.

Michael bat 5th in 1 game. (PH)


Michael played center field in 23 games, for a total of 196.2 innings. (20 complete, 1 defensive sub (PH): 1 inning, 1 subbed out: 5 innings, 1 left early w/ injury: 6.1 innings)

Michael played left field in 36 games, for a total of 326 innings. (33 complete, 2 subbed out: 15 innings, 1 lifted for PR: 8 innings)

Michael was the PH in 1 game.

Michael was the DH in 7 games.

Michael played in 60 complete games.


in the second half, Michael had a total of 286 plate appearances and 260 at bats. here is how he fared:

87 hits

58 singles

23 doubles

1 triple

5 home runs

34 RBI

2 sac flies

31 runs scored

22 walks

4 intentional walks

13 stolen bases

1 caught stealing

6 GIDP

24 strikeouts (14 swinging, 10 looking)

23 first at bat hits

127 total bases


85 left on base

116 putouts

2 assists

1 double play

522.2 innings, 66 games

(60 complete games)

2nd Half batting average: .335 (87-260) (66 games)

now my game-by-game numbers and notes.

Game 91/Game 1, July 18: 4-5, single, single, stolen base, run scored, single, double, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 92/Game 2, July 19 (Day Game): 1-5, bunt single (first at bat), caught stealing. AVG: .327
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 93/Game 3, July 19 (Night Game): 2-4, double (first at bat), single, intentional walk, run scored. AVG: .329
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 94/Game 4, July 20: 0-3, walk. AVG: .326
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 95/Game 5, July 21: 1-1, double (first at bat), run scored. AVG: .328
(5th/PH-CF – 1 i/8-GF)

^^Michael sets new career high in runs scored with 67^^

Game 96/Game 6, July 22: 0-4, walk. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 97/Game 7, July 23: 0-4. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 98/Game 8, July 24: 0-6. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG13.1)

Game 99/Game 9, July 25: 1-4, single, run scored. AVG: .315
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 100/Game 10, July 26: 2-5, RBI double, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG8)

Game 101/Game 11, July 27: 2-4, RBI sac fly, single, run scored, double, run scored. AVG: .318
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 102/Game 12, July 29: 0-3, walk (first at bat). AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 103/Game 13, July 30: 0-3, walk. AVG: .313
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 104/Game 14, July 31: 2-3, RBI single (first at bat), triple, run scored, walk, stolen base, walk. AVG: .316
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 105/Game 15, August 1: 3-4, RBI double (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .320
(3rd/CF/GS5)

Game 106/Game 16, August 2: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .322
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 107/Game 17, August 3: 2-6, double, home run, run scored. AVG: .322
(3rd/CF/CG12)

^^Michael passes his father's career high HR total with his 2nd career walk-off home run^^

Game 108/Game 18, August 4: 2-4, RBI groundout (first at bat), single, run scored, RBI single, stolen base. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 109/Game 19, August 5: 1-4, RBI single (first at bat). AVG: .323
(3rd/CF/CG9)

**Michael's 11-game reached base streak ends**

Game 110/Game 20, August 6: 0-3. AVG: .321
(3rd/CF/GS6.1)

^^Michael was removed from the game as part of a double switch during the top of the 7th inning. he banged his right knee into the wall in right-center field after making a running catch in the bottom of the 3rd inning^^

Game 111/Game 21, August 7: 1-4, double (first at bat). AVG: .320
(3rd/CF/CG8)

^^Michael sets new career high in extra base hits with 48^^

Game 112/Game 22, August 8: 1-3, walk, double, run scored, RBI walk, run scored. AVG: .320
(3rd/DH/CG)

^^Michael sets new career high in total bases with 223^^

Game 113/Game 23, August 9: 3-4, single (first at bat), single, home run, run scored. AVG: .324
(3rd/DH/CG)

^^Michael sets new career high in RBI with 74^^

Game 114/Game 24, August 10: 1-3, RBI single (first at bat), RBI sac fly, reached on fielder's choice, walk. AVG: .324

(3rd/DH/CG)

August 12: rain delay/game postponed, to be made up August 13 at 4 pm in a traditional DH.
(3rd/CF)

Game 115/Game 25, August 13 (Game 1): 1-4, 2-run single, reached on fielding error. AVG: .324
(3rd/CF/CG9)

Game 116/Game 26, August 13 (Game 2): 2-5, single, double. AVG: .325
(3rd/DH/CG)

Game 117/Game 27, August 15: 0-4. AVG: .322
(3rd/CF/CG11)

Game 118/Game 28, August 16: 1-4, 2-run home run, run scored. AVG: .321
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 119/Game 29, August 17: 0-3, walk (first at bat), stolen base. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 120/Game 30, August 19: 1-3, walk (first at bat), single, stolen base. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 121/Game 31, August 20: 0-4. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 122/Game 32, August 21: 0-4, reached on fielding error. AVG: .314
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 123/Game 33, August 22: 0-4. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 124/Game 34, August 23: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG9)

August 24: not in lineup.

Game 125/Game 35, August 26: 1-4, hit by pitch (first at bat), run scored, RBI double. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/CG10)

Game 126/Game 36, August 27: 0-4. AVG: .308
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 127/Game 37, August 28: 1-4, RBI single, stolen base, intentional walk. AVG: .307
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 128/Game 38, August 29: 3-5, single, run scored, double, double. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 129/Game 39, August 30: 2-5, double (first at bat), RBI single, stolen base, run scored. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG11)

Game 130/Game 40, August 31: 1-5, RBI double. AVG: .310

(3rd/LF/CG10)

^^game suspended due to rain, resumed at 6 pm on September 22 in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Game 131/Game 41, September 1: 1-3, single (first at bat), run scored, walk. AVG: .310
(3rd/LF/GS5)

Game 132/Game 42, September 2: 2-4, single (first at bat), run scored, walk, single. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG9)

^^Michael sets new career high in hits with 160^^

Game 133/Game 43, September 3: 1-4, RBI single. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 134/Game 44, September 4: 2-5, double, run scored, RBI double. AVG: .312
(3rd/LF/CG11)

^^Michael sets new career high in doubles with 38^^

Game 135/Game 45, September 5: 1-4, single (first at bat), stolen base, run scored, reached on fielder's choice. AVG: .311
(3rd/LF/CG10)

^^Michael sets new career high in stolen bases with 18^^

Game 136/Game 46, September 6: 3-4, single (first at bat), stolen base, single, RBI single. AVG: .315
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 137/Game 47, September 7: 2-3, RBI single (first at bat), single, intentional walk. AVG: .317
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 138/Game 48, September 8: 1-4, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/GS8)

**Michael's 12-game hitting streak ends**

Game 139/Game 49, September 9: 0-3, walk. AVG: .314
(3rd/LF/CG9)

September 10: game postponed, to be made up September 11 at 12 pm in a traditional DH.
(3rd/LF)

Game 140/Game 50, September 11 (Game 1): 2-3, walk (first at bat), run scored, RBI single, run scored, RBI single. AVG: .316
(3rd/DH/CG)

Game 141/Game 51, September 11 (Game 2): 1-3, single (first at bat), walk. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9)

^^Michael sets new career high in outfield assists with 12^^

Game 142/Game 52, September 12: 2-4, single (first at bat), single. AVG: .318
(3rd/DH/CG)

^^Michael sets new career high in plate appearances with 612^^

Game 143/Game 53, September 13: 2-4, 2-run home run (first at bat), run scored, single, stolen base. AVG: .319
(3rd/LF/CG8)

^^Michael sets new career high in at bats with 557^^

Game 144/Game 54, September 14: 2-4, single, stolen base, RBI hit by pitch, single, run scored. AVG: .320
(3rd/LF/CG8)

^^Michael sets new career high in singles with 120^^

Game 145/Game 55, September 15: 2-4, double, single. AVG: .322
(3rd/LF/CG8)

Game 146/Game 56, September 16: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .321
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 147/Game 57, September 17: 2-4, bunt single, run scored, single, stolen base. AVG: .322
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 148/Game 58, September 18: 1-5, reached on fielder's choice, single, intentional walk. AVG: .321
(3rd/LF/CG13)

Game 149/Game 59, September 19: 2-5, home run, run scored, double, reached on fielding error. AVG: .322
(3rd/DH/CG)

^^Michael joins 20-20 club for the first time in his career^^

Game 150/Game 60, September 20: 2-4, walk (first at bat), double, run scored, single. AVG: .323
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 151/Game 61, September 21: 3-5, RBI double, reached on force attempt/error, run scored, RBI single, single. AVG: .325
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 152/Game 62, September 22: 1-3, single (first at bat), walk, stolen base. AVG: .326
(3rd/LF/CG9)

^^Michael sets new career high in games played with 152^^

Game 153/Game 63, September 23: 2-4, single (first at bat), reached on fielder's choice, double. AVG: .327
(3rd/LF/GS8)

Game 154/Game 64, September 24: 3-4, single (first at bat), run scored, single, double. AVG: .329
(3rd/LF/CG9)

Game 155/Game 65, September 26: 0-3. AVG: .328
(3rd/LF/CG9)

**Michael's 15-game hitting streak and 28-game on-base streak end**

Game 156/Game 66, September 27: 1-4, single. AVG: .327
(3rd/LF/CG9)

^^Michael sets new career high in innings played with 1297.2^^

^^Michael sets franchise record with 200th hit^^

September 28: not in lineup.

**Michael finishes season with career high .327 BA, .385 OBP, .506 SLG, and .890 OPS**
**Michael sets new career high in SB:CS with 23:1 and new career low in CS with 1**

click here for Brantley's 2014 First Half #s