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
bad month for Michael but that's only because it started out a heck of a lot better than it ended. in his first 15 games from May 1-17, Michael bat .357 (20-for-56), and in his last 13 games from May 18-31, he bat .204 (11-for-54), bringing his batting average for May down to .282. that lowly finish also gave him an overall .302 BA, 37 points less than where he was at the end of April.
despite the lower batting average, his total stats for the month are much greater than what he put together in April. but while some people might think Michael is still doing quite well, i feel he should be doing better and would be if not for the unfavorable circumstances with which he is currently playing under. it appears as though playing all these games with a back strain is finally catching up with him and taking its toll. the unfortunate consequence is he's beginning to do more harm than good in critical game situations, and that's heartbreaking to watch.
everything seemed to be going terrific for Michael in the beginning of May. he had a lengthy 11-game hitting streak, which was snapped on May 13. then he was a perfect 3-for-3 on his birthday, May 15, and got on base all 5 times he stepped up to the plate. that brought his batting average up to .349. but soon after that, Michael looked like a completely different player, totally uncharacteristic for him. and it was questionable as to whether he was okay health-wise.
the Chicago White Sox series from May 18-21 was a rough one. normally a good hitter against left-handed pitching, Michael struggled. prior to the first game, Michael was leading the American League with a .348 batting average. by the end of the series, he was down to .328 thanks to a 3-for-16 showing in 4 games. ouch. he did have 4 RBI though.
during this series he had a lot of aggressive at bats, which is typical for Michael nowadays, but those ABs were turning into quick outs. he generally gets his fair share of hits while being aggressive, so when he does have a quick out, it's not as hard to swallow. except this time--almost every out was quick and it was disappointing. then it dawned on me that his poor play in Chicago easily could have been a result of the back strain acting up again. we already know that Michael will not hesitate to play through an injury for as long as he possibly can, and that's not always a good thing.
when the first interleague game versus the Cincinnati Reds on May 22 was complete, Michael's batting average had seen a 29 point drop in 5 days (May 18-22). on a night when everyone in the lineup was hitting, Michael went 0-for-4. that was not inspiring and i couldn't not blame it on the back strain. he didn't play in the May 23 game, but did play May 24, going 1-for-4. it was not a productive interleague series for Michael, which i've become accustomed to.
the struggle didn't end there. in the game versus the Texas Rangers on May 26, Michael went 0-for-5 and left 5 men on base. here are some alarming stats after the May 26 game concluded:
--in 4 games, from May 22-26, Michael was 0-for-7 with RISP.
--in 8 games, from May 18-26, Michael was 2-for-13 with RISP and left an astounding 25 men on base. his overall BA with RISP decreased 72 points, from .412 to .340, in that time as well.
--in 10 games, from May 16-26, Michael bat .179 (7-for-39). what's worse is he also had 6 strikeouts in 47 plate appearances, compared to 5 strikeouts in 124 plate appearances in his first 28 games of 2015.
--between 11 games, from May 15-26, Michael's batting average went from .349 to .304. that's a 45 POINT DROP!
in addition, Michael had gone 10 games without a multi-hit game (May 16-26) and 9 games without scoring a run (May 17-26). although, the latter is not fully his fault, as he can only score a run himself if he hits a home run, which he's probably not going to do more than 3-4 times a month maximum.
when meeting with the media after the May 26 game, Michael only offered, "it happens to the best of them. i'm human." he adamantly dismissed the notion that his substandard play was a result of his back strain flaring up again. "that's in the past." Francona similarly denied that anything was wrong with Michael's back when asked. i was not convinced. i just don't believe Michael would have performed that way unless his back was bugging him. he's allowed to have bad games and go through a slump, but i didn't think this was simply a case of being in a slump. (refer to my The Back Strain Returns? section of this blog for more.)
his final series of May against the Seattle Mariners was not the best way to end the month, as he went 4-for-19 in 4 games. there were mutterings of Michael swinging awkwardly at the plate, and while i didn't see his at bats (because i can't watch the games), the results seemed to back that up. nevertheless, that's not how i want my boy to wrap up his month.
yes, it's still very early in the season and Michael's overall numbers are not atrocious by any means. but i think his May would have ended very differently had his strain not been lurking. and at this point, i don't have much confidence that things will turn around. we're all going to need to ease up on him and accept that Michael is likely to have an up and down year. he'll have some good games, but fans need to be prepared for him to have some bad stretches, like he's presently in the middle of.
Areas Of Concern
there were 2 big things that stuck out to me this month. as already stated, his RISP numbers took a hit. the first couple of games in May were great, but then he had some ugly games, stranding a lot of runners on 2nd or 3rd base. in fact, Michael has not had a hit with a runner in scoring position since May 21. from May 22-31, Michael came to bat with RISP in 8 of the 9 games, and he went 0-for-11 in 14 plate appearances. he did tally 3 RBI, however, as a result of a sacrifice fly, groundout, and bases-loaded walk. typically one of the best clutch hitters in the league, i expected more from Michael in some of those situations and could not hide my displeasure. i don't know if i can attribute it all to the back strain, but i know it absolutely played some part in his struggles.
in conjunction with that, Michael just could not get the job done when coming to bat with the bases loaded. that is indisputably his biggest area of weakness right now. (refer to my Streaks and Situational Statistics section for more specific details.)
my second area of concern is Michael's runs scored, or lack thereof. when Michael did get on base, via a hit or walk, there were many times when he was stranded because no one behind him could drive him in. i can only hope his teammates do a better job of hitting when he's on the basepaths in the upcoming months.
A New Lineup To Favor Michael
it didn't take long for a dramatic lineup change. the team was about to face numerous left-handed starters, so on May 5, Carlos Santana became the new 2 hole hitter because of his high on-base percentage. meanwhile hot-hitter Ryan Raburn, platooning with David Murphy and getting his starts against lefties, would now be batting cleanup. what a change. and this became possible due to the return of Nick Swisher.
to my delight of course, Michael's BOP was untouched. he's become the man that Terry Francona builds the lineup around. the Santana move was in fact made in the hopes that more guys would be on base when Michael came up to bat. "i actually thought about hitting Santana 2nd in spring training because he gets on base so much and you want guys on base for (Michael) Brantley," exclaimed the Tribe's skipper.
additionally in the games we played against southpaw starters, Michael would get back to his outfield roots by playing center field because Michael Bourn was not cutting it against lefties and would no longer be in the starting lineup against them. i was fine with that, just as long as his back was truly reliable enough for him to run around in a larger part of the outfield. said Tito, "now that we've added another right-handed hitter (Swisher), and Brantley feels he can play center physically, it will give us better balance in the lineup and a better bench." not like Michael would have turned down Tito's offer to play center. he loves center field lol
but i'm not new to Francona's managing. i knew Michael wasn't necessarily always going to play center from start to finish. it should have been expected that Michael would be starting a lot of games in center, but finishing them over in left because Bourn would be brought in for late innings defense/pinch hitting once the opposing lefty starter came off the mound. and that's precisely what happened, to my dismay. (i heavily dislike defensive switches and going back and forth between center and left because it makes my OF break downs so much more complicated.)
in order to get all the bats in the lineup that Francona wanted on any given day (including putting Swisher in right field for the first time this season one day and allowing Murphy to get some time in left field), he had Michael take on the DH role in 2 games this month as well. essentially, a DH day is a half day off because other than batting, a player isn't on his feet as much since he's not standing around in the field. however, the player must take different measures to keep himself ready, which usually involves swinging in the indoor batting cage in between at bats. it can be difficult and i know Michael's preference is not to be the game's designated hitter. but with his continued importance to the team, his bat needs to be in the lineup as much as possible, so sometimes he will have to settle for DHing. and sometimes, that might be a good "break" for him.
i'll give props to the ofttimes stubborn players' manager Francona. at least he recognized some kind of shakeup was greatly needed. Jose Ramirez had been struggling and couldn't be batting 2nd, and Mike Aviles wasn't exactly a huge threat at #2 either. these changes made a lot of sense, and i was very hopeful that they would result in an increase in Michael's RBI total. but i wasn't left without reservations. having Santana, a slower runner, on base in front of Michael could potentially slow Michael down on the basepaths behind him, unlike Ramirez who can fly. with Santana also not running like Ramirez would in the 2 hole, it's possible that he wouldn't score on some of Michael's hits either.
on the contrary, while this May 5 game was being played out with all our new changes, Tom Hamilton mentioned why this lineup change could benefit Michael on the radio. Hammy said Michael doesn't always like the guys on base to steal while he's batting because it can be distracting. you would think that wouldn't be an issue now with Santana if he's on at 1st base. yet there were a few times this month when Santana stole 2nd base during Michael's at bat. still, Michael must constantly be hoping for Santana to get on base before his turn at the plate because if he's not and Jason Kipnis is at 1st, well you know that boy loves to go for the steal every chance he gets.
i can see and understand Michael's POV though. he's a good enough hitter that he can advance runners with his bat--he shouldn't be forced to take a pitch so someone can pad their stats. then again, a guy at 2nd could possibly score on a Michael single as opposed to just going 1st to 3rd. not only that, but having a guy on 1st base creates a hole on the infield where Michael can try and sneak a ball through, increasing his chances for a hit. but if a runner advances to 2nd, that hole is gone. so it will be interesting to see how this plays out going forward and if it does negatively affect Michael's at bats at all.
initially, neither Francona nor anyone else knew if this new Top 4 was to be used strictly against lefties. but as it turned out, 1-2-3 would remain Kip-Santana-Brantley regardless of who was pitching for the opposition.
Santana did okay batting 2nd at first, until he slowly began undergoing a slump. then on May 16 it was revealed that he was having back spasms and he got a couple games off, which promoted Ramirez back to #2. oddly enough, that is about when Ramirez started to hit and get on base more. good for Ramirez, but when Santana returned, he reclaimed the 2 hole. Santana missed more time at the end of the month when was out on Paternity Leave. then Aviles and Ramirez rotated batting 2nd. so i can't really conclude that the #2 hitter made much of an overall difference for Michael and his total RBIs. the #1 hitter did though.
Kipnis was hitting his ass off in May, and Michael was bringing him home more times than not--at least until the second half of the month. Michael certainly had more RBI opportunities this month because of the lineup change, but i feel like his back kept him from really capitalizing on it and increasing his RBI total.
what may have been the most disappointing result of the new Top 4 was Raburn batting behind Michael. Raburn seemed to cool down a bit once he became the cleanup hitter, and sorry to say Michael did not score as much as he got on base.
The Back Strain Returns?
more like it never went away. during one of Michael's ABs in the May 5 game against the Kansas City Royals, Jim Rosenhaus mentioned in his part of the broadcast on the radio that Michael does not want to talk about his back anymore. he claimed it was a non-issue and behind him. based on Michael's recent performance, i desperately wanted to believe that to be true. so i held onto that tidbit of info, but i didn't allow myself to have amnesia regarding the ordeal.
i didn't hear anything about Michael's back strain again until May 22. that's when it came out that Michael's back is something that is still an issue. remember, i had been wondering if his back had anything to do with his inadequate outings in Chicago. then, almost as if on cue, i read about it for the first time in weeks. Terry Francona said they were still monitoring Michael's back on a daily basis. "he has such a good feel for things. if he needs to back off a stride on a ground ball, i get it. i understand it. we want to keep him out there. he's smart enough to take a step back." backing off on a ground ball? taking a step back? that's not exactly what i want to "settle" for when rooting for my team to make a run for the World Series. this was not good news to me.
it just so happened that Michael was the DH for the game versus the Cincinnati Reds on this night. when he finished 0-for-5, that sparked all my worries again. i had apprehensions about Tito continuing to play Michael when he was clearly not his regular self. i deduced that his back was probably the reason he also hadn't been getting to some balls in left field, adding fuel to the fire of the people who already think he's not a good defender. Michael usually has more outfield assists at this point in the year as well. i again attributed his back as the potential cause of that, too. i just hate that Michael has to play at less than full strength this year. i feared this; i've feared it since that first day of camp.
on May 23, Francona finally gave Michael a day off. he said he'd been looking for an opportunity to get him a day off and thought it would "really do him good." it was his first game off since he came back from his back strain on April 17, and it was planned. "i was talking to him in Chicago about it and i kept telling him: 'i'm going to make you take a day off one of these days.' i said, 'i want to do it when it best helps you.'" why he didn't just give Michael a day off during the Chicago series (maybe against Chris Sale, perhaps?), i don't know. he surely needed one by then.
Francona also said he told Michael to sleep in, relax, and prepare to possibly pinch-hit (which he did not end up doing because the Tribe went into the 9th inning with the lead and won the game). "it's a long year. it's not fun not writing his name in the lineup. it would be a lot less fun not writing it for a while because i got greedy." that right there tells me there continues to be concern about Michael's back and Tito is going to be as cautious with him as he can be.
during the May 27 game versus the Texas Rangers, Michael was subbed out defensively after 6 innings. true, the Indians had a very comfortable lead in a blowout and Michael had gone 2-for-2 in 4 plate appearances, but Michael was the only starter to be removed from the game. Francona said with the long flight awaiting the team to Seattle after the game, he wanted to get Michael a little bit of rest because "everything helps." Michael has been taken out of 5 games early this year, 3 this month, because of blowout situations. that had never been as much of an issue in the past for him as it has been thus far. don't tell me Michael's back is fine and the problem is behind him when they are still taking preventative measures with him whenever possible.
regrettably, all the "special treatment" Michael was getting didn't even seem to be helping. in the bottom of the 2nd inning during the game against the Seattle Mariners on May 29, Tom Hamilton said, and i quote, "tell ya what. Michael Brantley doesn't look like he's running well tonight." he mentioned it because a ball had just been hit to shallow left field and 3rd baseman Lonnie Chisenhall went out to get it because "Michael Brantley wasn't going to get there." Michael proceeded to go 0-for-4 for the night, including being the final out in the top of the 9th inning after the Tribe had just rallied to make it a 1-run game.
at this point, i could no longer suppress my anger. Michael said he doesn't want to talk about it anymore. well, i'm sorry, but he needs to. because when he goes through a bad stretch, everyone is gonna go right to assuming his back is the reason. he did this to himself in the offseason, now he has to be prepared to field questions about it. (see: Brantley Lower Back Strain Timeline.) i just wish he'd be honest. address the media once and admit whatever the situation is, ie. yes, the back bothers him occasionally...he has some days where it's not bad and some days where it's more prominent...but he's managing it with the trainers and will continue to play games as long as it remains managed. that's it. and he shouldn't be afraid to ask for some consecutive games off if his back requires them either. i'm sure at the end of the season he'll come out with the truth and we'll be hearing about how he played all year with this back strain and it was a challenge. i pray it hasn't destroyed all his numbers by then.
we've seen him play hurt plenty in the past. he played with his broken hamate until the Indians forced him to go on the DL and have surgery in 2011. he's also played with a sports hernia before (in 2012) and other minor issues. so clearly Michael will not think twice about playing as long as he can still stand up and swing a bat. he never wants to be out of the lineup, no matter what he's got going on. but when the game's on the line and he starts becoming a liability because he is in actuality playing hurt, that's a problem. and it also makes me very sad. it's so hard to watch him struggling and know it's because of his back.
on May 30, my favorite Tribe scribes finally decided to bring up the back injury again, at least to Francona. Jordan Bastian provided proof that supported my assertions that Michael has been playing through and battling with his back strain. Bastian posted an article on indians.com confirming that Michael has been playing hurt, as evidenced by his running at a slower pace than normal up the 1st baseline and taking bad swings at the plate. (guess Hammy was right. not that i doubted him.)
while Michael continued to be tight-lipped about the subject, Francona provided some insights. "i would think, as you get to where you're playing 20 in a row, everybody starts to feel stuff. i don't think he's really comfortable talking about it, because i think he feels like, 'hey, if i'm playing, i'm playing.' i think he's done a good job with it. i don't want to put words in his mouth, but he hasn't been complaining about it. but, i'd bet you he does feel it sometimes. he's a tough kid."
as Francona told the media earlier this month, he's given Michael the okay to back off his stride and play it safe on occasion. Michael certainly heeded this advice the day before on May 29 when he grounded into a double play in his first at bat and pulled up well short of the bag. "he tries to pick his spots a little bit. we've talked about it a little bit and i've actually probably encouraged it. one of the things i think every manager loves is when a guy just runs down the bases like their pants are on fire. but, we've actually talked, because keeping him out there is so big for us. having him just keeping an eye on things, i think makes some sense."
Hoynsie wrote an article about the back issue as well, with some additional quotes from Tito. "Michael is so good at seeing the field. you can tell him things you might not want to tell everybody else. he does such a good job of that and maintaining (his back). i probably aggravate him because i ask him so much. but he does such a good job of keeping himself to where he can be out there playing."
what Francona neglected to mention is that playing and playing well are completely different entities, and Michael is not doing the latter anymore. my take is that i don't want to see him out there playing if he's going to play poorly. i'd rather he just get a few extra days off to rest if need be because what's the point of keeping Michael in the lineup if his back is hindering him and the team as a result? this strategy has already been backfiring, as Michael hasn't been able to deliver in the clutch since mid-May. i think this is another case of Tito being that stubborn players-manager again, and that irks me.
conclusion: IT IS COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE OF TERRY FRANCONA TO KEEP RUNNING MICHAEL BRANTLEY OUT THERE WHEN HE'S NOTICEABLY BATTLING HIS BACK STRAIN AND IT'S ACTUALLY IMPAIRING THE TEAM (not to mention Michael's stats). a hurt Michael does no good and i don't get why both men are being so pigheaded. getting days off is not punishment; a couple might even be beneficial. i wish Francona would wake up before it's too late and something worse happens, but i'm not too hopeful. he'll probably run him into the ground until his BA drops to like .250, and then decide Michael needs some rest. sigh. rant over.
Battle For The Team Batting Title
flash back to last season for a minute. remember how Lonnie Chisenhall was seemingly on fire at the plate because Terry Francona was mostly playing him against right-handed starters and sitting him against the southpaws, therefore his batting average was well over .300? and then when Chiz finally became a qualifier, it was suggested that Chiz and Michael make a bet to see who finished the year with the higher BA? well, there's a new "battle" going on right now this year and it's between Michael and Jason Kipnis. but the thing with Michael is, he never views anyone on his team as competition (and i don't think he needs to lol).
when asked if they're battling to see who can get on base the most, Michael maturely answered, "i never battle my teammates. i always pull for each and every one of them. the way he's swinging the bat right now, you've got to take your hat off to him. he's hitting the ball hard and finding a lot of holes. it's fun to watch."
the non-existent battle in May was easily won by Kip because his bat was scorching hot. that's not to say Michael's month was a dud. however, i'm curious to see if both these players can remain consistent with their offensive output. Michael's at an unusual/automatic disadvantage because that back strain he's playing with has already affected his performance in a negative way, and it could potentially shut him down in the future. as for Kipnis, he's never really been hot for a whole season in his career yet. so if i have to pick a side, i'm still going with Michael simply because of his track record, but i wish Kip well also for the good of our team.
Home Runs, RBI, K Rate, and Outs
Michael hit 4 home runs in May, which was a pleasant surprise. last month i had been worried that his back would hold him back in the power/home run department. while that turned out not to be true in the first half of May, it sadly seems to be the case now.
Michael hit his first 3 homers of the month in the first 7 games, with his 4th homer coming 5 games later. but since May 14, Michael's gone 16 games without hitting a long ball. not typically a big home run hitter, this wouldn't have been anything for me to bat an eyelash at a year ago. but at the moment, i'm pointing right to Michael's back as the reason he's been unable to power any balls out of the park in over 2 weeks.
RBI-wise, Michael also had a much better month. his 23 RBI in May was a career high, and that's in spite of him leaving a small army on base. he went through a 10-game period, from May 18-28, where he left 29 men on base and his overall batting average with RISP dropped 85 points. for the month of May, Michael left a STAGGERING 63 guys on base. i know he can't drive every player home, but man did he have a lot of chances to run away with the RBI category.
Michael had a 5-game RBI streak from April 30 - May 5, tying a career high. it started with the series at home versus the Toronto Blue Jays and extended to the first game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. here is the full RBI list:
vs. Toronto:
April 30: 1 RBI
May 1: 2 RBI
May 2: 1 RBI
May 3: 2 RBI
@ Kansas City:
May 5: 2 RBI
prior to this, the last time Michael drove guys home in 5 consecutive games was between September 21-26, 2013, when he totaled 2 RBI in 4 of the 5 games.
since Michael had a few balls leave the park this month, i can do my first HR to RBI ratios of the season. 2 of Michael's 4 homers were solos and the other 2 were 2-run bombs. therefore, 2 of his 23 RBI for May (8.7%) came from his solo homers, while 6 of his 23 RBI (26.1%) came from all 4 of his home runs. evidently, Michael does not depend on pulling the ball to drive runners home, which i love.
now let's get to Michael's strikeout rate. Michael's K rate in May was 7.6% (10 K/132 PA). he struck out more this month than last month yet still managed to maintain a strikeout rate under 10%. that's pretty damn good. as a whole, it looks like being aggressive continues to pay off for him.
fact: Michael went 13 games from April 27 - May 10 without a strikeout before striking out 5 times in a week between May 12-18.
Michael's high contact rate is nothing new to his long-time fans, but that doesn't mean it's not worth acknowledging and crediting even so. Terry Francona did just that earlier this month. "i think he's smart and talented, which is a good combination. he has a really good understanding of what guys are trying to do to him. he's spoken openly about not being afraid to swing early in the count. you're seeing a lot of first-pitch rifling of some balls. he has a really good understanding of what he wants to do. and then you couple that with a really simple, solid swing and that translates into not a lot of misses."
Michael reverted back to more of his usual M.O., grounding out more than flying out this month. he had 44 groundouts compared with 31 flyouts in May. i felt that the increase of grounders could have been a result of playing through the back strain that recurred, causing him to be unable to hit as many balls into the air. but that is merely speculation on my part. Michael also lined out 10 times in May. woulda been nice if a couple of those somehow got past the opposition. in the end though, you can at least count a lineout as a quality at bat.
Streaks and Situational Statistics
Michael had a hit in 23 of the 28 games he played in May and reached base safely in 24 games. he had 5 hitless games, but reached base in 1 of those. Michael had 7 multi-hit games, 1 3+ hit game, and 5 multi-RBI games. he had at least 1 RBI in 18 games. in addition, he had 7 go-ahead hits and 9 go-ahead RBI this month. the Indians were 16-12 in games that Michael played in and 1-0 in the game he sat out.
Michael had an 11-game hitting streak over 13 days from April 30 - May 12, with 5 games being multi-hit games. during his streak, he bat .395 (17-for-43) with 17 hits and 30 total bases. 7 of those hits were for extra bases--4 doubles and 3 home runs. he also had 11 RBI, 10 runs, 8 walks, 1 intentional walk, 4 stolen bases, and 3 first at bat hits in 51 plate appearances and 43 at bats. he only had 1 GIDP and just 1 strikeout (swinging) as well. and you'd probably never guess he left 15 men on base in this time period. his .490 OBP and .698 SLG gave him a 1.188 OPS. defensively, Michael recorded 15 putouts and had 2 outfield assists, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 95 total innings between left (81 innings) and center field (14 innings). he played 9 complete games and was taken out of 2 games early.
this is the longest hitting streak by an Indians player so far this season and also since Michael's last significant hitting streak, a 15-gamer in September 2014. in the American League, Shin-Soo Choo had a 14-game hitting streak until it ended against us on May 15. that was the longest hitting streak in the AL this season until Chicago White Sox phenom Jose Abreu had a 17-game hitting streak from May 3 through May 22.
furthermore, Michael obviously had an 11-game on-base streak between April 30 - May 12.
he had a 15-game on-base streak on the road from April 17 - May 17 as well.
in May, Michael bat .224 (13-for-58) against right-handed pitchers and .346 (18-for-52) against left-handed pitchers. this is the complete opposite of last month where he struggled a bit against lefties and excelled against righties. i love seeing him have success against the southpaws, but i was disappointed that he wasn't able to get more hits off righties this month.
Michael bat .291 (16-for-55) with 11 RBI at home and .273 (15-for-55) with 12 RBI on the road. he hit safely in 11 of the 14 home games he played and safely got on base in 12 of them. he was hitless in 3 home games but still reached base in 1 game. he also hit safely in 12 of 14 road games and got on base in 12 games as well. he was hitless in 2 road games, not reaching in either.
Michael hit .256 (10-for-39) with runners in scoring position with 17 RBI in May. breaking that down, he hit .300 (3-for-10) with RISP and 0 outs, .385 (5-for-13) with RISP and 1 out, and .125 (2-for-16) with RISP and 2 outs. the last one really killed his overall RISP average for the month.
with 2 outs in an inning, Michael bat .222 (8-for-36). this was another area Michael really underperformed in in May.
additionally, he bat .349 (22-for-63) with 21 RBI with runners on base and .000 (0-for-6) with 2 RBI when the bases were loaded in May. i don't expect him to hit a granny every time up, but Michael surely should have driven in more runners than just 2 with the bags juiced.
this month, Michael did not have as many at bats with no one on base compared to when guys were on base. at any rate, he didn't do much in that situation, batting a meager .191 (9-for-47) with the bases empty. 4 of his hits were for extra bases though--2 doubles and 2 home runs--and he drew 6 walks as well.
also in May, Michael had a 0.7 fWAR (wins above replacement), a 140 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus--the ability to create runs compared to the league average), and a 0.9 BsR (baserunning runs above average with stolen bases and caught stealings). his WAR ranked 1st, wRC+ ranked 2nd, and BsR ranked 5th among American League left fielders. [these stats are courtesy of fangraphs.com.]
Versus AL Central Division Teams
vs. the Kansas City Royals, Michael bat .273 (3-for-11) in 3 games in May. he had 1 home run, 2 RBI, 3 runs, 2 walks, 1 stolen base, 1 GIDP, and 6 total bases. he left 4 on base and recorded 7 putouts while playing 25 total innings in both center and left field. the Royals still seem to be plaguing him, as this wasn't a huge improvement from his 2-for-11 showing against them in April.
vs. the Minnesota Twins, Michael bat .333 (4-for-12) in 3 games in May. he had 1 home run, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 stolen base, 7 total bases, and 2 men left on. defensively, he recorded 5 putouts and 2 outfield assists in 26 innings as the left fielder.
vs. the Chicago White Sox, Michael bat .188 (3-for-16) in 4 games in May. he had 1 double, 4 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 walk, and 4 total bases. he also had 1 GIDP, 2 strikeouts (swinging), and left 9 guys on base. in the field, he recorded 7 putouts in 36.2 innings between center (9.2) and left field. his 0-for-4 game against Chris Sale really spoiled his numbers this series.
the Indians did not face the Detroit Tigers this month.
May Team Leads, Career Highs, and League Rankings
Michael's numbers can now be compared with the rest of the team and the league fairly because he quickly totaled enough overall plate appearances to become a qualifier this month. however, Terry Francona has been opting to use several of his players against only one certain type of pitcher, and this has resulted in many Indians having better numbers this month. not to mention Jason Kipnis absolutely put on a clinic in May, so Michael did not lead the team in many categories this month.
in May, Michael led the team with 23 RBI and 6 stolen bases. he was also tied for the team lead with 4 home runs, 3 sac flies, and 2 intentional walks. he had the least amount of strikeouts among the regulars with 10. in addition, he led the outfielders with 3 assists.
he was 2nd on the team with 31 hits, 14 extra base hits, 10 doubles, 19 walks, 53 total bases, 28 games, 132 plate appearances, and 110 at bats. furthermore, he was 3rd with 15 runs.
after checking my personal record books, i discovered that Michael set career highs for himself in May with: 14 extra base hits, 10 doubles, 23 RBI, 3 sac flies, 19 walks, 2 intentional walks, 6:0 stolen base:caught stealing ratio, and 132 plate appearances.
comparing his May numbers to other qualifying players in the American League, Michael ranked tied for 2nd in sac flies (3); tied for 3rd in doubles (10), RBI (23), and stolen bases (6); tied for 4th in walks (19) and plate appearances (132); and tied for 7th in extra base hits (14).
filtering out just the qualifying outfielders in the American League, his sac flies ranked 1st; his doubles and RBI ranked 2nd; his extra base hits, walks, and plate appearances ranked tied for 2nd; his stolen bases ranked tied for 3rd; his total bases (53) ranked tied for 5th; his hits (31) ranked tied for 6th; his home runs (4), OBP (.379), and OPS (.861) ranked tied for 7th; his SLG (.482) ranked 9th; and his batting average (.282) ranked 10th.
among qualifying left fielders in the American League, Michael was 1st in hits, extra base hits, doubles, RBI, sac flies, walks, and total bases; tied for 1st in home runs and plate appearances; 2nd in SLG and OPS; tied for 2nd in stolen bases and at bats; 3rd in batting average and OBP; and 5th in runs (15).
among all major league left fielders, Michael ranked 1st in extra base hits, doubles, sac flies, and walks; tied for 1st in RBI and plate appearances; 2nd in total bases; tied for 3rd in home runs and stolen bases; 5th in SLG and OPS; tied for 5th in hits; 6th in OBP; tied for 6th in runs; and 7th in batting average.
among all major league outfielders, Michael was tied for 1st in sac flies; tied for 2nd in doubles and plate appearances; tied for 3rd in walks; tied for 4th in extra base hits and RBI; and tied for 7th in stolen bases.
May Standout Games, Spotlights, and Quotes
on May 1, Michael hit his 1st home run of 2015, a 2-out, go-ahead 2-run homer in the game versus the Toronto Blue Jays. he was facing left-hander Mark Buehrle in the bottom of the 4th inning with the game tied at 4 and Mike Aviles at 2nd base. after a 2-0 count, Michael sent a bomb to the right-center field bullpen seating area, giving him his 1st go-ahead hit, 1st go-ahead RBI, and 1st multi-RBI game of the year.
once this game ended, Michael had a total of 68 plate appearances, giving him 3.09 PA per game, or 3.1 rounded up. that finally made him a qualifying player so he could formally boast the highest batting average on the team (.344 at that time).
Michael had another good game against the Blue Jays on May 3, going 2-for-3. he had a single, double, 2 RBI, 2 runs, and drew 2 walks (1 intentional). when the game was over, he had his batting average up to .352.
after Michael hit his 2nd home run of the year on May 5 in the game against the Kansas City Royals, another 2-run shot, that marked his 5th straight game with an RBI, tying a career best. (i gave more details about this in the RBI section above.) sadly, he could not muster an RBI on May 6 to set a new high, though the opportunities for the record were there.
the 1st strikeout for Michael this month didn't come until May 12, and it was another one of those bogus strikeouts. the Indians were playing the St. Louis Cardinals in an interleague game. now, Michael has had some struggles during IL games in the past, but that had nothing to do with this particular instance. it was the bottom of the 5th inning and the bases were loaded with 1 out and the Tribe down, 3-0, when Michael came up to bat. this is a situation he ordinarily thrives in. so the end result strikeout was shocking to everyone involved, including Michael. Lance Lynn threw him 3 straight balls, and then the next 2 pitches were called strikes. except, one of those called strikes was actually ball 4. Michael had no choice but to swing at the 6th pitch, and he missed. coming into this game, Michael had been the hardest player in the American League to strike out, striking out once per 35 plate appearances.
after the game, Terry Francona had this to say about Michael's at bat. "everybody has tough nights. i'm not so sure that was one of Tim's better nights (plate umpire Tim Welke). that's the way the game is."
the game the Indians played versus the Cards the very next night on May 13 was probably one of if not the worst in Michael's career. all 5 of his at bats came with runners in scoring position, and he unexpectedly went 0-for-5, effectively ending his 11-game hitting streak. what's more is Michael left a total of 11 guys on base. that has to be a career high for him for one game.
not only that, but also for the 2nd game in a row, Michael added another strikeout to his stats, this time by way of a called strike 3. and it was again peculiar. here's what happened. Michael's first at bat in the bottom of the 1st inning came with Carlos Santana at 1st base and Jason Kipnis at 2nd. they had gotten on base with 2 consecutive walks. it was then that Cards' pitcher, John Lackey, gave major attitude to home plate umpire, Mike Everitt, about the strike zone and his calls. so then Lackey's next 3 pitches to Michael were all called strikes. funny how that happened. not.
Michael did manage to save some face in this IL series by hitting his 4th home run of the season on May 14 against Michael Wacha in the bottom of the 6th inning. after a 1-2 count, he hit an 88 mph fastball to right-center field, approximately 386 feet from home plate. it was another go-ahead shot, as the game had been scoreless prior to then. he looked to be the hero of the day until Marc Rzepczynski gave up a 2-run homer to Matt Carpenter in the top of the 8th inning, and the Tribe lost the game, 2-1. despite the crappy end result, i think it's also worth mentioning that after the blown lead, Michael made a spectacular catch in foul territory to keep the game close and at least give his team a chance for a comeback.
maybe the best game of Michael's month came on his 28th birthday, May 15. he went a perfect 3-for-3, reaching base 5 times in a game against the Texas Rangers. he hit 2 RBI doubles and a single, scored 2 runs, stole a base, and walked twice. his first RBI double was a go-ahead hit and go-ahead RBI, which went along with his multi-hit and multi-RBI night. Happy Birthday indeed!
on May 18, the Indians began a 4-game series in Chicago against the White Sox, and it was not a good trip for Michael. to my consternation, he was in the lineup for the first game that Chris Sale was pitching. Sale is a pitcher Michael never does well against. matter of fact, he's the toughest major league pitcher to face according to Michael. case in point, coming into this game Michael was a paltry 3-for-22 versus Sale, with 10 strikeouts. so i knew he was not going to have a good game. and it's unfortunate, because if Michael Bourn had been able to hit lefties better, then maybe Michael could have gotten the game off--his back could have used it--and his numbers wouldn't have suffered. he ended up going 0-for-4 with 1 strikeout against Sale.
but there were more consequences to this bad outing. Michael went into the game with the highest batting average (.348) in the American League, 2 points ahead of White Sox player Avisail Garcia. after the game, he no longer had that bragging right. Garcia ended his night at .338 while Michael went down to .336, pushing him down to the 5th highest BA in the AL.
and also, because Michael couldn't reach base at all, his 15-game on-base streak on the road came to an end. this made me the most sad. it all could have been avoided if only someone else could have replaced Michael in the lineup. blah. i emphatically hope he gets the day off next time we face Sale.
after the May 19 game against the White Sox, Michael officially lost the highest batting average on the team title. his BA decreased to .333 while Kipnis became the new Indians BA leader at .338 after his 2-hit game. Michael held the title for 18 days. it was fun while it lasted. this was just a lousy series for Michael every way you slice it. his BA dropped down a total of 20 points (to .328) in 4 days. yikes! (for the record, Garcia had a tough series as well, finishing it batting .319.)
in the May 27 game versus the Texas Rangers, Michael had his first multi-hit game since May 15. he went 2-for-2 with a single, double, run, walk, and RBI sac fly before Francona took him out of the game because the Indians were winning a blowout.
during Michael's first at bat of the May 30 game against the Seattle Mariners, Tom Hamilton shared some interesting news with those listening to the radio. he explained that Michael had been working with his dad, Mickey Brantley, in the batting cage in the mornings while the team was in Seattle. (Mickey was a former Seattle Mariner and major league hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.) i enjoyed hearing that, but with Michael's balky back, i wasn't sure how much his dad could really help him...
and some quick non-game related info: on May 29, the Indians released a picture of the Michael Brantley bobblehead that's being given away at the August 8 game. if you haven't seen it yet, click here.
In The Field
Michael continued to excel defensively in May. he played both left and center field this month because Terry Francona chose to sit Michael Bourn against certain left-handed starters and allowed Michael to man center in his place. but no matter where he was at in the outfield, Michael did not commit one error, giving him a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
he had 48 putouts this month, including a couple of web gem catches. one in particular came when Michael made a fantastic diving catch in the game versus the Texas Rangers on May 25. what easily could have been a bloop single for Carlos Corporan turned into an out when Michael ran in to shallow left field and caught it, keeping the game tied at 7 in the 6th inning at that time. honestly, i don't know how he could do that with a bad back, but i guess some days are better than others as far as that goes.
also this month, Michael had 3 more outfield assists, 2 coming as a left fielder and 1 as a center fielder. his 1st assist of May occurred on May 8 in the game versus the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. it came very early, in the top of the 1st inning. Torii Hunter was on 2nd base with 1 out when Joe Mauer hit an RBI single off Trevor Bauer to left field, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead. however, Mauer chose to stretch that single into a double, and when Michael threw the ball in, 2nd baseman Jason Kipnis applied the tag. Mauer's leg came up off the bag as he slid, yet he was surprisingly called safe. so Francona wisely decided to challenge the call, and the replay review crew in New York overturned the call. Mauer was out, and Michael got credited with the assist. (and he showed more of his power once again later in the game when he hit home run #3.)
assist #2 came the next day versus the Twins as well. on May 9, in the top of the 3rd inning, the Twins already led, 2-0. Eduardo Escobar was at 1st base and Kenny Vargas was at 2nd with 2 outs when Eddie Rosario came to bat against Bruce Chen. he hit a single to left field, scoring Vargas, but Michael fired the baseball in and Escobar was thrown out at 3rd base to end the Twins' half of the inning. the play went Michael to 3rd baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, to shortstop Jose Ramirez, to 2nd baseman Kipnis, to 1st baseman Carlos Santana. so just about everybody had a hand in it.
Michael's 3rd assist of the month came when he was playing in center field in the game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on May 30. it was the bottom of the 4th inning and with the Tribe up, 3-2, Kyle Seager had drawn a leadoff walk. then Logan Morrison came to bat against Indians starter Shaun Marcum and after an 0-1 count, he hit a line drive single to center field. Michael got to it swiftly and threw a 1-hopper over to 3rd baseman, Mike Aviles, who tagged out Seager as he tried to go from 1st to 3rd. bad idea for him, but good for Michael's assist total lol
now let's break down the numbers. i am going to document his May #s, the 3rd spot #s, and the DH #s, as well as the left field #s, the center field #s, and overall outfield #s.
May batting average: .282
OBP: .379
SLG: .482
OPS: .861
Michael played in 28 (of 29) games, 25 complete, in May.
he started and played left in 18 games, completing 14 of those games, appearing in 23 total. he was subbed out of 3 games after 22 innings (8 innings/8 innings/6 innings per game) because the Indians were winning a blowout and he had done more than enough in the game.
he started and played center in 8 games, completing 3 of those games, appearing in 9 total.
he was part of a defensive switch in 6 games, moving from center to left in 5 games and moving from left to center in 1 game.
when moved over to left, he played:
3 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game,
3 innings with no official at bats (but 1 plate appearance) in 1 game,
2 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game,
1 inning with 1 official at bat in 1 game, and
2 innings with no official at bats in 1 game.
when moved over to center, he played:
2 innings with 1 official at bat in 1 game.
he started and was the DH for 2 games.
he got 1 game off, though it was debatable that it was because his lower back strain had been acting up.
Michael bat 3rd in 28 games.
Michael played left field in 23 games. (14 complete, 3 subbed out: 22 innings, 1 started: 7 innings, 5 defensive switches: 11 innings)
Michael played center field in 9 games. (3 complete, 5 started: 34 innings, 1 defensive switch: 2 innings)
Michael was the DH in 2 games.
Michael played in 25 complete games.
in May, Michael had a total of 132 plate appearances and 110 at bats. here is how he fared:
31 hits
14 extra base hits
17 singles
10 doubles
4 home runs
23 RBI
3 sac flies
15 runs
19 walks
2 intentional walks
6 stolen bases (2nd)
3 GIDP
10 strikeouts (7 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
53 total bases
63 left on base
48 putouts
3 assists
229.2 innings, 28 games
(25 complete games)
May batting average: .282 (31-110) (28 games)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat 3rd in May, he had a total of 132 plate appearances and 110 at bats in 28 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
31 hits
14 extra base hits
17 singles
10 doubles
4 home runs
23 RBI
3 sac flies
15 runs
19 walks
2 intentional walks
6 stolen bases (2nd)
3 GIDP
10 strikeouts (7 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
53 total bases
63 left on base
48 putouts
3 assists
229.2 innings, 28 games
(25 complete games)
May batting average in the 3rd spot: .282 (31-110) (28 games)
when Michael bat 3rd and played left in May, he had a total of 89 plate appearances and 74 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
21 hits
8 extra base hits
13 singles
5 doubles
3 home runs
17 RBI
3 sac flies
10 runs
12 walks
2 intentional walks
4 stolen bases (2nd)
2 GIDP
4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)
4 first at bat hits
35 total bases
39 left on base
36 putouts
2 assists
167 innings, 23 games
(14 complete games)
May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing left: .284 (21-74) (23 games)
when Michael bat 3rd and played center in May, he had a total of 34 plate appearances and 29 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
9 hits
5 extra base hits
4 singles
4 doubles
1 home run
5 RBI
5 runs
5 walks
2 stolen bases (2nd)
1 GIDP
5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)
4 first at bat hits
16 total bases
16 left on base
12 putouts
1 assist
62.2 innings, 9 games
(3 complete games)
May batting average in the 3rd spot while playing center: .310 (9-29) (9 games)
when Michael bat 3rd, he was the DH in May for 2 games. he had a total of 9 plate appearances and 7 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 extra base hit
1 double
1 RBI
2 walks
1 strikeout (swinging)
2 total bases
8 left on base
May batting average in the 3rd spot as the DH: .143 (1-7) (2 games)
overall May batting average as the DH: .143 (1-7) (2 games)
when Michael played the outfield in May, he had a total of 123 plate appearances and 103 at bats in 26 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
30 hits
13 extra base hits
17 singles
9 doubles
4 home runs
22 RBI
3 sac flies
15 runs
17 walks
2 intentional walks
6 stolen bases (2nd)
3 GIDP
9 strikeouts (6 swinging, 3 looking)
8 first at bat hits
51 total bases
55 left on base
48 putouts
3 assists
229.2 innings, 26 games
(23 complete games)
May batting average while playing the outfield: .291 (30-103) (26 games)
now let's break down his numbers specific to where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left in May, he had a total of 89 plate appearances and 74 at bats in 23 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
21 hits
8 extra base hits
13 singles
5 doubles
3 home runs
17 RBI
3 sac flies
10 runs
12 walks
2 intentional walks
4 stolen bases (2nd)
2 GIDP
4 strikeouts (3 swinging, 1 looking)
4 first at bat hits
35 total bases
39 left on base
36 putouts
2 assists
167 innings, 23 games
(14 complete games)
May batting average while playing left: .284 (21-74) (23 games)
when Michael played center in May, he had a total of 34 plate appearances and 29 at bats in 9 games. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
9 hits
5 extra base hits
4 singles
4 doubles
1 home run
5 RBI
5 runs
5 walks
2 stolen bases (2nd)
1 GIDP
5 strikeouts (3 swinging, 2 looking)
4 first at bat hits
16 total bases
16 left on base
12 putouts
1 assist
62.2 innings, 9 games
(3 complete games)
May batting average while playing center: .310 (9-29) (9 games)
May #s while playing left: 36 putouts, 2 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (167 innings, 23 games)
May #s while playing center: 12 putouts, 1 assist, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (62.2 innings, 9 games)
May #s while playing the outfield: 48 putouts, 3 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (229.2 innings, 26 games)
now my game-by-game numbers and notes.
Game 16/Game 1, May 1: 2-5, single, run, 2-run home run, run. AVG: .344
(3rd/LF/GS8)
Game 17/Game 2, May 2: 1-4, reached on fielder's choice (first at bat), stolen base, RBI single, stolen base, walk. AVG: .338
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 18/Game 3, May 3: 2-3, double, run, 2-run single, run, intentional walk, walk. AVG: .352
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 19/Game 4, May 5: 1-3, 2-run home run (first at bat), run, walk. AVG: .351
(3rd/LF/CG8)
Game 20/Game 5, May 6: 1-4, walk, single, run. AVG: .346
(3rd/CF - 6 innings, LF - 3 innings/CG9)
Game 21/Game 6, May 7: 1-4, single, stolen base, run. AVG: .341
(3rd/LF/CG8)
Game 22/Game 7, May 8: 1-4, home run, run. AVG: .337
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 23/Game 8, May 9: 2-4, RBI single, walk, single. AVG: .344
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 24/Game 9, May 10: 1-4, walk (first at bat), single, stolen base, run. AVG: .340
(3rd/LF/GS8)
Game 25/Game 10, May 12: 2-4, single (first at bat), walk, RBI double, run. AVG: .347
(3rd/CF/CG9)
**Michael's 11-game hitting streak and 11-game on-base streak end**
Game 26/Game 11, May 13: 0-5. AVG: .330
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 27/Game 12, May 14: 1-3, walk (first at bat), home run, run. AVG: .330
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 28/Game 13, May 15: 3-3, RBI double (first at bat), run, single, stolen base, walk, run, RBI double, walk. AVG: .349
(3rd/CF - 6 i, LF - 3 i/CG9)
Game 29/Game 14, May 16: 1-4, double (first at bat), run, RBI sac fly, intentional walk. AVG: .348
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 30/Game 15, May 17: 1-3, walk (first at bat), RBI double. AVG: .348
(3rd/DH/CG)
**Michael's 15-game on-base streak on the road ends**
Game 31/Game 16, May 18: 0-4. AVG: .336
(3rd/CF/CG9.2)
Game 32/Game 17, May 19: 1-4, RBI sac fly (first at bat), single. AVG: .333
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 33/Game 18, May 20: 1-4, 2-run double. AVG: .331
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 34/Game 19, May 21: 1-4, RBI single (first at bat), walk. AVG: .328
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 35/Game 20, May 22: 0-4, walk (first at bat). AVG: .319
(3rd/DH/CG)
May 23: not in lineup.
Game 36/Game 21, May 24: 1-4, walk (first at bat), double, reached on throwing error, stolen base. AVG: .317
(3rd/CF - 7 i, LF - 2 i/CG9)
Game 37/Game 22, May 25: 1-4, walk, RBI double. AVG: .315
(3rd/LF - 7 i, CF - 2 i/CG9)
Game 38/Game 23, May 26: 0-5. AVG: .304
(3rd/CF - 8 i, LF - 1 i/CG9)
Game 39/Game 24, May 27: 2-2, single (first at bat), double, run, walk, RBI sac fly. AVG: .313
(3rd/LF/GS6)
Game 40/Game 25, May 28: 2-5, single (first at bat), RBI groundout, single. AVG: .316
(3rd/LF/CG9)
Game 41/Game 26, May 29: 0-4. AVG: .308
(3rd/LF/CG8)
Game 42/Game 27, May 30: 1-4, single (first at bat). AVG: .307
(3rd/CF - 7 i, LF - 2 i/CG9)
Game 43/Game 28, May 31: 1-6, single, RBI walk. AVG: .302
(3rd/LF/CG12)
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 season batting average: .302 (51-169)
OBP: .379
SLG: .473
OPS: .853
i know some people like this little final overall wrap up, so i decided not to eliminate it in my monthlys. BUT, for more details about Michael's 2015 #s through May, refer to my Brantley's 2015 #s Through May blog.
and don't forget to follow me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 for daily Michael updates!
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