Michael Brantley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Brantley |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Brantley in 2019
|
|||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: May 15, 1987 Bellevue, Washington, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| September 1, 2009, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 2023, for the Houston Astros | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .298 | ||
| Home runs | 129 | ||
| Runs batted in | 720 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Michael Charles Brantley Jr. (born May 15, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and the Houston Astros. Michael's dad, Mickey Brantley, was also an MLB player and a coach. Michael is a left-handed batter and thrower.
He was picked by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2005 MLB draft. In 2008, the Brewers traded him to the Indians. Brantley made his MLB debut with the Indians in 2009.
In 2014, Brantley became an MLB All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award. He had his best year for hitting and finished third in the American League (AL) MVP Award voting. He was chosen for the All-Star team four more times between 2017 and 2021. Brantley was one of the top ten hitters in the AL six times. He played in two World Series with the Astros, in 2019 and 2021.
Contents
Early Life and High School Baseball
Michael Brantley was born in Bellevue, Washington. His father, Mickey Brantley, played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners when Michael was born. Michael grew up in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
He started playing Little League Baseball at age seven. In 1999, when his dad was a hitting coach for the New York Mets, Michael got to spend time around the team.
Brantley went to Fort Pierce Central High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. He played both baseball and golf there. In his last year of high school baseball, he had a very high batting average of .595. He also scored 22 runs and stole 32 stolen bases. After high school, the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him. He decided to play professional baseball instead of going to college.
Professional Baseball Career
Milwaukee Brewers Years
The Milwaukee Brewers chose Brantley in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB Draft. After signing, he played for their beginner-level teams. These were the Helena Brewers and the Arizona Brewers. He hit well, with a .347 batting average in Arizona and .324 in Helena. He also stole 14 bases.
In 2006, Brantley played for the West Virginia Power. This was a Class A team. He hit .300 and stole 24 bases in 108 games. In 2007, he started with West Virginia. After hitting .335, he moved up to the Huntsville Stars, a Class AA team. In 2008, playing for Huntsville, he hit .319 with four home runs and 28 stolen bases.
Cleveland Indians Years
The Brewers traded Brantley to the Cleveland Indians on October 3, 2008. This trade was part of a bigger deal where the Brewers got pitcher CC Sabathia. Brantley was the "player to be named later" in the trade.
In 2009, Brantley played for the Columbus Clippers, a Class AAA team. He hit .267 there. On September 1, the Indians called him up to the major leagues. Brantley got on base in his first eight games. He finished the 2009 season hitting .313 in 28 games.
Brantley started the 2010 season with Cleveland. He was the starting left fielder on Opening Day. He was sent back to Columbus for a bit but returned to the Indians later that season. He finished 2010 with a .242 batting average.
In 2011, Brantley hit .266 in 114 games. He hit seven home runs and stole 13 bases. His season ended early because he needed surgery on his right hand. In 2012, Brantley moved to center field. He had a great 22-game hitting streak. He is known for waiting for the right pitch and having a smooth swing. In 2012, he was nicknamed "Dr. Smooth" for his playing style. He set new career highs with a .288 batting average and 37 doubles.
After the 2012 season, Brantley had surgery for a sports hernia. In 2013, he moved back to left field. He had a very good season, hitting .284 with 10 home runs and 73 runs batted in. He also set a team record for outfielders with 245 games without an error.
Before the 2014 season, the Indians signed Brantley to a four-year contract. He was chosen for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game after hitting .322 with 15 home runs. In the last game of 2014, he got his 200th hit of the season. He was the first Indians player since 1996 to do this. He finished 2014 hitting .327 with 20 home runs. After the season, he won the Silver Slugger Award. He also finished third in the voting for the American League Most Valuable Player award.
In 2015, Brantley hit .310 with 15 home runs. He led all of MLB in doubles with 45. He also had the lowest strikeout rate in the major leagues, meaning he rarely struck out.
Brantley had shoulder surgery in the offseason before 2016. He returned to play in April but needed a second surgery in August, which ended his season. He did not play in the playoffs when Cleveland made it to the World Series.
In 2017, Brantley hit .299 with 9 home runs. The Indians kept him for the 2018 season. In 2018, he was chosen for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. He hit .309 with 17 home runs. He also had the highest contact percentage in the major leagues, meaning he made contact with the ball very often.
Houston Astros Years
2019 Season
On December 17, 2018, Brantley signed a two-year contract with the Houston Astros. In 2019, he hit .311 with 40 doubles and 22 home runs. He also had 90 runs batted in. On defense, he was one of the best left fielders in MLB. Brantley was the last batter in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, which the Astros lost.
2020 Season
In 2020, Brantley hit .300 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. He played as a designated hitter and in left field.
2021 Season
On January 25, 2021, Brantley signed another two-year contract with the Astros. He hit very well in April and June, staying near the top of the AL batting leaders. On July 4, he was chosen for his fifth All-Star Game. He finished the season hitting .311. This was the sixth time he finished in the top 10 in AL batting average. He was also second in the AL for fewest strikeouts per at-bat.
Brantley had a hitting streak of 15 straight postseason games in 2021. This was the longest streak for an Astros player and one of the longest in MLB history.
2022 Season
In 2022, Brantley continued to hit well. On May 17, he hit one of five Astros home runs in a single inning. This tied a major league record. On June 17, he hit a grand slam, helping the Astros score ten runs in one inning.
On June 27, Brantley was put on the injured list due to shoulder pain. On August 12, he had surgery on his right shoulder, which ended his season early. At the time of his surgery, he was hitting .288. He was the only player in the American League to hit at least .300 in each of the previous four seasons.
Even though he did not play in the postseason, Brantley traveled with the team. When the Astros were losing in the 2022 World Series, he called a meeting with the players. This meeting helped motivate the team, and they won the next three games to win the championship. Brantley earned his first World Series ring.
After the World Series, Brantley became a free agent.
2023 Season and Retirement
Brantley signed a one-year deal to return to the Astros on December 18, 2022. He was on the injured list for most of the season due to his shoulder surgery. He returned to play on August 29.
In Game 4 of the American League Division Series, Brantley hit a solo home run. This helped the Astros win and move on to their seventh straight American League Championship Series.
Michael Brantley announced his retirement from baseball on January 5, 2024.
Personal Life
Michael Brantley lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida, during the baseball offseason. He is married to Melissa, and they have three children: a daughter born in 2013, and two sons born in 2015 and 2017. After retiring from playing, Brantley started coaching Little League baseball.
He has a very close relationship with his father, Mickey. When Michael was playing, they would talk every morning about his games from the day before. Michael's cousin, Justin, was also a baseball player in the Indians' minor league system.
See also
- Cleveland Guardians award winners and league leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career games played as a left fielder leaders
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
