Michael is the son of former Major League outfielder Mickey Brantley, who played for the Seattle Mariners from 1986-89 and was on the Toronto Blue Jays coaching staff from 2005-07...While his father was playing for the Mariners, Michael was born in Washington, but he grew up on the opposite end of the country in Florida, where he went to high school and still lives today...like a true Floridian, Michael is still an avid fisherman...Brantley graduated from Fort Pierce Central High School (FL) in 2005, where he played baseball and golf...he was selected out of high school by the Brewers in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB Draft... signed by Brewers scout Larry Pardo...After four seasons in the Brewers minor league system, was acquired by Cleveland as the player to be named later in the trade that sent CC Sabathia to Milwaukee in 2008...the blockbuster deal happened on July 7, 2008, but he was not named as the PTBNL until Oct. 3, 2008...Nicknamed Dr. Smooth during his time in Cleveland for his sweet swing and steady performance...upon joining the Astros in 2019, earned the moniker Uncle Mike, dubbed by former teammate George Springer...Despite not playing in the 2022 World Series due to injury, is credited by most of his teammates as a major reason for the Astros winning last year’s Fall Classic... following the Astros 7-0 Game 3 loss to the Phillies in the World Series, which put the Astros down two games to one, the stoic Brantley delivered a postgame speech for the ages in the clubhouse...Brantley says he sensed his teammates were down and needed to be reminded how special that group was...his paraphrased message was a reminder that if they played their brand of baseball, they’d be World Series champs...the 2022 Astros never lost again in the series, responding with a 5-0 win in Game 4...following Game 4, 3B Alex Bregman named Brantley that game’s offensive MVP...Is playing in his fifth year with Houston and is playing on his third contract...originally signed as a free agent to a two-year deal on Dec. 19, 2018...entered free agency after the 2020 season and was re-signed to another two-year deal on Jan. 25, 2021...became a free agent again after the 2022 season and was signed for the third time, this time to a one-year deal on Dec. 21, 2022.
2022
Hit .288 (70x243) in 64 games with 14 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI before being placed on the Injured List on June 27 with a right shoulder injury... eventually underwent an arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder and was lost for the season...Made his 11th-career Opening Day roster and went 2x5 with a double and two RBI in a start in LF on Opening Day, April 7, at LAA...has now recorded a hit in all but one of his 11 career Opening Day appearances, batting .386 (17x44) with 10 RBI...Hit his third career grand slam on June 17 vs. CWS (RHP Matt Foster)...At the time of his injury, was ranking second on the club in hits, OBP and batting average...Has 31 walks, compared to 30 strikeouts this season... ranked tied for fifth in the AL in walks per strikeout ratio (1.03)...Evenly split his time between DH (35 starts) and left field (29 starts) this season...primarily split that role with Yordan Alvarez...Was not active on any of the Astros Postseason rosters, but did travel with the team throughout the playoffs.
2021
Finished the season with a .311 average (146x469) with a team-high three triples, eight home runs, 29 doubles, 47 RBI and a .799 OPS (.437 SLG/.362 OBP)... By hitting .311 this season, upped his batting average since the 2018 season to .309 (552x1784), tops in the Majors... Marked his fourth straight season to hit .300+ (2018-21), the only player to do so in MLB...this year marked Brantley’s fifth season to finish in the top five in the AL batting race, also 2014 (3rd, .327), 2015 (4th, .307), 2018 (5th, .309) and 2019 (4th, .311)... In AL, ranked 2nd in batting average, second in PA/ SO (9.58) and 11th in OBP (.362)...in the AL batting race, finished second only to 1B Yuli Gurriel (.319)... Recorded 17 three-hit games of the season, which ranked tied for second in the AL... Recorded three games with three doubles this season, becoming one of just five players in the modern era with three or more three-double games in a single season...the MLB record is FOUR set by Billy Butler in 2009... Made his 10th career OPENING DAY roster and started in left field for his eighth career Opening Day start...went 3x4 on Opening Day (April 1 at OAK) with a homer...marked his third straight Opening Day with a homer, all three of his seasons with the Astros... joined George Springer (2017-19) and Jeff Bagwell (1994-96) as the only players in club history to do so... Was selected as an ALL-STAR for the fifth time in his career (2014, 2017-19, 2021)... Hit safely in the first five games of the POSTSEASON, to extend his postseason hitting streak to a franchise-record 16 games, from Game 1 of the 2020 ALDS to Game 1 of the 2021 ALCS...it also tied as the fourth-longest postseason hitting streak in MLB history, behind 17-game hitting streaks from Hank Bauer (1956-58), Derek Jeter (1998-99) and Manny Ramírez (2003-04)...overall in the postseason, hit .319 (22x64) with four doubles, nine RBI and a .724 OPS.
2020
Batted .300 (51x170) with 15 doubles, five home runs, 22 RBI and a .840 OPS (.364OBP /.476SLG) in 46 games with Houston, his second season with the club...Ranked ninth in the AL in batting average...Finished eighth in the AL in batting with runners in scoring position (.359, 14x39)...OPENING DAY: Made his ninth-career Opening Day roster and seventh start...smacked a three-run home run on Opening Day, marking his second consecutive Opening Day game with Houston where he homered...Tied the Astros record by recording an RBI in each of the first four games of the season...was a mark last reached by Richard Hidalgo in 2004...Became the first Astros player to record four multihit games over the first six games of a season since Willy Taveras in 2005...Reached 10 years of Major League service time on Aug. 6...Went 2x4 with a walk, a homer and a season-high four RBI on Sept. 1 vs. TEX...hit an RBI-single in the 10th inning, and a go-ahead, three-run HR off the right-field foul pole in the seventh inning with Houston trailing 3-1...Hit a go-ahead two-run HR in the first inning on Sept. 2 that proved to be the difference in the game...was his second straight game with a go-ahead HR...POSTSEASON: Batted .346 (18x52) with two doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and a .981 OPS (.424 OBP / .558 SLG) in 13 postseason games...Reached base safely in all 13 of his postseason games, while hitting safely in 12 of those contests...Finished the postseason with an 11-game hitting streak, the third-longest streak in franchise history behind a 14-game streak by George Springer and a 13-game streak by Jose Altuve...ALDS VS. OAK: Went 3x5 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in the series-clinching Game 4...was his first-career multi-homer game in the postseason.
2019
Put together his fourth-career (3rd consecutive) All-Star season in what was his first year with the Astros after signing with the club as a free agent in the offseason...ranked fourth in the AL in batting average with a club-best .311 mark...marked his best single-season batting average since 2014 (.327)...also among AL players, ranked third in strikeout rate (10.4%), fourth in multi-hit games (56), tied for fifth in doubles (40) and eighth in hits (179)...posted his third-career 40-double season, and first since 2015 (45 doubles)...started the 2019 All-Star Game in left field, his first-career All-Star Game start...set a single-season career-high in home runs (22)...posted the second-best OPS of his career (.875), behind only his 2014 season (.890)...played in 148 games, his most since his 156-game season in 2014...ranked second in the American League in batting average vs. right-handed pitchers (.323, 133x412)...posted a .928 OPS (.380 OBP/.549 SLG) against righties...was one of the best two-strike hitters in baseball ...hit .264 (64x242) in two-strike counts, the sixth-best mark in the Majors...ranked second in the AL in batting average in 0-2 counts (.319, 15x47)...ranked seventh in the AL in batting average with runners in scoring position (.343, 46x134)...made his eighth-career Opening Day roster and first since 2017...started on Opening Day at TB in left field and went 2x4 with a solo homer...was his first-career Opening Day home run...went the entire season without making a stint on the Injured List...marked the first time since 2015 that he avoided the IL for a full season...posted 16 multi-hit games through the Astros first 34 games of the season (thru May 5)... the only player in club history to record more multi-hit games through the first 34 games of a season was Jeff Bagwell in 1993 (17g)...recorded the fifth multi-homer game of his career, and first of the season on May 8 vs. KC...was his first multi-homer game since Sept. 10, 2015 vs. DET...reached double-digit home runs faster than any season in his career...went 4x4 with 2 doubles and a solo homer on July 5 vs. LAA...tied his single-game careerhigh for hits (13 times, last, May 3, 2018 vs. TOR)...tied his single-game career-high for extra-base hits, reached three other times (last, May 3, 2018 vs. TOR)...went 4x6 with three runs scored on July 6 vs. LAA...marked the first time in his career that he posted four hits in consecutive games...went 8x10 with two doubles, one homer, one RBI and six runs during the Astros three-game series against the Angels leading into the All-Star Break (July 5-7)... tied a club record for most consecutive four-hit games (last, Jose Altuve, May 26-27, 2018)...became the third player in club history with at least three runs and four hits in back-to-back games, joining Jeff Bagwell (July 14-15, 1995) and Cesar Cedeno (Sept. 12-13, 1977)...went 1x1 with an RBI-double in the 2019 All-Star Game...drove in Alex Bregman for the first run of the game...was his first game at Progressive Field in Cleveland since signing with Houston...became the first Astros player ever to hit a double in the All-Star Game...set a Minute Maid Park record for consecutive three-hit games, when he did so in four straight games from July 5-21...fell one game shy of the AL record streak for consecutive three-hit games at home...hit his 100th career home run in the Major Leagues on July 17 at LAA...posted his second multi-homer game of the season on July 21 vs. TEX...recorded a career-high tying four hits on Aug. 14 at CWS...recorded multiple extra-base hits in three consecutive games from Aug. 14-16, the longest streak of his career...notched his third multi-homer game of the year on Aug. 15 at OAK...had multiple hits in five consecutive games from Aug. 14-18, tying the longest streak of his career (also April 11-20, 2018)...posted the AL's longest hitting streak, a 19-game run from Aug. 3-27...tied the second-longest streak of his career, last reached from May 9-30, 2018...hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 13th inning on Sept. 5 vs. SEA...was his third-career walkoff homer, and first since Aug. 3, 2014 vs. TEX...was his eighth-career walkoff plate appearance, and first since a walkoff single on Sept. 22, 2018 vs. BOS...started 18 games for the Astros in the postseason, which was tied for the most in the Majors with Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel...started a tremendous double play on a diving catch in the 7th inning in Game 6 of the ALCS vs. NYY on an Aaron Hicks flare...doubled off Aaron Judge at first base to end the inning...recorded 20 hits in the postseason, which was tied for second among all players with Anthony Rendon...his seven multi-hit games ranked second among all players...homered in the bottom of the 8th inning in Game 5 of the ALDS vs. TB...marked his first career postseason home run...hit safely in 10 of 11 games from Game 5 of the ALDS vs. TB to Game 4 of the World Series at WSH, including three straight multi-hit games from Games 2-4 of the World Series...joined Jose Altuve (2019) and George Springer (2017) as the only players in Astros history to record three straight multi-hit games within a single World Series.
2018
Was an AL All-Star for the second consecutive season in a year where he finished fifth in the AL and eighth in the Major Leagues in batting average (.309)...became the first Cleveland outfielder to be selected to consecutive ALl-Star games since Grady Sizemore (2006-07)...ranked second in the Majors in strikeout rate (9.5%) behind only Andrelton Simmons (7.3%)...ranked seventh in the AL in hits (176) and ninth in multi-hit games (51)... posted an .832 OPS (.364 OBP/.468 SLG) along with 36 doubles and 17 home runs...against right-handed pitchers, batted .321 (fourth-best mark in the AL) with 31 doubles, 14 home runs and an .889 OPS (.380 OBP/.509 SLG)... made 134 starts in left field and seven at designated hitter...led Cleveland with six outfield assists...began the season on the DL as he was rehabbing his surgically repaired right ankle...was activated from the DL and made his season debut on April 6...spent the entire rest of the season on the Indians active roster...connected for his first-career grand slam on May 1 vs. TEX off Keone Kela in what was his 3,930th career plate appearance...hit his second-career grand slam just nine games later on May 11 vs. KC off Jason Hammel...posted a club season-high 19-game hitting streak from May 19-30, tied for the second-longest streak in the Majors during the season... recorded his 500th career RBI on July 5 at KC...played his 1,000th career game on July 28 at DET... hit a walkoff RBIsingle in the 9th inning on Aug. 9 vs. MIN...hit a walkoff RBI-single in the 11th inning on Sept. 22 vs. BOS...played in all three games of the ALDS against the Astros, going 2x10 with a walk and an RBI.
2017
Enjoyed a strong first half before a persistent right ankle injury virtually ended his season early (August 8) and forced him to the disabled list on two different occasions...At the time of his season-altering injury on August 8 vs. Colorado he was 15th in the American League in batting average (.299), 20th in on-base pct. (.358) and tied for 3rd in the league in outfield assists (8)...Originally hurt the ankle on May 7 at Kansas City and was on the D.L. with a sprained right ankle from June 16-25 and August 9-Sept. 29...Got a second opinion on Sept. 19 in Vail, CO (Dr. Thomas Clanton) where he received a cortisone injection and was diagnosed with a deltoid ligament sprain along with right ankle synovitis (shut down for 7-10 days)...Activated with two days left in the regular season (Sept. 30), collecting a 10-pitch, pinch-hit single that night vs. Minnesota and collected at bats (0-for-2) at DH on Oct. 1 in the season finale vs. the Twins (1-for-3 overall after activation).W as voted by his peers to his second American League All-Star team, hitting .304 (76/250) in the first half with 31 runs, 17 2B, 5 HR & 37 RBI in 66 games...Overall on the year he made 86 starts in left field (1 start at DH), reaching via hit or walk in 75 of those games...Hit safely in 14 straight games , May 15-30...Over his last 38 games, June 13-Oct. 1, he batted .314 (43/137) with 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR & 27 RBI (24 runs). Reached base safely via hit/walk in 26 of his last 29 games...Homered 5 times in 20 April games before going 54 games, May 1-July 22 (207 at bats) without a long ball, the 3rd-longest homerless stretch of his career (59 games in 2010-11) and the longest in-season stretch of his career...Homered 4 times over his last 16 games, July 23-Oct. 1. Batted at least .286 in each of his five months on the year, hitting .326 (15/46) in 13 June games...Stole 11 bases in 12 attempts (91.7%), 7th-highest stolen base pct. in a single-season in Indians history (min. 10 attempts)...Batted .317 (51/161) with runners on base (18th-highest in the A.L.) and hit .230 (34/148) with two strikes on the season (20th-best mark in the league)...Batted third in all 87 starts...Posted a .375 on-base pct off right-handed pitching (.857 OPS)... No strikeouts in his last 21 PA on the year...2018 option picked up on November 3
2016
Season never fully gained traction as he was limited to just 11 games at the Major League level around two stints on the disabled list and did not play in a game after May 10....Was on the active roster from April 25-May 9, his last game coming on May 9 at Houston...Originally injured the shoulder on Sept. 22, 2015 diving for a fly ball at Minnesota. Progressed smoothly in spring training from November 2015 right shoulder surgery (Dr. Craig Morgan) and appeared in 2 spring training games, March 19-21, before being shutdown for the remainder of the spring in order to back date his DL stint... Was placed on the 15-day Disabled List on March 25 and rehabbed between AA Akron and AAA Columbus, April 12-23, before being activated on April 25...Hit safely in 6 of his 11 games with Cleveland and equaled his career-high (11th time) with 4 hits vs. Detroit on May 5...Persistent soreness and biceps tendonitis forced him onto the DL for the second time on May 10...Received several cortisone shots and visited several shoulder specialists after a failed rehab, July 11-17, at A Mahoning Valley, A Lake County and AA Akron for his chronic biceps tendonitis and underwent a diagnostic ultrasound and hydrodissection of the tendon on July 22 at the Cleveland Clinic...Was shutdown for the season on August 3 after feeling more soreness...Underwent surgery on August 15 in Dallas, TX to address chronic biceps tendinitis in the shoulder...The procedure commonly referred to as a biceps tenodesis re-attached the tendon from his shoulder to his humerus...The 45-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Mark Schickendantz...The doctors confirmed his previous labrum repair was intact, the remainder of the shoulder joint looked good with a 4-month recovery time.
2015
Enjoyed another elite offensive season for the Indians, becoming just the third Indians batter since 1961 to pace the American League in doubles, netting a career-best tying 45... His Major League-leading 45 doubles were the most by an Indians batter since Grady Sizemore led the A.L. with 53 in 2006...Finished 4th in the American League batting race at .310 behind Miguel Cabrera's league-leading .338...Also ranked among American League batting leaders in a variety of categories (see box at right) and was the hardest batter to strikeout in the American League at 11.7 plate appearances per strikeout (drew career-high 60 walks against just 51 strikeouts).
Got better as the season went along after being slowed by lower back stiffness in April (missed 6 games, April 8-15), hitting .335 (75-221) in 58 second half games with 33 runs, 21 doubles, 10 home runs and 38 RBI...Finished 6th among A.L. hitters in second half batting average, on-base pct. (.400) and OPS (.963) and was 4th in doubles after the break...Hit .406 (39-96, 2nd-highest in MLB) in 24 August games with 19 runs, 10 2B, 3HR & 17 RBI... Enjoyed his third career 2-homer game on August 25 vs. Milwaukee and his fourth career 2-HR game on Sept. 10 vs. Detroit (both homers came after the 6th in tie game)...From August 3 thru the end of the season he batted .333 (55-165) with 15 2B, 7 HR & 28 RBI in 42 games...Missed 3 games with left shoulder soreness, August 14-16, and was limited to just 2 games over the final 12 games of the season after straining his right shoulder diving for a ball in Minnesota on Sept. 22nd.
Made 94 starts in left field (101 games), 24 starts in center field (28 games) and 17 starts at designated hitter for Terry Francona...Batted third in the lineup in all of 135 starts...Reached via hit or walk in 115 of 135 starts and hit safely in 104 of those assignments...Recorded his 9th and 10th career 4-hit games on April 26 at Detroit and July 22 at Milwaukee... Finished T-3rd in the A.L. with 23 May RBI and hit above .281 over each month of the season, including .339 (20-59) in April.
Was once again at his best with runners on base, hitting .329 (82-249) with men on (6thbest in A.L.) to raise his career mark with runners on base to .322 (410-1275)...Batted .324 (45-139) with RISP this season, the 10th best mark in the league to raise that career split to .329 (232-705)...Joined the likes of Speaker, Sewell, Lajoie, Hale, Boudreau (done last in 1947) and Averill among franchise hitters to collect 45 doubles, at least 60 walks and strikeout fewer than 55 times.
2014
Enjoyed a breakout season as he earned his first American League All-Star selection and Silver Slugger Award and finished 3rd in the A.L. MVP voting...Led the club in runs scored, hits, doubles, RBI, steals, runs created and batting average and set career-highs in each of those categories and also set career-bests in home runs (20) .... Ranked among American League leaders in many categories. Became the first Indians player to amass 200 hits, 45+ doubles, 20+ HR, 20+ stolen bases in the 114-year history of the franchise and the 9th player all-time in the history of baseball to accomplish the feat ... Became the ninth p layer (16th total time) in club history to enjoy 20 homers and 20 steals in a single-season, the first since Shin-Soo Choo in 2010...Became the first Indians hitter since Kenny Lofton in 1996 (just 2nd hitter in Progressive Field-era/1994) to amass 200 hits in a season, collecting his 200th hit on Sep t. 27 vs. Tamp a Bay (had 29 hits over his last 17 games, 18th p layer/28th time in club history)...His .327 batting average was highest by an Indian since Roberto Alomar (.336) in 2001. Enjoyed a p air of club season-high 15-game hitting streaks from May 14-31 and Sept. 11-24 and was the model of consistency all season, hitting .341 (176-516) with 41 2B, 16 HR and 78 RBI in 130 games from Ap ril 29 until the end of the season...Carried it over from 1st half to 2nd half as well as his .901 first half OPS (9th) and .877 2nd half OPS (5th) each ranked in the top 10 in the league (min 225P A) ... From July 31-end of season he hit .354 (74-209) with 18 2B, 5HR, 32 RBI over his final 53 games ... From August 29th thru the end of the season Michael batted .408 (49-120) with 12 2B, 2 HR and 15RBI in the season's final 30 games to raise average from .307-.327. Made 106 starts in left field, 40 starts in center field and 8 starts at designated hitter and was a 2014 finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award...His error on April 2 at Oakland (night game) snapped an outfield club record 247 consecutive errorless games (only error of the season)… Ended the season with 144-game errorless streak and has just 1 error over his last 393 games since June 3, 2012....His 12 outfield assists were T4th among American League outfielders (33 career). Equaled single-game club record for runs scored (5 runs, 3-for-3, HR, RBI, 2BB) on June 9 at Texas, becoming the first Indian w/5 runs in a game since Joe Carter in Sep t '86 and went on to win A.L. player of the week honors (6/9-15)...E njoyed his 5th career-game of at least 4RBI April 17 at Detroit (season-high)… Had RBI in 66 of 156 games with an at bat (had seven games of at least 3RBI). Connected for two extra inning walk-off home runs, the first two game-enders of his career (May 20 vs. Detroit, August 3 vs. Texas)...W as the 3rd hardest batter in A.L. to strikeout, fanning in just 1 every 12.1 p late ap p earances, trailing only Victor Martinez (15.3) and Jose Altuve (13.3)...His home batting average of .353 (106-300) was 3rd-best in the American League....Hit 3rd in the lineup 126 times...Over the last two seasons has hit a combined .329 (159-484) with runners on base and .375 (101-269) with runners in scoring position...Did not start, June 17-20, with concussion symptoms.
2013
?joyed another solid campaign, steady at the plate while providing stellar defense in left field after the off-season acquisitions of Drew Stubbs and Michael Bourn...Did not make an error the entire season and carries a franchise record 245 game errorless streak heading into the 2014 season...Broke Rocky Colavito's 212-game streak that stretched over two tenures with the club from 1959-66...Last error was June 3, 2012...Also finished tied for 4th with 11 outfield assists, the most by an Indians left-fielder since Albert Belle (11) in 1996....Made 144 starts in left field (151 games, appeared in 1 game in CF)...Led the team with a .284 average and was 3rd on the team w/73 RBI (career-high). ?njoyed his first career multi-home run game on June 19 vs. Kansas City and set new single-game career-highs in total bases (10), extra base hits (3) and RBI (5) on July 7 vs. Detroit, his second career 2-home run game in 2013....Hit .311 (32-103) in May with 3 2B, a HR and 17 RBI in 29 games...Indians were 40-14 (.741) when he scored a run...Reached base in 113 of 149 games via hit, walk or hit by pitch. ?as the club's best hitter with runners in scoring position as his .375 (45-120) mark was 3rd-highest in the American League...Also hit .311 (74-238) with runners on base and .364 (24-66) with RISP-2outs...Missed 2 weeks spring training (late Feb/early March) w/a left forearm cut suffered sliding into third base at Oakland that required double-digit stitches. Was the club's best hitter down the stretch, hitting .343 (34-98) with 4 2B, 2HR & 14 RBI over the final 26 games from August 28th thru the end of the season....Collected four straight 3-hit games, Sept 22-26, the first Indians batter to do so since Kenny Lofton in June 1995 and the first Indians hitter since 1959 (Minnie Minoso) to have four straight 3-hit games at least 1RBI in each of those games (Michael drove in 7 runs in the 4 games)...Ranked among American League leaders in pct of swings that missed (2nd, 9.9%, 92 of 933), pct of swings put into play (4th, 53.5%, 499 of 933), batting average with two strikes (5th, .270, 63-for-233) and steals of third (T4th, 6).
2012
Had a solid season from an offensive standpoint, making all of his appearances in center field after the spring training
injury to Grady Sizemore...Had a career-high 22-game hitting streak, the longest by an Indians hitter in 2012, from
May 20-June 15, hitting .337 (29-86) over the streak with 12RS, 4 2B, 16RBI to raise his batting average from .255 to
.284...It was the 2nd-longest streak in the Majors in 2012 (Robinson Cano 23G) and the longest by an Indians hitter
since May of 2007 (Casey Blake, 26 games)...Among AL leaders he finished tied for 12th with 37 doubles and was
the toughest batter to strikeout in the league (10.9PA per SO). ..Started 1 of the final 9 games of the season due to
a strained right groin...Hit at least .250 in every month of the season and hit .288 in both the first and second half. Also hit in 13 straight games from June 28-July 15 and over his last 78 games of the season from June 28th-on he hit
.302 (81-268) with 31 runs, 16 2B, 5HR, 26RBI...Also hit .313 (21-67) the last 21 games of the season in Sept/Oct with
11RS, 2 2B, 5RBI...Stole 12 bases in 21 attempts (57%) and was tied for 4th in the AL in caught stealings...His .310
average on the road was 7th-highest in the American League while his .305 (53-174) average after the 6th inning was
9th-best...Also was 3rd in the league in pct of swings that missed at just 8.4% (73/865) and tied for 6th in intentional
walks...Was 14th in avg vs. RHP (.299) and 11th in avg with the bases loaded (.444, 4/9). Enjoyed a great deal of success in the 5-spot in the batting order, hitting .308 (73-237) with 15 2B, 4HR, 31RBI in 65
games in that spot in the order...Batting average in the clean-up spot, where he made 24 starts, was .225 (20-89) with
4RBI...Best month was July when he batted .326 (29-89) w/7 2B, 3HR and 11RBI in 26 games (.934OPS)...For the
year hit .295 (72-244) with runners on base...Made 140 starts in center field (3GS at DH) and compiled a fielding pct
of .997 (1E, 5 assists, 342TC) which was 5th-best among AL outfielders...Underwent surgery to repair sports hernia
after the season on October 11 in Philadelphia, PA (Dr. William Meyers).
2011
Put together a solid campaign before right wrist and hand problems ended his season on August 22nd...At the time of his injury was tied for 25th in the AL and 2nd on the team in runs scored (63) and tied for 17th in triples (4)...Was placed on the 60-day DL on August 23 and underwent right hand surgery at the Cleveland Clinic (Dr. Thomas Graham) on August 31 to remove a fractured hamate bone in his right hand...Was limited to just 14 games in August (.211, 12-57) due to right hand and wrist soreness...On the year he made 46 starts in center field (52G) and 62 starts in left field (66G)...Made 1 start at DH...His 7HR/46RBI were new career-highs...Had a season-long 9-game hitting streak to begin the season, April 1-11...Career-high 4RBI May 16 @KC...Notched his 4th career 4-hit game on July 8 vs. Toronto (4-6, 2RBI)...Over his last 33 games from July 6-August 22 he hit .281 (39-139) w/18RS,10 2B, 3B, HR, 13RBI & 11 multi-hit games...Hit .294 (30-102) in July with 6 2B, 1HR & 11 RBI in 24 games...Had a .782 OPS vs. RHP...Hit .278 (97-329) in the lead-off spot, .327 (51-156) with runners on base (9th best in the AL) and .302 (13-43) with RISP-2outs.
2010
Was the club's opening day left fi elder and spent three stints with Cleveland and ended the season in regular duty
positioned to be a contributor in 2011...First two stints were not met with a great deal of success, hitting .156 (5-32) in
April with a 2B, 3RBI in 9 games before being sent out to AAA Columbus on April 19....Recalled again on July 4 (Choo
thumb injury) and hit .157 (11-70) in July w/a 2B, HR & 4RBI in 17 games before being optioned back on Columbus on
July 27...Combined over fi rst two stints hit .157 (16-102) with 2 2B, 2HR & 7 RBI in 26G (12RS).
...Spent the remainder of the season with Cleveland after August 6th recall and rebounded to hit .292 (57-195) with 26RS,
7 2B, 3 3B,2HR & 15 RBI in 46 games (.332OB/.390SLG/.721OPS) to raise his avg from .157 to .246...Hit in 37 of his
last 41 games (.295, 52-176)...Overall fi nished 7th among AL rookies in runs (38), 8th in hits (73), T3rd in triples (3)
and T2nd in SB (10)...Hit first Major League home run on July 8 at Tampa Bay off Wade Davis to lead off the game...
Equaled career-high with 4 hits on August 12 vs. Baltimore.
...Defining moment of his season came during a career-best 19 game hitting streak from August 30-Sept. 19 over which
he hit .286 (26-91) w/1RBI...Was tied for the 4th longest streak in the AL this year...Was the longest hitting streak by
an Indians rookie batter since LARRY DOBY (21G) in 1948 and longest overall since CASEY BLAKE in 2007 (26G)...
Overall he in 27 of his last 29 games from August 30th-on (.283, 36-127)...Overall made 62 starts in center field (65G) and 7 starts in left field for Manny Acta...Hit .291 (23-79) in August with
14RS & 11 RBI in 19 games...Overall on the year with the Indians hit .256 (67-262) when batting leadoff in 60 games
(34RS)...Hit .304 (31-102) with runners on base and stole 10 bases in 12 attempts (83%)...Made 2 errors in 163 total
chances (.988).
...This year at Columbus he hit .319 (87-273) with 54 runs scored, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 4HR and 29RBI in 67 games...
At the time of his final August 6th recall he ranked 2nd in the International League in average (.319) and during his 2nd
stint in Columbus in July he hit .344 (11-32) with 4 doubles, a home run and 3RBI in 8 games...During his first stint there
from the end of April to the beginning of July he hit .315 (76-241) with 9 2B, 2 3B, 3hR & 26 RBI...Had two 12-game
hitting streaks with the Clippers...Hit .353 (36-102) in June with 5 2B, 2HR & 15 RBI in 24 games (18RS, .893OPS),
.343 (34-99) with runners on and .310 (18-58) with RISP at Triple-A.
2009
Enjoyed a very productive season at AAA Columbus at just 22 years of age before an impressive September call-up in his debut at the Major League level...Hit .267 (122-457) with 80 runs scored, 21 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR and 37 RBI in 116 games for the Clippers and stole 46 bases in 51 attempts (90.2%)...He finished tied for 1st in the International League in stolen bases (46) and 3rd in the league in runs (80). He hit in 7 of his last 8 games at Columbus, batting .382 (13-34) with 5 runs scored, 3 doubles, a triple, a HR, 5 RBI & 7 stolen bases...During the month of August Michael hit .298 (25-84) with 11 runs, 5 2B, 13B, a HR and 8RBI in 21 games, his highest average of any month this year...Stole 3 bases on August 31 vs. Louisville, his 2nd 3 steal game of the season...From June 1 thru August 31 he hit .282 (77-273) with 11 2B, 4HR, 49RS & 37RBI in 69 games...Was 7th in the IL in walks (59) and struck out just 48 times in 528 plate appearance (1K:11PA)...Hit .268 (90-336) off RHP and .264 (32-121) off LHP and .275 (41-149) with runners on base...Contract was purchased from Columbus on Sept. 1 and made his MLB debut that night in Detroit, collecting his first hit off Edwin Jackson in the 5th inning...Hit safely in his first 8 games with the Indians, just the 2nd Indians player in the last 50 years to hit safely in his first 8 games (Josh Bard, 2002, first 9 games)...Went 4-5 w/an RBI on Sept. 12 vs. KC, becoming the first Indian since Andy Allanson in April 1986 to have a four-hit game within his first 10 games played...Since 1954, he is the 7th fastest Indian to record a four-hit game (10g)...Rocky Colavito did it in his 4th game in Sept 1955...According to Elias only one Indians player has had a four-hit game at a younger age than Brantley (22 years, 120 days old) when Carlos Baerga recorded four hits against the Yankees on September 20, 1990 at the age of 21 years, 320 days old...Overall reached safely via hit or walk in his first 12 games and for the month reached safely in 25 of 28 games...Made 7 starts in LF and 19 starts in CF for the Indians when Grady Sizemore was shutdown on Sept. 4 and hit in the lead-off spot 23 times as well...Stole 4 bases in 8 attempts...Hit .375 (15-40) with runners on base and .474 (9-19) with RISP.
2008
Brantley spent the entire 2008 season at Class AA Huntsville of the Southern League where he posted an on-base percentage of .395 with 80 runs scored, 17 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs and 40 RBI in 106 games...He also stole 28 bases in 36 attempts and compiled a batting average of .319 (134-420)...He was tied for 6th in Southern League in runs (80) & steals (28), was 7th in batting average (.319) and 12th
in on-base % (.395) despite an ankle injury that limited him to 4 games in July...He had nearly twice as many
walks (50) as strikeouts (27) and ranked second in the entire minor leagues w/a strikeout per plate appearance
ratio of 17.7 (27K in 479 PA)...The versatile Brantley appeared in 62 games in center field and 21 games at both left field and first base...He
was named to the Southern League mid-season and post-season All-Star Team and was named in Baseball
America as the Best Baserunner and having the Best Strike Zone Judgment in the Southern League...The 6'2",
left-handed hitter compiled virtually identical on-base percentages off both right-handed (.397) and lefthanded
pitching (.390) while hitting .351 (53-151) for the season with runners on base (.309 w/RISP)...After the season he was named the 18th best prospect in the Southern League by Baseball America...Brantley owns a career minor league on-base % of .399 with 53 2B, 7 3B, 6HR & 157 RBI in 383 games (.311BA, 433-1392) since being selected in the 7th round of the 2005 draft by Milwaukee out of Ft. Pierce Central High School (FL)...In his minor league career he has 199 walks compared to just 142 strikeouts (1K per 11.5PA) and has stolen 103 bases in 132 attempts (78%)...Enters 2009 as the 9th best prospect in the Indians organization
according to Baseball America.
2007
A West Virginia & AA Huntsville he stole 35 bases and drove in a career-high 53 runs in 115 games..Began the season at Class-A West Virginia where he hit .335 (73-for-218) in 56 games...Was promoted to Double-A Huntsville on 6/9...Rated by Baseball America as the Brewers prospect with the Best Strike-Zone Discipline.
2006
Placed on the DL on 5/3 with a right shoulder strain, reinstated on 5/13...Recorded an on-base percentage of .402, good for fourth in the South Atlantic League...Tied for seventh in the SAL with a .300 batting average.
2005
Began the season with the Rookie Arizona Brewers before a 8/28 promotion to Rookie Helena...Hit .343 (71-for-207) overall in his first season...His 60 hits with Arizona were good for 5th in the Arizona League...Batting average of .347 was 4th best in the Arizona League.
