Michael Brantley retires – MLB.com

Michael Brantley is retiring

\n\n”, “providerName”: “Twitter”, “providerUrl”: “https://twitter.com”, “thumbnail_url”:null, “type”: “oembed”, “width”:550, “contentType “:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Brantley became a World Series champion that night in a way that reflected his widely recognized status as one of the most respected players of his generation confirmed. It's hard to imagine a more satisfying legacy.\n\nNow Brantley retires with gratitude for his journey – and anticipation of what lies ahead – after a successful career that included ten years of experience batted .298 in Cleveland for five seasons in Houston.\n\n”I have young children, and now it's time to be a father, first and foremost,” the five-time All-Star outfielder said of his Decision to retire. “It's time for me to be home 24/7, watch my kids grow up, and not miss any important milestones.”\n\nIn fact, he won't just be watching. He's already signed up as a Little League coach for Michael III, 8, and Maxwell, 6, the youngest of Michael and Melissa Brantley's four children.\n\nBrantley laughed as he noted the difference in his sons' reactions to the Early in his coaching career, Michael is “just okay with it,” while Maxwell “absolutely loves it.”\n\nMaxwell has earned the nickname “Shadow” in recent years at Minute Maid Park because he follows his father so closely. In this way, Brantley is retiring at the perfect time: He has played long enough for his children to have memories of him, but he is retiring just in time to enjoy a long coaching career in Little League.\n\n “I loved having them around “They would sit in the locker room with me, play on the field and watch me work and practice in the offseason to instill that baseball gene in them,” Brantley said . “They were able to travel to different major league stadiums, which I remember doing with my own father. “It means a lot to us that we had the same experiences.”\n\nMickey Brantley was in the second of his four seasons with the Seattle Mariners when Michael was born in 1987. Michael said the father-son batting sessions over the years were the foundation of his baseball knowledge, education that he continued until his final major league batting games. When the Astros visited Seattle in the final week of the 2023 regular season with a postseason berth on the line, Mickey was there to watch. :”2023-10-23T03:13:39.812Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/ 2023/2023-10/22/8a2c920c-2dcd5e26-11f73a07-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″, “type”: “video”, “description”: “Michael Brantley makes a nifty sliding catch in left field for the second out from the top of the 8th inning”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:16″,”slug”:”bryan-abreu-in-play-out-s-to-jonah-heim- exazfw”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”season-2023″,”title”:”Season 2023″,”type”:”season”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-117″,”title”:”Houston Astros”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:117″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-488726″,”title”:”Michael Brantley”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:488726″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”defense”,”title”:”defense”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”postseason”,”title”:”postseason”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”alcs”,”title”:”ALCS”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”imagen-feed”,”title”:”Imagen feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”fan-duel”,”title”:”Fan Duel”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”eclat-feed”,”title”:”Eclat feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”international-feed”,”title”:”International Partner feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”: “Thumbnail”, “templateUrl”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/vszgxfttk6yrtzk4sax4″},”title” : “Michael Brantley's sliding catch”, “relativeSiteUrl”: “/video/bryan-abreu-in-play-out-s-to-jonah-heim-exazfw”},{ “__typename”: “Markdown”, “content” : “Michael needed his father’s feedback. After a strenuous rehabilitation from shoulder surgery in 2022, he didn't play in a major league game for 14 months. He was in a sprint to prepare for the postseason – and he knew retirement was probably at any time.” The Astros were playing their last game.\n\n”I hadn't played too many games and was trying to build my momentum to improve,” he recalled. “I had him come over to help me fine-tune it. “\n\nIt worked. After being forced to miss eight straight games because of his sore shoulder, Brantley returned to the lineup on September 27. The Astros' lead over the Mariners had dwindled to a half-game, and Dusty Baker wanted Brantley to remain a steady left-handed hitter in the lineup against rookie right-hander Bryce Miller. Brantley rewarded his manager's faith with four hits in a performance that reminded the baseball world why he has one of the sport's greatest nicknames: Dr. Smooth. The Astros won 8-3 and clinched the division a few days later :02:12.428Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:”https://mlb-cuts -diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/27 /8d99285d-0ae3e85d-d5ee7303-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”Michael Brantley scores four hits , three singles and a double and collects an RBI in the Astros' win over the Mariners”, “displayAsVideoGif”:false, “duration”: “00:00:32”, “slug”: “michael-brantley-s-four- hit-game-x7341”, “tags”:[{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-117″,”title”:”Houston Astros”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:117″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-488726″,”title”:”Michael Brantley”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:488726″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hot-streak”,”title”:”hot streak”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hitting”,”title”:”hitting”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight-reel-offense”,”title”:”highlight reel offense”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”international-feed”,”title”:”International Partner feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”eclat-feed”,”title”:”Eclat feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”fan-duel”,”title”:”Fan Duel”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”, “templateUrl”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/mivphd0xcjo2j4a1wfrl”}, “title” :”Michael Brantley's Four-Hit Game”, “relativeSiteUrl”: “/video/michael-brantley-s-four-hit-game-x7341”},{“__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: “Also If While the Astros fell just one win shy of their third World Series appearance in 2023, Brantley provided an indelible moment in his final postseason: He struck out Minnesota starter Joe Ryan in the deciding Game 4 of the Division Series against the Twins a home run :text “https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-10/11/4d1dfe85-f7847669-744f9637-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4”, “type”: “Video “, “description”: “Michael Brantley hits a solo home run to right field to tie the game at 1 against the Twins early in the 2nd inning”,displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:00:00:25″ ,”slug”:”michael-brantley-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-wko8iz”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”season-2023″,”title”:”Season 2023″,”type”:”season”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-488726″,”title”:”Michael Brantley”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:488726″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-117″,”title”:”Houston Astros”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:117″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hitting”,”title”:”hitting”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”postseason”,”title”:”postseason”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”alds”,”title”:”ALDS”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”series-b”,”title”:”Series B”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”home-run”,”title”:”home run”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”international-feed”,”title”:”International Partner feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”eclat-feed”,”title”:”Eclat feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”fan-duel”,”title”:”Fan Duel”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”alexa”,”title”:”alexa”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”imagen-feed”,”title”:”Imagen feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”: “Thumbnail”, “templateUrl”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/x4he8hv5kbztroremxng”}, “title” : “Michael Brantley's solo home run”, “relativeSiteUrl”: “/video/michael-brantley-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-wko8iz”},{“__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: “After more than a year without major league competition, Brantley showed in October that he can still deliver.\n\n”It was huge,” he said. “Back then it was you” in the moment, trying to win a game to move forward. I didn't want to celebrate at that moment, but inside it felt so good to contribute. Jose Abreu hit a huge home run for us, cementing the win. Just having that opportunity meant a I still thank my teammates, coaching staff and our medical staff for putting me back in a position to help the team.”\n\nAfter the Astros' one-loss season In Game 7 against Texas in the American League Championship Series, Brantley turned to his teammates and thanked them for their hard work and support during his five seasons in Houston. He didn't say it during that private meeting, but Brantley knew that it was very possible he had performed in his last major league game. “I didn't have to think that much,” he said this week. “I've talked about it a lot with my family throughout the year. It's been a long season for me. My family was with me during the playoffs. There were just a lot of hugs that evening. “I'm so grateful for the opportunity to play baseball and live the dream that I had.”\n\nBrantley came to Houston after the 2018 season with the encouragement of his friends George Springer and Joe Smith because he wanted a chance wanted to win every season. He certainly had that, helping the Astros reach the postseason in every year of his tenure.\n\nBrantley has been an October fixture over the last decade. He was part of four postseason teams in Cleveland, although he missed playing in the 2016 World Series while recovering from shoulder surgery. He returned to make All-Star appearances in '17 and '18, his final two seasons with Cleveland. Brantley is grateful for his decade in Cleveland, which included his MLB debut in 2009 – after he arrived in the CC Sabathia blockbuster – – and first All-Star Game appearance in 2014, when he worked up the courage to ask for a photo with Derek Jeter. “He signed it for me,” Brantley said. “I have this picture hanging in my office.”\n\nAs well, Brantley played for two managers – Terry Francona and Baker – who are considered certain Hall of Famers after their respective retirements in 2023. Brantley sees a lot There are similarities in how the two supported their players and helped them compete at the highest level.\n\nNow Brantley has the chance to coach his own teams – with the up-and-coming ballplayers who have seen him proudest and most personal moments with the Commissioner's Trophy on November 5, 2022.\n\n”I had my family with me that evening and celebrated with the trophy in our dugout,” Brantley recalled. “I would never touch the trophy until we won it. Experiencing this moment with my family was very special.” :null,”summary”: The Houston Astros huddled joyfully at the podium, newly crowned 2022 World Series champions, and the Commissioner's Trophy quickly made its way to the Hands by Michael Brantley. His teammates made sure of that.\nThe smiles around Brantley told the story: After 1,430 major league games, he has”,”tagline({\”formatString\”:\”none\”})”:null,”tags” :[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”jon-paul-morosi”,”title”:”Jon Paul Morosi”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-488726″,”title”:”Michael Brantley”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:488726″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-117″,”title”:”Houston Astros”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:117″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-114″,”title”:”Cleveland Guardians”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:114″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”}]”type”: “story”, “thumbnail”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/x76lwynpr7r4njan7m3o”, “title”: “Michael Brantley goes into the Retirement” }},”Team:117″:{“__typename”:”Team”, “id”:117},”Person:488726″:{“__typename”: “Person”, “id”:488726},” Team: 114″:{“__typename”:”Team”, “id”:114}}} window.adobeAnalytics = {“reportingSuiteId”: “mlbglobal08, mlbcom08”, “linkInternalFilters”: “mlb”} window.globalState = { “tracking_title :: “Major League Baseball”, “lang”: “en”} window.appId = '' /*–>*/