Five-time All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley retires after 15 seasons with Cleveland and Houston
Veteran outfielder Michael Brantley is calling it a career.
Brantley, who spent the last five seasons with the Houston Astros, is retiring, he told Jon Morosi of MLB.com. The 36-year-old said his primary motivator was the chance to spend more time with his family.
Brantley walks away as one of baseball’s most respected veterans. A career .298 hitter, he was known in his prime for his doubles prowess and consistent .300-level hitting. His best years were in Cleveland, where he made three of his five career All-Star teams, before moving on to become a key veteran piece on several Astros teams that made postseason runs.
Injuries were a big problem for Brantley in recent years, and kept him sidelined during the Astros’ title-winning run in 2022. He only appeared in 15 regular season games in 2023, though he did get 32 plate appearances in the postseason, where he hit .179 with a home run.
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Five-time All-Star and World Series champion Michael Brantley announced his retirement Friday after 15 MLB seasons.
The outfielder already has his next job lined up, too: coaching Little League.
“I have young kids, and now it’s time to be a dad, first and foremost,” Brantley told MLB.com. “It’s time for me to be home 24/7, watch my kids grow up and not miss important milestones.”
Brantley leaves with a .298 career batting average during 10 years in Cleveland and five more in Houston. He hit 129 home runs with 720 RBIs and 125 stolen bases in 1,445 regular-season games. He hit .283 over 62 postseason games, including .327 in two World Series with the Astros.
The 36-year-old Brantley was a free agent this winter. He was limited to 15 regular-season games in 2023, returning to play for the final month after a lengthy recovery from a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery. Before his return in late August, he had not played in the majors since June 26, 2022
