"He was the ultimate player, the ultimate teammate" - Former Astros outfielder Myles Straw pays tribute to the retiring Michael Brantley
On Friday (Jan. 5), after 15 illustrious seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Michael Brantley went public with the news about his retirement. His primary focus will now be on family and personal life.
Of late, the outfielder’s health has been a major area of concern. In 2022, Brantley could participate in only 64 games before he was sidelined because of soreness in his right shoulder. He eventually needed surgery and had to opt out of playing for the second half of the season. The problem continued in 2023 and hindered him from playing regularly.
Recently, former Astros player Miles Straw paid his tribute to the 36-year-old veteran on MLB Network Radio. Speaking about his former teammate, Straw said,
"He’s the guy that I feel like he could just play. Like, he could go till he’s 50 and still scratch 170 hits a season, which is insane. So he was just the ultimate player, the ultimate teammate.
"I mean, I’m sure everyone’s already seen the social media posts… all those things are just so true about him like anybody. He’s come across like he’s got the time of the day for you. He’ll help you. He’ll talk to you about life, baseball. He puts others first and he was just a great role model."
Michael Brantley’s illustrious MLB career
Michael Brantley was selected in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. However, he made his big league debut for the erstwhile Cleveland Indians in 2009.
He failed to get a regular spot in the lineup until 2011. That very season, Brantley hit .266/.318/.384, registering 7 homers, along with 46 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
In 2014, Brantley hit .327/.385/.506, hitting 20 home runs along with 97 RBIs, thereby bagging his career-first Silver Slugger award. It was a nice way for Brantley to celebrate his new $25 million contract extension with Cleveland.
In 2018, Michael Brantley put pen to paper on a two-year, $32 million deal with the Houston Astros. The Astros won the World Series in 2022, giving the veteran his much-deserved ring. However, injuries kept the outfielder out for most of his final two seasons.