Michael Brantley
Michael Charles Brantley, Jr. (born May 15, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player and coach Mickey Brantley.
After starring for the Fort Pierce Central High School baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Brantley in the 2005 MLB Draft. After the 2008 season, Brantley was traded to the Indians along with other prospects for C.C. Sabathia. He made his MLB debut with the Indians in 2009. In 2014, Brantley was named an MLB All-Star and he won the Silver Slugger Award.
Early life
Brantley was born in Bellevue, Washington. His father, Mickey Brantley, played in Major League Baseball (MLB), and was a member of the Seattle Mariners at the time Michael was born. Michael was raised in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Starting at age seven, Brantley played in Southwestern Port St. Lucie Little League Baseball. When Mickey worked as the hitting coach for the New York Mets in 1999, Michael got to spend time around the Mets. Brantley attended Central High School in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he played for the baseball and golf teams. In his senior year for the baseball team, he had a .595 batting average, scored 22 runs, recorded 12 runs batted in and 32 stolen bases. Brantley signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers after high school.
