Michael Brantley
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2009-2023)
Michael Brantley was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 2009 to 2023 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Houston Astros, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,445 career games, he hit .298 with 1,656 hits, 129 home runs, and 720 RBI. Michael Brantley was a 5-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 11,049.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 209 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2009-09-01
- Last Game
- 2023-10-01
- Awards
- 5× All-Star · Silver Slugger
Full name: Michael Charles Brantley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,445 | 5,566 | 758 | 1,656 | 348 | 25 | 129 | 720 | 125 | 485 | 658 | .298 | .355 | .439 | .794 | 11,049 |
Career AVG .298 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +17.9% above league average.
Career OBP .355 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.
Career SLG .439 vs. league average .409 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Career OPS .794 vs. league average .729 across their career seasons — +8.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | CLE | AL | 28 | 112 | 10 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 19 | .312 | .262 (+19%) | .332 (+8%) | .417 (-17%) | .750 (-6%) | -77.9 |
| 2010 | CLE | AL | 72 | 297 | 38 | 73 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 10 | 22 | 38 | .246 | .257 (-4%) | .325 (-9%) | .402 (-19%) | .728 (-15%) | -699.6 |
| 2011 | CLE | AL | 114 | 451 | 63 | 120 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 46 | 13 | 34 | 76 | .266 | .255 (+4%) | .320 (-1%) | .399 (-4%) | .719 (-2%) | -209.6 |
| 2012 | CLE | AL | 149 | 552 | 63 | 159 | 37 | 4 | 6 | 60 | 12 | 53 | 56 | .288 | .254 (+13%) | .318 (+9%) | .405 (-1%) | .724 (+4%) | 456.4 |
| 2013 | CLE | AL | 151 | 556 | 66 | 158 | 26 | 3 | 10 | 73 | 17 | 40 | 67 | .284 | .253 (+12%) | .317 (+5%) | .396 (avg) | .714 (+2%) | 188.0 |
| 2014 | CLE | AL | 156 | 611 | 94 | 200 | 45 | 2 | 20 | 97 | 23 | 52 | 56 | .327 | .251 (+30%) | .313 (+23%) | .386 (+31%) | .700 (+27%) | 3341.7 |
| 2015 | CLE | AL | 137 | 529 | 68 | 164 | 45 | 0 | 15 | 84 | 15 | 60 | 51 | .310 | .254 (+22%) | .316 (+20%) | .404 (+19%) | .721 (+19%) | 2115.8 |
| 2016 | CLE | AL | 11 | 39 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2017 | CLE | AL | 90 | 338 | 47 | 101 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 52 | 11 | 31 | 50 | .299 | .254 (+17%) | .324 (+10%) | .425 (+4%) | .750 (+7%) | 458.3 |
| 2018 | CLE | AL | 143 | 570 | 89 | 176 | 36 | 2 | 17 | 76 | 12 | 48 | 60 | .309 | .247 (+25%) | .318 (+14%) | .409 (+14%) | .727 (+14%) | 1672.5 |
| 2019 | HOU | AL | 148 | 575 | 88 | 179 | 40 | 2 | 22 | 90 | 3 | 51 | 66 | .311 | .252 (+23%) | .322 (+15%) | .434 (+16%) | .757 (+15%) | 1924.3 |
| 2020 | HOU | AL | 46 | 170 | 24 | 51 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 17 | 28 | .300 | .244 (+23%) | .321 (+13%) | .417 (+14%) | .739 (+14%) | 410.3 |
| 2021 | HOU | AL | 121 | 469 | 68 | 146 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 47 | 1 | 33 | 53 | .311 | .243 (+28%) | .317 (+14%) | .410 (+6%) | .727 (+10%) | 936.6 |
| 2022 | HOU | AL | 64 | 243 | 28 | 70 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 26 | 1 | 31 | 30 | .288 | .242 (+19%) | .311 (+19%) | .394 (+5%) | .706 (+11%) | 560.7 |
| 2023 | HOU | AL | 15 | 54 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .278 | .248 (+12%) | .320 (-7%) | .414 (+3%) | .734 (-1%) | -28.8 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,445 | 5,566 | 758 | 1,656 | 348 | 25 | 129 | 720 | 125 | 485 | 658 | .298 | — | — | — | — | 11,049 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | 234 | 21 | 68 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 24 | 44 | .291 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ALCS | HOU | 3 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .182 |
| 2023 | ALDS2 | HOU | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .286 |
| 2021 | ALCS | HOU | 6 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | .269 |
| 2021 | ALDS1 | HOU | 4 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | .368 |
| 2021 | WS | HOU | 6 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .333 |
| 2020 | ALCS | HOU | 7 | 26 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | .346 |
| 2020 | ALDS2 | HOU | 4 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | .368 |
| 2020 | ALWC3 | HOU | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .286 |
| 2019 | ALCS | HOU | 6 | 23 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | .304 |
| 2019 | ALDS1 | HOU | 5 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .211 |
| 2019 | WS | HOU | 7 | 28 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | .321 |
| 2018 | ALDS2 | CLE | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .200 |
| 2017 | ALDS1 | CLE | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .091 |
| 2013 | ALWC | CLE | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1445 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 724 | 2751 | 413 | 841 | 74 | 400 | .306 |
| Away | 721 | 2815 | 345 | 815 | 55 | 320 | .290 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-01 | HOU | AZ | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023-09-29 | HOU | AZ | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-09-27 | HOU | SEA | W | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-09-17 | HOU | KCR | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-09-15 | HOU | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023-09-13 | HOU | OAK | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-09-11 | HOU | OAK | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-09-10 | HOU | SDP | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023-09-09 | HOU | SDP | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-09-06 | HOU | TEX | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1273 | 1245 | 2312 | 65 | 16 | 14 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | CLE | OF | 28 | 26 | 59 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | CLE | OF | 72 | 69 | 161 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | CLE | OF | 111 | 108 | 236 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2012 | CLE | OF | 144 | 140 | 336 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 2013 | CLE | OF | 151 | 144 | 257 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | CLE | OF | 147 | 146 | 271 | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 2015 | CLE | OF | 118 | 118 | 212 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 2016 | CLE | OF | 11 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CLE | OF | 87 | 86 | 135 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018 | CLE | OF | 134 | 134 | 221 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019 | HOU | OF | 123 | 118 | 167 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | HOU | OF | 19 | 19 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | HOU | OF | 89 | 88 | 128 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | HOU | OF | 29 | 29 | 59 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | HOU | OF | 10 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 934 |
| Center Field | 356 |
| Right Field | 17 |
| Designated Hitter | 162 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MLB Players Choice Comeback Player | |
| 2014 | Player of the Week | Week of 2014-06-15 |
| 2014 | Silver Slugger | OF |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | CLE | AL | $7,375,000 |
| 2015 | CLE | AL | $5,875,000 |
| 2014 | CLE | AL | $1,500,000 |
| 2013 | CLE | AL | $526,900 |
| 2012 | CLE | AL | $495,300 |
| 2011 | CLE | AL | $421,800 |
| 2010 | CLE | AL | $400,800 |
| Total Career Earnings | $16,594,800 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 28th | 1.0 | 420 | 0 |
| 2014 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 191.0 | 420 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Michael Brantley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Michael Brantley
Michael Brantley: the record in brief
Michael Brantley's major league career runs from a debut on September 1, 2009 to a final game on October 1, 2023. By club, Brantley's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (2009 to 2018) and the Houston Astros (2019 through 2023). Brantley is listed as an outfielder at 6'2" and 209 pounds. Brantley batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. Brantley was born on May 15, 1987, in Bellevue, WA, USA. The given name on file is Michael Charles Brantley.
In 1,445 games and 5,566 at bats, Brantley batted .298 with 1,656 hits; the totals also include 129 homers, 720 RBI, and 125 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .355 clip and slugging .439, Brantley finished with a .794 OPS. Over the seasons Brantley played, league hitters batted .252; the .298 career figure is 17.9% above that. The single-season home run high is 22, set in 2019. The highest hit total in a season was 200, in 2014. 2014 brought the most runs batted in, 97.
Frequently Asked Questions about Michael Brantley
- What years did Michael Brantley play?
- Michael Brantley played in Major League Baseball from 2009 to 2023.
- Was Michael Brantley a pitcher?
- No. Michael Brantley was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Michael Brantley hit?
- Michael Brantley hit 129 career home runs with 1656 hits.
- What was Michael Brantley's career batting average?
- Michael Brantley batted .298 over his career, with 1,656 hits in 5,566 at bats.
- How many RBI did Michael Brantley have?
- Michael Brantley drove in 720 runs in his career.
- Is Michael Brantley in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Michael Brantley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.