Houston Astros Owner Wants Fan Favorite In New Role

In spite of the fact that veteran outfielder Michael Brantley announced his retirement on Friday, the Houston Astros still desire to have him return in some manner.

When the Astros report to Florida for Spring Training in February, Jim Crane, the team’s owner, told MLB.com that he wants to speak with Brantley about a potential role on the team. This was stated in an interview with Crane following the news.

“He was great in the locker room and could be a guy that could be helpful coaching or doing whatever he likes to do, particularly being down close to Spring Training,” Crane said.

After attending Central High School in Fort Pierce, Florida, and growing up in Florida, Brantley was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He relocates to Florida for the off-season.

Tremendously respected by teammates, coaches, and supporters of the Astros, Brantley called it quits following a 15-year career that began with Cleveland, where he was acquired as “the player to be named later” in a trade that sent Brewers ace C.C. Sabathia to Cleveland.

After ten seasons of service to Cleveland, Brantley was selected for three All-Star Games and was in third place in the American League MVP voting in 2014 while batting.327 with 97 RBI and 20 home homers. He batted.295 with Cleveland, hitting 87 home runs and driving in 528 runs.

Brantley was a free agent when he signed with the Astros in 2019. During his five seasons as a batter, he hit 42 home runs and 192 RBI.305 and securing two further bids to the All-Star Game. Despite being injured at the conclusion of the season and needing to miss 15 games due to recuperation, he also contributed to the Astros’ 2022 World Series victory.

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