Michael Brantley’s In A Class By Himself | ‘The Professional’ Masters The Art Of Hitting

Michael Brantley’s In A Class By Himself | ‘The Professional’ Masters The Art Of Hitting

by | Jun 23, 2021 | THE LEAD OFF

Michael Brantley has brought the juice to the Houston offense since returning from a hamstring injury on June 8th.  He now leads all of Major League Baseball in batting average and his Astros sit in first place in the American League after winning nine of their last 10 games.

 

Brantley left for the Injured List and returned as a man possessed.  Entering Tuesday night’s game Brantley is 24-for-47 with a .511 batting average, seven doubles, 14 RBI, 11 runs, six walks, a triple and a home run in 12 games this month, catapulting him to first place in the Majors with a .350 batting average.

 

 

It’s no surprise to us that Brantley, or as we call him, “The Professional, ” is getting the job done at the plate.  He has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball throughout his 13-year career.  Brantley is a career .299 batter and has been to four All-Star Games.  This season Brantley is leading the American League with 21 doubles and his .350 average is .10 higher than second place in baseball.

 

 

Brantley’s play over this past weekend against Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox put the entire league on notice. The Astros broke out the brooms at home as they swept their four-game set.  Michael got the party in H-Town started Thursday night with a three-run home run in the first inning.  He finished the series hitting 5-for-16 with six RBI, three runs, a double, triple and that three-run shot.

 

 

Since his June 8th return from the Injured List, Brantley has eight multi-hit games and four games with multiple runs batted in, all while his Astros have a record of 11-2.  They have the best record in the American League and are two games behind the San Francisco Giants for the best record in baseball.

Brantley was a member of the 2019 Astros team that reached the World Series but lost in seven games to the Washington Nationals and former MLBbro World Series MVP Howie Kendrick.  He, along with manager Dusty Baker have some postseason demons they must deal with.  A championship ring for both this season would solidify their careers and put some much-needed respect on their names.

 

 

The Astros and Brantley are in Charm City Baltimore for a series against All-Star starter hopeful CM Storm Cedric Mullins and the Orioles.