Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2003
- Class:
- 1985
Jeff Brantley lettered at Mississippi State from 1982 to 1985, then went on to play 14 seasons in the major leagues and become a sports broadcaster for ESPN.
Brantley earned many honors in his time at MSU. He was named All-SEC in 1984-85, All-SEC West 1984-85, and a Sporting News All-American in 1985. In his senior season, he posted an 18-2 record with a 2.29 ERA and 145 strikeouts. He helped the Bulldogs advance to make a run in the College World Series. Before getting drafted, he set a record in the Southeastern Conference and at MSU for wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched.
The San Francisco Giants drafted him in 1985, where he pitched three times in the World Series in 1989 and played in the MLB All-Star game in 1990 before joining the Reds in 1994. While playing for the Reds, he won the NL Relief Pitcher of the Year award and led the NL in saves in 1996. He ended his career in 2001 with the Texas Rangers.
After his major league career, Brantley became a broadcaster for ESPN, where he served as a color commentator for MLB broadcasts and an in-studio analyst and contributor to Baseball Tonight. He was also an NCAA baseball color commentator on WLW Radio and Fox Sports Ohio, as well as a Cincinnati Reds broadcaster.
Brantley had his jersey number retired for the Bulldogs after his stellar career. He was also inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
