He appeared in 973 games in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop, between 1966 and 1975, most prominently as a member of the New York Yankees, for whom he anchored their infield for seven seasons.

Although he was listed as 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and 183 pounds (83 kg), Michael was given the nickname "Stick" because of his slender frame.

That December, the Pirates traded Michael to the Los Angeles Dodgers with third baseman Bob Bailey for Maury Wills.

Upon being unconditionally released in January 1975 at age 36,[8] he signed with the Detroit Tigers, where he spent the 1975 campaign, reunited with his longtime Yankee manager, Ralph Houk.

[9] Released again in February 1976, Michael joined the Boston Red Sox, spending spring training with them and making their early season roster as a utility infielder.

[10] Reggie Jackson credited Michael's scouting reports for helping him hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

He had managed well in Triple-A, but some veteran players believed that he had been selected because he would be more likely to follow Yankee owner George Steinbrenner's orders than had predecessor Dick Howser.

[25] With Steinbrenner suspended from baseball operations by commissioner Fay Vincent, Michael took advantage of his managerial flexibility by rebuilding the Yankees' farm system, developing young talent rather than trading it away as the team had done in the 1980s with little success.

[1] During Michael's tenure as general manager, the Yankees signed notable players such as Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada (collectively known as the Core Four) and traded for Paul O'Neill.

During his time as vice president, Michael was a regular attendee at the annual Old-Timers' Day festivities, serving as the manager for both the Bombers and the Clippers teams in the exhibition game.