Longtime Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has decided to call it a career after 12 Major League seasons, as per a Dodgers media release. The club will honor Ethier prior to their game on August 3.
“I look forward to coming back to Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium, places I’m so lucky to have called home for the last 12 years,” Ethier said. “There’s nothing like stepping out on the field at Dodger Stadium and looking up and seeing the faithful Dodger Blue supporting you, and I’m grateful for the reception and support I received in all my years playing there.”
Originally a second-round pick for the A’s in the 2003 draft, Ethier was dealt to L.A. during the 2005-06 offseason as the return on the trade that sent Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to Oakland. Ethier wound up spending all 1455 games and 5425 plate appearances of his Major League career as a Dodger, and was a solidly above-average performer (122 OPS+ and wRC+) at the plate. Ethier hit .285/.359/.463 with 162 homers, ranking within the Dodgers’ all-time top ten list in such major categories as homers, RBI, games played, hits, extra-base hits, and doubles.
Ethier was a two-time NL All-Star, and his list of hardware also included a Gold Glove in 2011, and a Silver Slugger Award and sixth-place finish in NL MVP voting in 2009, which arguably his finest season (.272/.361/.508 with 31 home runs).
The last few years of Ethier’s career were marred by injuries, most notably a broken leg and a herniated disk in his back that sidelined him for almost all of the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He had gradually shifted into part-time duty over the previous few years thanks to a crowded Dodgers outfield, despite signing a five-year, $85MM extension in June 2012 and seemingly becoming a franchise building block.
Ethier’s long career saw him span the troubled era of Frank McCourt ownership in Los Angeles to the high payrolls and greater stability of the Guggenheim Baseball Management/Magic Johnson/Andrew Friedman era. Throughout it all, however, the Dodgers have been successful on the field, and Ethier thus compiled a lengthy postseason resume. He posted a .776 OPS over 145 career plate appearances in the playoffs, and his final at-bat will go down as a successful one, an RBI single as a pinch-hitter in Game Seven of last year’s World Series.
The MLB Trade Rumors staff congratulates Ethier on his excellent career, and we wish him all the best in his post-playing days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Always a class act (save for one lol photo)
And to think, the Dodgers got him for the opposite (Milton Bradley)
Ned Colletti should be next to him on the field when Andre is honored!
Ethier keeps with the Dodger tradition of flipping the bird on the field
Nothing to see here; Dodgers fans knew this back in March. Sometimes it can be hard to realize the writing on the wall…
I’m guessing he retired when he realized the buyout on his 2018 club option was more than he would make 2019 Lol
Yes it was. Darn those Cali taxes!
You’re just a troll who needs to crawl back into his mom’s basement
Or the writing was on the wall. It’s a personal decision that needs to be respected.
Minor league deal in 2019 seems like only option. Stop the name-calling. It’s not professional…
Ethier’s made plenty money in his career. I’m sure he’s happy. Relax it was a joke… had a great career.
When you are an unemployed ballplayer in July you don’t have to look on the wall for the writing.
Ya I dont really see how your initial comment could even be considered troll-worthy
Just stop commenting
No surprise, but here’s some weird stuff. I will be at the August 3 game, which happens to be the first of three against the Astros. I also happened to have the misfortune of being at the last game the Dodgers played against the Astros (World Series Game 7), at which Ethier had (1) the last AB of his career, (2) the last base hit of his career, (3) the last RBI of his career, not to mention, (4) the only RBI for the Dodgers in that entire game. Yikes, I wonder if he’ll be available to pitch hit.
I will be at this game also. Wearing a machado Orioles jersey
Expect to see a few of those around next week.
BTW adding to witnessing Ethier’s last/last/last, a few weeks before I was in the stadium for Adrian’s last AB and HR as a Dodger (also a pitch hit). Imagine his retirement will be announced soon also.
Good for him; he made 115 million dollars in his career and he was pretty good for a while.
Yes definitely. And somehow only a two time all star too
He was a good, solid player for a long time before those last few injury-marred seasons, and I hope that he is remembered by Dodger fans for the former more than the latter.
Good dude. Best of luck.
Good ball player. Sweet swing.
Always loved me some Ethier, good career. Take it easy bud!
Don’t recall the year but I remember fondly him hitting a game winning home run in the 8th, the sold out crowd singing happy birthday when he took to right field and it being opening day on top of it. Great person and Player!
Don’t forget, there was also a period where he was arguably the most clutch hitter in baseball. If I remember the stat correctly (will need to search when I get back to a computer), he had more walk-off/last inning go head homers than the next 5 players combined. There were obviously ups and downs, but he had some really great moments for Dodger fans.
That was a great year 2009 I believe. You could get great seats at great prices.
I really thought the Orioles would announce their retirement before Ethier.
Maybe he can talk his buddy Petroia into hanging them up too.
Is there any way you guys could put their career earnings at the end like you use to? I always liked that!
He made 115 million dollars. It’s on the B-R page
He made a lot of money, for only having one year above average in his career.
Ethier had an OPS+ over 100 9 times in his twelve seasons. He was way better than you remember. He was an elite hitter for 6 straight seasons between 2008-2013.
It’s also worth pointing out that Ethier was kind of a hard luck case. Ballplayers can easily go an entire career without breaking a bone. He somehow managed to break two. The first one blew a hole in the middle of his career and the second one essentially ended it.
Spent his sophomore and junior seasons (2002-2003) at Arizona State, when the program was managed by current Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy, who had to leave college coaching in 2009 after ASU once more got caught at their favorite sports of cheating.
Funny enough, Murphy had allegedly informed Ethier during fall ball in 2001 that he wasn’t good enough for D1 college baseball. Ethier then played one season at Chandler-Gilbert Community College before rejoining ASU in 2002. That’s the official version.
The truth is that Murphy used to recruit beyond the number of allowed NCAA D1 baseball scholarshpis. The kids he had no immediate use for got stashed away at junior colleges for a season before transferring back to ASU. Along with Ethier, Murphy also sent Ian Kinsler away for a year to Central Arizona College. Only that Kinsler never took too kindly to Murphy’s shady practices and never got along with him. Consequently, he transferred to the University of Missouri after his sophomore year.
Ethier had a really solid career for the Dodgers and was a great ambassador for the organization as well as MLB.
Ethier will retire holding several franchise top 10 statistics. Most notably his 30 game hit streak in 2011, only one behind Willie Davis’s franchise record 31-game streak in 1969.
But there is no doubt that Dodger Fans will remember him for his seemingly countless memorable moments at the plate, for which he was given the nickname “Captain Clutch.” In a 3-year span from 2008-2010, Ethier had 11 walk-off hits. This was more than double that of the next closest hitter during that span. Being a Dodger Fan, I can remember almost all of them.
Thank you for your 12 years wearing Dodger Blue Andre!
More like “Retirement Announces Andre Ethier”.