In a statement released via Twitter, right-hander Rob Whalen announced his retirement from the game at just 25 years of age. He says he feels “God has other plans in store.”
Whalen cites his “battle with depression/anxiety over the last 2 years” as an underlying factor in his decision. Those interested in learning more about Whalen’s path can find his story here, as told to David Laurila of Fangraphs.
Drafted in the 12th round of the 2012 draft by the Mets, Whalen was eventually a part of two trades: the 2015 deal that sent Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe from the Braves to the Mets and the swap in the 2016-17 offseason in which Alex Jackson went to Atlanta. In both deals, Whalen was traded along with another young right-hander (John Gant in the former and Max Povse in the latter).
Whalen earned his way to the majors in 2016 with a strong showing in the upper minors, throwing 120 innings of 2.40 ERA ball with 8.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Things have not gone well since, however, due in no small part to Whalen’s struggles with depression and anxiety. Ultimately, he saw action in each of the past three MLB seasons, pitching to a cumulative 5.75 ERA in 36 innings.
In his statement, Whalen says that he has “learned that [he] can have a fulfilling life outside of baseball.” MLBTR wishes him good fortune in doing just that.
Who?
How about: “best of luck to this young man in his future endeavors.”
MLBTR should just ban all accounts that leave that type of comment. If users on the site can’t respect people who work their entire life to achieve the dream of being a professional baseball player then probably they don’t deserve to be a part of the community.
Best of luck to Rob in his future career!
Americans, we believe in 1st Amendment rights, even for poor but hard attempts at English.
That being said, disrespect for guy who tried to be big league but had depression problem? Or just legitimate question, who?
Wonder if some of the anxiety pills are on banned substance list?
Ejemp
Congress shall make no law
The First Amendment applies to the government coming after you for what you say, not the private sector. MLBTR could very well ban anybody without warning or notice. I’m not advocating for that, but I just can’t stand when Amendments get improperly thrown around.
I agree. By the way, I flagged your comment. Your patronizing tone toward current and former MLB players is triggering me.
Are you a communist?
If any of the meds are on the banned list, I believe that MLB does make exceptions when it is proven they are absolutely needed..We have found out that Adderal is approved when a player submits proof it is needed..it is on the banned list.
In either case, I wish the very best for Rob Whalen…I’ve known people who suffered from depression..I’m sure we all have..Good luck kid
Best of luck to Rob Whalen in the future. Anxiety/depression are no joking matter and can take the fun out of anything. Finding piece of mind and comfort in your own skin is a more valuable personal achievement than making any amount of money
Want to run to a safe zone now?
Who?
Sox-Yanks-Friars-BJaysFan
He couldn’t handle the “tone” of a comment.
Ejemp, don’t ever worry about your posts. I think it’s cool that someone likes baseball enough to write about it when English may not be their first language. You always put thought into your posts, and I always enjoy reading your posts.
“Who?” is right. This guy’s name didn’t even warrant a link to his Baseball-Reference profile.
I have to agree. While I wish Mr. Whalen well in retirement, his name didn’t ring a bell, so like Ry said, a link to his BR page would be helpful.
Interesting that I get 15 thumbs down simply for pointing out that they didn’t link his name to his profile like they do to every single other player they ever reference.
You’re really are that obtuse? Seriously?
Most not watch that baseball then, or, you are not well-read.
Calling me not well-read…coming from the guy who says “You’re really are that obtuse” and “most not watch baseball”. and accused a guy of making fun of someone’s medical condition simply because he asked who he was.
Once again, I wasn’t patronizing the guy or asking who he was. I was simply pointing out the MLBTR did not link his name to his Baseball-Reference profile like they do to every other player (active or retired) they ever mention in their articles.
And in terms of the “must not watch baseball” comment…the guy literally had 36 career innings under his belt and only ever appeared in 8 games. It’s fair to say that the majority of baseball fans don’t know who he is.
At least JJB was reasonable and smart enough not to read something that wasn’t there.
I think the negative reaction was due to the way you worded your statement. “His name didn’t even warrant a link” may have rubbed some people the wrong way
Once again, traded for a veteran mid season, and traded for a former number one in the offseason. If you missed or forgot his name, it wasn’t because it wasn’t on here.
Posts comment about missing Baseball-Reference link, gets massive majority of thumbs down. Other guy agrees with me, gets majority thumbs up.
I wonder how that logic works.
Ry.the.Stunner……………
“This guy’s name didn’t even warrant a link to his Baseball-Reference profile.”
Warrant is a bit of a stretch considering the writers here have stated many times that the use an “auto-linker”. BB Ref lists his name as Robert and does not list “Rob” as a nickname, therefore the auto-linker did not have anything to link to.
Stating that this “guy’s name didn’t even warrant a link” is a bit of a backhanded insult instead of the technological goof that it is.
Think before posting, you will be happier.
I followed Rob through the Mets farm system and he was always engaging with fans. He’s a class act and I hope he finds great success in life.
best of luck, rob!!
I root for Whalen. Take the time you need and I hope you find your path. Its been an amazing journey sir. Bless you.
I’m saddened by this, he was one of my favorite prospects while in the Braves organization.
The depression and anxiety issues certainly explain a lot about why his performance seemingly fell off a cliff after the trade. I wish him the best and hope he finds his happiness outside of baseball.
Greinke battled depression and got victory. Surprise he doesn’t speak more about his to get victories over depression. Guys like Whalen could really use a light in the dark tunnels.
Grienke is the single most antisocial person in the majors. Not gonna happen unfortunately
Ej, well said
That’s really facile; there are dozens of different sorts of “depression;” and neurodivergences and treatments; if they exist, are different for each. sort. There isn’t a “cure” for Asperger’s or autism, for example, but there are methods to at least alleviate the symptoms. As one noted above Adderall, which is a drug banned in baseball unless the player has a TUE from a doctor, is used to treat ADHD; supposedly over 100 MLB players have TUEs for Adderall.
But it’s a tough disease, because, as some of the more ignorant posts here show, a lot of people think the cure for depression or anxiety is just “be happy” or “buck up” or some such nonsense. (“Go back to your safe zone,” is one posted just above.). That’s not how this works; diseases don’t just respond to happy thoughts. A person who doesn’t suffer from clinical depression can’t possibly imagine what happens in the mind of a person who suffers from it. I can’t tell a guy who can’t walk to just jump out of that wheelchair and go for it, simply because my legs work fine. That would be absurd.
I didn’t know much about Whalen’s career until reading about his struggles with this very real and uncurable disease. I’m glad he spoke up about it; making these things public helps remove the stigma that a lot of people with these kinds of conditions often experience. I understand when people use words like compassion and empathy it sets off, for some reason, a negative reaction among the more neanderthal-type among us, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge everyone’s struggles, even if we personally don’t understand them because we haven’t personally experienced them: That’s empathy. That’s compassion.
I remember watching him, and then thought he may have went down with TJ. Seems to have closure. At 25 that’s really hard for a ballplayer. All the best to him.
Best of luck.
Kenny Powers retired??
Met fans remember Rob Whalen well. May he stay strong in whatever he chooses to do in the future.
Thy is serious stuff he is dealing with – wish him the best
Braves dodged a bullet
I’ll never understand how someone who’s in professional baseball could ever be depressed.
It’s hard to understand isn’t it. You’re paid to play a game. Real world work, more often than not, isn’t enjoyable
Clinical depression is NOT a condition one chooses. It’s as much a medical condition as having the flu is… except there is RARELY a cure. It has zero to do with a human’s circumstances in life.
People who deal with depression have a double difficult road to travel – the disease itself, and the attitude of so many in the general public. “Hey, just cheer up!” Not that easy. “Broken leg? Hey, just get up and walk it off!”
Your so-called “real world work” also doesn’t occur in the pressure cooker of professional sports. I guarantee the last time you dropped your pen at work or spilled coffee on your pants during your mandated break, there wasn’t someone like yourself on a message board spouting off about how the company needs to fire you because you can’t even hang onto your pen or keep your pants clean, so how can you possibly do it in a management position – they should just cut ties and bring up a young prospect fresh out of college. Nobody plays fantasy office. You don’t have stats. There may not be many people who have heard of Rob Whalen, but I guarantee there are plenty of people he’s never met that are interested in his retirement and wish him the best. Nobody but your family will care when you retire.
@JohnnyG “The pressure cooker of sports” lmao.
Dude there are people scraping by with a family so I apologize that your comment will be the dumbest thing I hear all day. Scratch that all year.
Let me know when the Humvee he’s in flips over after getting hit by an RPG.
I do wish him the best of luck though. You know, cause real world sh×t changes your perspective.
Obviously this all pales in comparison to the people who put their lives on the line for our safety every day. Not sure what I said to imply that I was referring to LEOs or military – that was a leap you decided to take. The point is that just because it seems like it should be an easy, carefree lifestyle on TV doesn’t make it so.
Maybe because money/a game doesn’t ways make you happy. Maybe you should research depression.
You clearly don’t know anything about depression. It’s an actual condition, not just something that people say when they’re sad. Heck, Robin Williams had it and he was one of the most successful actors and comedians of his time. It can happen to anyone.
Be thankful for that.
Depression is a disease. It isn’t cured by money. Or career choice. Or anything. I don’t understand why this is so hard for you to comprehend.
So he isn’t a Christian because they don’t believe in destiny when God’s greatest gift is free will.
I wonder what other “God” he is listening to.
Until something bad happens to you and you question why that happened and someone tells you it was “God’s plan”.
Everyone’s relationship with their god is different. That doesn’t mean your god is different from his.
Why are you even on here if you haven’t even heard of Rob Whalen. Not much of a baseball fan clearly.
Btw good luck Rob. Depression is no joke. My teenage daughters just had their 4th friend commit suicide in the last 3 years. Take care of you first.
Right? Dude was in some pretty notable trades, too. If you’ve not heard of him, go read Yahoo Sports headlines or something; the depth of coverage here isn’t for you
Not that the braves got the better end of all the trades with this guy. But he pitched ok for us, and Alex Jackson is still playing in our farm. Although not playing as well as the first year with us.
Alex Jackson wow. I remember when he played in hs and almost set the state record for homeruns.
Not even familiar with Whalen, yet I still feel very bad for him!
I wish him all the best in life. Depression is not something to be taken lightly. Baseball is just a game, its a game we all love but there are so many more important things in our lives that come first. It takes courage to face our struggles head on and giving up something you love to focus on your overall well-being is so incredibly admirable. Kudos to you Rob, all the best!
Good luck Rob, wishing you the best in your future endeavors. I hope you try to play baseball again someday when you feel like you’re in a better place mentally. Driveline baseball will help you out with that if you want to pitch again.
Rob gets free health care for life and a pension of 36,000.
The expenses of owners are a lot more than just payroll. I would love them to open their books.
Wrong. Just plain wrong.
Google it.
MLB players must play 43 days in the majors to earn a minimum $34,000 annual pension plan. Just one day in the majors gets them lifetime healthcare coverage.
Since the 1972 strike was all about the pension fund, I assumed the owners fit this bill. If it’s wrong, I don’t mind being corrected.
But your comment is not very constructive.
I’ll elaborate. You’re correct on the pension if he had 43 days and if taken at 65 years old. The lifetime healthcare is a myth. One day of service gives you MLB healthcare for that season. If you retire after that season, it ends on Opening Day of the next season. There is a service time minimum (multiple years) to have access to the healthcare plan at a discounted rate, but never has been and probably never will be free and/or lifetime.
Thank you for the correction. I’m not sure it’s a myth, but I’m not disputing you either.
When someone says what you read on the internet is not correct, it’s not like I doubt them. It’s not like I take their word as gospel either. But I’m now aware such a number is disputed.
Understandable. A friend of mine had a cup of coffee in the big leagues and I said something to the effect of “at least you have free healthcare for the rest of your life.” He assured me that that definitely wasn’t the case.
The players pay some money into the pension system, though. And of course, I’m sure you understand how pension systems work: the money is generally invested in a low-risk, medium-reward sort of index fund, much like a 401k. And it’s a part of the cost of hiring people; most private sector jobs, even menial ones offer a 401k or some other sort of pension, and some sort of subsidized health care that is portable if they quit. MLB is a multi-billion dollar industry and it’s good that they can take care of players, although 36,000 a year, while a nice figure, isn’t exactly raking it in. I don’t know why it should bother us anyway.
A parallel from my own life is my father and grandfather both were in the military and both served in wars (ww2 and Vietnam). My grandfather served three tours and was wounded in combat, my father served two tours and was in combat but escaped unscathed. They each receive/ received (my grandfather passed away many years ago) free health care through the VA and a pension from the military. That’s actual taxpayer money that funds these, not some private entity like an MLB baseball team, and it doesn’t really bother me. There’s lots of entities that take care of their employees throughout their lives, and, frankly, there should be more.
As far as the owner expense, I assumed they put a lot of money into the pension. It was a HUGE deal, the main deal in the 1972 strike.
Regarding the the VA is free health care, you’ve never been to a VA.
They pretty much murdered my father. My brother would have nothing to do with them. It’s horrible health care.
Well, anecdotal or personal experience isn’t universal. I’m sorry your family had a bad experience with them; my father and grandfather had and continue to have quite the opposite.
And you know what is really horrible health care? Not having access to it at all.
Just to add, that would mean the average short term pension would be close to half a million dollars, multiplied by several thousand players who have hit the 43 day minimum and live well into their seventies and eighties, and you have a very large outlay. I would imagine these are funded pensions. I wonder how much money the owners are contributing.
These are cost that fans typically don’t think about.
I’m amazed Rob played professional baseball in the minor leagues despite his depression and anxiety. I’m no Doctor but I couldn’t imagine being up on the mound ‘on stage’ in front of thousands of strangers if I had panic attacks and bouts of depression.
Alex Jackson may not be working out for the Braves but I thought Whalen has a pretty high floor as a MLB reliever in that deal. He did fulfill a dream of playing in the MLB and best of luck to him in his future endeavor. Thanks for the memories as a member of the Braves.
I suffer from these issues as well and that article sounds eerily like me. It’s no way to live feeling like he does all the time and I hope he can improve his life on and off the field. Best of luck