Longtime major league reliever George Kontos has hung up his cleats, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. The 35-year-old Kontos hasn’t pitched since the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate released him last August, but he will stay in baseball as an analyst with NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I did have some inclinations from early on when I was a player in San Francisco that one day this might be the route that I would take,” Kontos told Pavlovic on the Giants Insider Podcast. “It’s definitely nice to be coming back to the black and orange and being around San Francisco again.”
The right-handed Kontos was a fifth-round pick of the Yankees in 2006, but the majority of his work as a big leaguer came as a member of the Giants. He notched quality results with the club from 2012-17 – a 309 2/3-inning span in which he logged a 3.05 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.06 BB/9. Kontos was also part of a pair of World Series-winning Giants teams.
Along with the Yankees (with whom he debuted in 2011 and spent time with again in 2018) and Giants, Kontos saw major league action with the Pirates and Indians. All told, he amassed 357 innings of 3.10 ERA ball in the bigs over parts of eight seasons. MLBTR congratulates Kontos on a successful career and wishes him the best in his new role.
pretty underrated for how good of a RP he was
I didn’t know he was in the minors last year
This is better. As it should be. He will go to Kinko’s and work side by side with his brother..Stelio Kontos.
Or maybe he will stay in baseball as an analyst with NBC Sports Bay Area, like it says in the second sentence, if you read the article – to the second sentence.
Sigh..it was a joke and a TV show reference. The name itself was the important part. His ACTUAL destination of this wasn’t important at all.
Stelio!
Stelio Kontos!
Help me out Salarycap. I dont know the reference. What tv show? Ur post sounded funny but for me to fully appreciate it I need some info. Ignore Saber
I googled it. I’ve never watched American Dad. Is it good?
Btw, it says he worked at Klinkos. Using kinkos’ name might have cost too much.
If you like Family Guy, you’ll enjoy it. Otherwise, you’ll think it’s stupid.
Also, I thought they weren’t using the Kinko’s name anymore. Didn’t they change all of them to FedEx Office?
No. Kinkos is still in business. But doesn’t matter. It’s klinkos in the show. I was only curious. I like family guy a lot so I’ll give American dad a shot
Btw, thanks for the response layventsky
He was a good Giant.
dude was a horse out of the pen in my franchise in the show 13, and a key deadline acquisition in 14. wish him well
Very underappreciated guy, pitched a lot of quality innings during the 2 World Series runs he was a part of in ’12 and ’14. Happy retirement George and welcome back to SF!
Why did the Giants waive him again? To pick up a backup catcher? Maybe Tim Federowicz or someone like that?
Pirates got him off waivers. I think the Giants needed another starting pitcher and their 40-man roster was a wasteland at the time so they let him go
His 2015 year is a fun one. WHIP under 1.00, FIP over 4.00. Not exactly the easiest feat to accomplish. Kontos regularly outperformed his peripherals in that way.
FOREVER GIANT #70
Retiring as a two-time WS champion. Not too shabby.
Exactly. Two rings, very productive reliever. Congratulations George on a great pitching career. Good luck in the broadcast booth and look forwarding to hearing you soon.