Longtime big league starter Aníbal Sánchez took to Instagram this evening to announce his retirement. The 39-year-old wraps up a career in which he appeared in parts of 16 big league campaigns.
“Throughout these past 17 years in Major League Baseball, God has given me the opportunity to live wonderful moments on and off the field,” Sánchez wrote. “Baseball has been my great passion since I was a child, and I am extremely grateful to have been able to make that dream a reality.” He goes on to thank his teammates, coaches, managers, scouts, franchise owners and agents at Mato Sports Management, as well as his family, friends and the fans who supported him along the way.
“Today begins a new chapter where I hang up the glove and uniform to pursue my other passions,” Sánchez concluded. “I retire as a major league player; however, I will always be close to the sport I love. See you soon.”
Sánchez began his professional career with the Red Sox as an amateur signee out of Venezuela during the 2000-01 international period. Within a few years, he pitched his way to Double-A and rated as one of the top pitching prospects in the Boston system. Over the 2005-06 offseason, the Sox dealt him alongside Hanley Ramírez and two more minor leaguers to the Marlins to bring in ace Josh Beckett.
Florida called him to the majors for the first time the following June. Sánchez hit the ground running as a 22-year-old, tossing 114 1/3 innings of 2.83 ERA ball over his first 18 appearances. He threw a no-hitter in just his 13th career start, completing the feat in a six strikeout outing against the Diamondbacks that September. Sánchez finished that year ninth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Injuries dogged the right-hander over the next few seasons. He didn’t make more than 16 starts in any of the three years between 2007-09. Fortunately, he returned to health for his first full big league campaign in 2010. Sánchez would make 32 starts with a sub-4.00 ERA in both 2010 and ’11. He was on that pace again in 2012, working to a 3.94 ERA over 19 starts as an impending free agent for a noncompetitive Miami team. The Tigers acquired him in a deadline blockbuster, adding Sánchez and second baseman Omar Infante for a package headlined by former first round pick Jacob Turner.
Sánchez was excellent down the stretch to help Detroit to an AL Central title. He pitched three quality starts in as many outings during that year’s postseason, helping the Tigers to a pennant. The Tigers brought him back on a five-year free agent deal with an $80MM guarantee over the offseason.
Detroit was immediately rewarded with the best season of Sánchez’s career. He worked 182 innings of 2.57 ERA ball over 29 starts. He won the AL ERA title and topped the Junior Circuit with a 2.39 FIP. Sánchez finished fourth in Cy Young balloting and helped the club to a repeat division title. The Tigers came up a round short of the World Series that time around, though Sánchez contributed 12 innings of four-run ball during the AL Championship Series.
The veteran hurler turned in another productive showing in 2014, working to a 3.43 ERA in 126 frames on another division-winning Detroit team. His production fell off thereafter, as his ERA jumped each season between 2015-17. He finished his Detroit tenure with a 6.41 season that led them to decline a 2018 club option. Sánchez made an unexpected resurgence upon landing with the Braves on a minor league deal in 2018. He cracked the MLB club and provided Atlanta a 2.83 ERA over 136 2/3 innings to help them to an NL East title.
That rebound earned Sánchez a multi-year contract in his return trip to free agency. He jumped to the Nationals on a two-year, $19MM pact that paid off incredibly in the first season. He made 30 starts with a 3.85 ERA in the regular season. The Nats made the playoffs as a Wild Card club and embarked on a run to the first championship in franchise history. Sánchez was a productive contributor as the #4 starter, highlighted by 7 2/3 scoreless innings to stake Washington to a series lead against the Cardinals in the first game of the NLCS.
Sánchez posted middling numbers during the shortened season and sat out 2021 entirely. He returned last year on another run with a now-rebuilding Washington club, turning in a 4.28 ERA in 14 outings. It was a respectable finish to a lengthy, accomplished run at the highest level.
All told, Sánchez leaves the game with a 4.06 ERA in a little more than 2000 big league innings. He had seven seasons with 100+ innings and fewer than four earned runs per nine. Sánchez won 116 games and struck out a little under 1800 hitters. He chipped in a 2.93 ERA through 61 1/3 postseason innings across three franchises, helping two teams to a pennant and one to a championship. Baseball Reference valued his career around 28 wins above replacement, while FanGraphs pegged him closer to 31 WAR. He banked just over $103MM in earnings.
Congratulations to Sánchez on an excellent career and all the best in his post-playing days.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
I think hitters retired him a few years ago,
15 years of service time should net a pretty healthy pension.
I think the pensions cap at 10 years. But still a nice payday. Of course, he already made over $100 million in his playing career so it shouldn’t be needed. Unless he Schillings his money away.
By “schillings his money away” you mean defraud the state of Rhode Island out of $75 million dollars then get forced to repay $61 million?
He could also “Favre his money” which I believe is like a reverse
Robinhood situation. You steal from the poorest of people then use poor people money to have a woman’s volleyball court named after you because you want to bang your daughters teammates.
“ because you want to bang your daughters teammates.” can’t blame a guy for trying
@Ed. I started typing a response assuming your comment was made in jest, but then I wasn’t sure if it was.
I can blame the guy. Say psyche
In Jest but boys will be boys even where they’re 50 lol
Ps Go Knights Go
Brett Favre was flaunting that Mississippi SNAP card like an Amex black card when signing his donor agreement at the school.
Making LandOFrost chopped deli meat rain on those ole miss bitties
Knights/raiders are fine. A’s sucking that gubment teat
LasVegasWelfareQueens
By “schillings his money away” you mean defraud the state of Rhode Island out of $75 million dollars
==============================
Would you care to document the “fraud” claim? So far as i know, it was two parties on both sides of a deal that none of them knew anything about.
World Series ring and made over $100 million during his career. Good for him, nothing else to prove. Best of luck to him in retirement.
23 seasons as a professional bb player. That truly is a dream come true. Hope he stays in the game in some capacity.
Had some quality years too. Was genuinely happy to see him win that ring with Washington
I thought Sanchez was done after some rough final years in Detroit, but the guy completely reinvented himself, which allowed him to get a few more years of success, including that World Series Ring from 2019. Despite being the 4th best pitcher on that staff in 2019 (2nd best since 2019), Sanchez pitched the 2 best games of the year for the Nats, including 8.1 Innings of only 1 hit (who would eventually come around to score against the bullpen) against the Cubs in late August, along with the 7.2 Innings only allowing 1 hit against the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLCS.
Had a great career, but still has a lot of life left, and now he can choose how to live it!
Really forgot how dominant he was, looking at his baseball reference. Great career.
Good job Anibalic.
Steroi……I mean, storied career.
Had some real nice years. Once led the league in era, era+, and FIP (yeah, I know how to click on a link…I’m a wealth of knowledge.lol) a career era+ of 103. Really underrated but I thought he got some national attention for a few years in Detroit during and after that brilliant season. Saw him for years with Miami. That’s why he was underrated obviously.
Really the Marlins have produced so many players since their inception that went on to produce great years in another uniform. That’s what’s always bugged me as a fan of the Braves that sees them so much. They could have been good so many more years
Let’s not forget about the Hanley and Anibal (and two other dudes nobody knows) for Lowell, Beckett, and Guillermo Mota trade. Lowell was about the most popular player they ever had in Florida. And that turned out to be a HUGE trade for both teams. The Marlins came out excellently and the Red Sox can’t complain either. Too bad they only got the back end of Hanley Ramirez tho
Congrats to him. May he enjoy the rest of his life with his family. They went through a lot, and so did he to make his career happen. This is well-deserved.
He didn’t have the tools of a lot of guys, but he sure worked harder than a lot them.
Sanchez was solid, if unspectacular. In 16 seasons he managed 30+ starts only 4 times and was a true “back-of-the-rotation” starter. Played in a pair of World Series and one a ring. Congrats on a solid career
Wasn’t always a back end starter. Was arguably the best pitcher in baseball one season
Finished 4th in CYA voting in 2013 ahead of Chris Sale.
Well actually Kershaw was by far the best that year but still a valid point.
A hearty congrats to Mr. Sanchez and thanks for his contribution to the Nats World Series championship. The image of him and Gerardo Parra embracing a sheepishly grinning Stras in a group hug during the postseason run will always be one of my favorite of all time.
Good luck Anibal!
He said to see us soon. Which team’s front office is he going to join? The Nats?
That was another Dave Dombrowski trade in Detroit. Dave traded for Sanchez just before his “breakout year”. (Dombrowski also traded for an unknown Diamondbacks pitcher named Max Scherzer before he “broke out”.).
That does not happy by accident and is not just luck when a Pres of Baseball Ops consistently identifies, targets and trades for undervalued players who exceed expectations when they join their new team like Dombrowski has done again and again and again.
Sanchez pitched on and helped two Tigers teams win Division titles and excel in the playoffs.
One of those teams made the World Series.
Congrats on your retirement Anibal Sanchez!
Good Luck to you!
Maybe the Tigers, Phillies or Marlins need another pitching coach?!
His 2006 no-hitter against ARI comes to mind. Congrats on a successful MLB career.
I’ll never forgot him striking out 17 against the Braves in 2013. He sure had some great years. Happy Retirement, Anibal!
Enjoy your retirement Anibal!
Wow
Time flies
Like a pig.
Good.
I wish him all the best. Really liked watching him in the latter part of his career. Didn’t have great stuff, but as able to get big league hitters out with control and guile.
Best of luck to him. One thing is for sure, Anibal will have fun in retirement. Nats fans will always love him.
Congrats, to Anibal, on a nice career! In his time as a Tiger, Sanchez was a very consistent starting pitcher. Sanchez lead MLB in ERA one season, on a pitching staff that consisted of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Doug Fister.
Aníbal the Canníbal was the epitome of a reliable and consistent mid-to-late rotation guy. He was a joy to watch as a Tiger. Well deserved retirement, and congrats on a spectacular career!