After playing in parts of seven Major League seasons, Tony Wolters has officially retired. The catcher made the announcement on his Instagram page, and noted that he’ll be joining the Rockies in a coaching capacity. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that Wolters will be the bench coach for the Rockies’ rookie ball affiliate in the Arizona Complex League.
“There have been countless moments in my career that have been etched in my memory, as if they happened just yesterday,” Wolters said as part of his Instagram message. “Those moments will be experiences that I will never take for granted and still wonder how I became so lucky to be apart of them. Today, after 13 years of being a professional baseball player, I have made the decision to retire from the sport that gave me so many incredible experiences. I feel an immense amount of gratitude towards the game and all the people that it brought into my life.”
Cleveland selected Wolters in the third round of the 2010 draft, and after the Rockies claimed the catcher off waivers in February 2016, Wolters made his MLB debut in a Colorado uniform less than two months later. That kicked off a five-season run for Wolters in Denver, as the left-handed hitter paired with such righty-swinging backstops as Nick Hundley, Jonathan Lucroy, Chris Iannetta, Elias Diaz, and others in a backup capacity or in a more steady platoon.
There was some fluctuation in Wolters’ year-to-year glovework metrics, but by and large, he was considered a strong defensive catcher. He finished his career with +24 Defensive Runs Saved, and the Statcast numbers gave him positive grades for his pitch-framing and throwing. Wolters threw out 65 of 213 baserunners, for an impressive 30.52% caught stealing rate over his career.
Known more for his glove than his bat, Wolters hit .235/.321/.314 over 1266 career plate appearances. However, the signature moment of his career happened at the plate, when Wolters drove in the winning run in the 2018 wild card game. With the Rockies and Cubs tied 1-1 in the top of the 13th inning, Wolters sent a single up the middle to score Trevor Story from third base, giving the Rox a 2-1 lead that held through the bottom of the inning. That game stands out as the Rockies’ most recent postseason victory, as the Brewers then swept the Rox in three games in the NLDS.
After Wolters was non-tendered following the 2020 season, he landed with the Pirates, Cubs, Dodgers, and Twins on a series of deals (all minors contracts except for a big league deal with Chicago) over the last three years. Wolters appeared 14 MLB games with the Cubs in 2021, two games with the Dodgers in 2022, and his minor league pact with the Twins last winter was entirely spent at the Triple-A level.
Wolters is still just 31 years old, but he’ll now hang up his glove for a new path as a coach. We at MLB Trade Rumors wish Wolters all the best in his post-playing endeavors, and congratulate him on a fine career on the field.
This one belongs to the Reds
Congrats on your retirement, Tony, and good luck in the coaching ranks.
Chuck from Uniontown
Good for him, I hope coaching works out well!
Birdieman2
I think the pitchers retired him a while ago.
isleepnot
Ok cool
CrikesAlready
Another RBVHS grad… Like Dave Roberts.
Mustard Tiger
I loved pitching at that field. Insanely deep home run fence at the time. I think it was 410 feet to center. If you had a good CF behind you it was good times!
Gwynning
Who did you pitch for, Chumper? I was a Warrior and loved visiting RBV (and Carlsbad) as well.
Mustard Tiger
I grew up in the Midwest (where I played HS ball), but was in the Marines at Camp Pendleton from 2003 to 2006. I played 18+ ball in the area and most of the fields we played on were HS fields. RBV, Oceanside, Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Escondido, Torrey Pines. Probably some more I can’t recall right now. Such awesome fields compared to what I grew up with. It was a joy to pitch off of clay mounds that were properly maintained and with the correct moisture.
Gwynning
Nice! Well, thanks for your service Marine. If it makes you sleep any better, Pendleton still keeps me awake at night.
Mustard Tiger
Ha ha. It seemed to be on fire most of the time I was there. October 2003 was nuts.
DarrenDreifortsContract
Future first ballot hall of famer.
gbs42
Former major leaguer, something a very small number of people can claim.
Yanks2
And his stats indicate he shouldn’t have been a major leaguer
gbs42
He was a solid backup catcher his first season and survived to play a few more. Why people feel the need to tear players down at their retirement is beyond me.
Prospectnvstr
It’s the “ordinary Joe” who is stuck in an everyday life whose jealousy & envy gets the best of them. If a player isn’t a household name or more then they must be a scrub (worthless) player. This is despite the FACT that the ACTUAL player is 1000 times better than most of us on these message boards.
Chuck from Uniontown
Lobster syndrome
filihok
gbs
“Why people feel the need to tear players down at their retirement is beyond me.”
They are losers who can’t raise themselves up
rdiddy75
He was still better then Jeff Mathis and Austin Hedges are.
This one belongs to the Reds
I have referred to myself as a last baĺlot hall of famer at times.
Rambler303
Thanks for the memories Tony, knocking the cubs out in extras in 2018 Wildcard is something to always hang your hat and us Rockies fans loved. Good luck in coaching!
bmp010
Goat of goats
mlb1225
That’s 2018 Wild Card hero Tony Wolters to you.
slidepiece
5-10 yrs, manager in CO
Mustard Tiger
Does everyone get a retirement article at MLBTR? The only people who care about this news have the last name of Wolters.
gbs42
And fans of the teams he played for. Move along, no need to trash a guy who made the majors.
VincentChase
Not quite 10 years for the full pension, but will still receive a fairly handsome 401k contribution. Not to mention the 9 + million he’s already received in salaries. doing what he loves. Plus, he’s barely past 30 years of age.
Not bad, not bad at all.
sosaspelledbackwardsisasos
I’d sign up for that any day!
Gwynning
My brother and I had Section 106 Row 20 seats and sat behind this nice couple decked out in Rockies gear. One time we got to talking, and it was Tony’s parents! Tony started one game in particular (4/16/19) and his Uncle was there, too. Wolters made a fantastic sliding play to nab a runner on the bases, I can’t remember all the minutiae, but that was a fun game to watch even if my Pads lost. Anyway, really a nothing-burger story, I just want Tony to know that his family is a joy if he ever gets around to reading this. Good luck in your retirement, buddy!
LordD99
I’ll miss the many announcements here on MLBTR of his new teams.
Enjoy retirement, Tony, although I suspect he’ll end up coaching eventually.
LordD99
…such as immediately with the Rockies!
Chuck from Uniontown
Finish the first paragraph
LordD99
I did. 12 hours ago.
Chuck from Uniontown
Man, I should’ve finished the comment thread! Lol
yamsi1912
Congrats on your retirement Tony, it’s well deserved. See you in Cooperstown.
yamsi1912
…..tickets are $29.95.
Prospectnvstr
yamsi1912: Your comments are so original. Sarcasm most definitely intended.
Fraham_
Thought he was like 36
flyinhawaiian
It never gets old reading the comments of the mutants on this site who disparage professional athletes when they retire. Yep, their decision to “hang em up” and pass on their knowledge to the younger generation of ball players is unacceptable!!
Yanks2
Because this guy’s career stats are ugly to look at. No one cares that he retired
filihok
Yanks2
No one cares that you exist
Muted
Chicken In Philly?
The game wouldn’t exist without players like Wolters- lots and lots of them. Your comments only show how ignorant you are about the sport.
Mustard Tiger
flyinhawaii – Your comments are very disrespectful and uncalled for.
AHH-Rox
An interesting aspect of Wolters career is that he was originally an infielder and only started catching after a few years in the minors. Gave the Rockies the flexibility to occasionally put him at 2B late in games if they’d used up their bench, and he did OK in the field.
Hope he has a fulfilling coaching career.
Michael Chaney
I was about to say the same thing and I’m surprised no one else mentioned it. Cleveland drafted him as a 2B/SS and converted him pretty early in the minors.
It takes a lot of athleticism to make that transition and he did it pretty seamlessly.
drdback
Congradulations on Wolters’ retirement. I’m sure he will be a great coach with some organization.
88 Brooklyn Dodgers
Hall of Very Good.