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Retirement

Randy Choate Retires

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Veteran left-hander Randy Choate, who spent part of the 2016 season in the minor league ranks with the Dodgers and last appeared in the Majors in 2015, tells WFAN’s Sweeny Murti that he has decided to retire. Choate didn’t receive any solid offers to continue playing in 2017, Murti writes, and the 41-year-old southpaw simply said that he “figured it was kind of time to move on.”

Randy Choate

Originally a fifth-round draft pick by the Yankees back in 1997, Choate epitomized the “LOOGY” (left-handed one out guy) role and embraced his role as a specialist, he tells Murti: “In the seventh inning with two outs and men on first and second or bases loaded, and you’ve got to get out David Ortiz? Those are crucial moments, and there’s very little room for a mistake.”

Because of his specialized role, Choate never boasted a significant workload in terms of innings pitched. His career-high was 50 2/3 frames in a single season, though he did twice top 80 appearances in a season. Choate led the American League with 85 appearances in 2010 and led the National League with 80 appearances two years later, though in a testament to the limited nature of his role he logged just 44 2/3 innings and 38 2/3 innings, respectively, in those two campaigns.

That said, the Florida State product was unequivocally one of the best when it came to retiring same-handed opponents. In his career, Choate faced 1036 left-handed opponents and held them to a putrid .195/.276/.274 batting line with just 10 homers.

Overall, Choate’s career will come to a close with a 16-14 record, a 3.90 ERA, 112 holds and a 348-to-175 K/BB ratio in 408 regular-season innings. He earned more than $13MM during his career, per Baseball-Reference.com. And beyond his regular-season work, Choate was fortunate enough to have pitched in the postseason on five occasions in his career. He was a member of the 2000 Yankees that won a World Series Championship. He reminisces fondly about the time spent playing alongside icons Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in his interview: “…when you get down to the end, you just realize how great the beginning was.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Javier Lopez Retires

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Veteran left-hander Javier Lopez has decided to retire, he tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

“More than anything, it’s just time,” the 39-year-old Lopez tells Rosenthal. “It’s a young man’s game. Although I think I can compete, it’s getting harder and harder to get ready for spring.”

A former fourth-round pick back in 1998, Lopez was a key member of four World Series teams: the Red Sox in 2007 and the Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014. While he struggled with the Rockies early in his career, Lopez eventually solidified himself as a durable, dependable weapon against left-handed opponents and enjoyed a very nice 14-year career in that role.

He’ll finish his career with a 3.48 earned run average, 30 wins, 14 saves, 178 holds and a 358-to-230 K/BB ratio in 533 1/3 regular-season innings. Beyond that, Lopez tossed another 18 postseason innings, recording a 3.50 ERA in addition to his four World Series rings.

Lopez earned more than $28MM in his Major League career, per Baseball-Reference.com. He tells Rosenthal that he’s not certain what’ll come next for him beyond his playing days, but we at MLBTR wish him the very best in whatever lies ahead.

Josh Johnson To Retire

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Veteran righty Josh Johnson has decided to retire, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). The 32-year-old had agreed to a minor-league deal with the Giants for the 2017 season but will instead hang up his spikes.

Johnson was working his way back from Tommy John surgery — his third such procedure — and would have faced an uphill battle to crack the San Francisco roster. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013, owing to a series of arm injuries.

Johnson’s most recent big league campaign was his least successful, as he struggled to a 6.20 ERA — but still racked up 9.2 K/9 — over 81 1/3 innings in his lone season with the Blue Jays. Before that, though, he had provided the Marlins with eight seasons of largely outstanding work. Over nearly 1,000 innings in Miami, Johnson pitched to a 3.15 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.

Since wrapping up his time in Toronto, Johnson twice signed agreements with the Padres in hopes of sparking a return to form. But he was stopped short by injury and never threw a pitch for San Diego, which had invested a total of $9MM in hopes of securing a bargain.

At his best, Johnson was one of the game’s most dominant starters, as he worked off of a mid-nineties heater to post strong strikeout tallies and induce mostly weak contact. His 2010 campaign, at age 26, was his best overall effort. He threw 183 2/3 innings over 28 starts, posting a 2.30 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9, picking up his second-straight All-Star nod and coming in fifth in the National League Cy Young vote.

While it’s tempting to view Johnson’s career as a disappointment, given his lofty peak and evident talent, it’s hard to fault him for the physical ailments that derailed him before his thirtieth birthday. Even after accounting for his forgettable year in Toronto, Johnson posted 21.3 fWAR and 23.8 rWAR over his parts of nine total MLB seasons. MLBTR wishes Johnson the very best as he moves on to the next phase of his life.

J.P. Arencibia Announces Retirement

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Former big league catcher J.P Arencibia has announced his retirement from the game in a message on Twitter. He’ll hang ’em up after parts of a half-dozen seasons at the major league level.

Arencibia didn’t spend any time in the big leagues last year, when he played at Triple-A with the Rays and Phillies organizations. But he had reached the majors in each of the prior six campaigns, beginning in 2010 with the Blue Jays.

Surely, Arencibia will be remembered most for his time in Toronto, where he was the regular catcher for three seasons. The first two of those went pretty well for the slugging receiver, as he combined for a .225/.279/.437 slash with 41 home runs over 2011-12.

But 2013 proved a turning point for Arencibia, who hit just .194/.227/.365 — though he appeared in a career-high 138 games. Always prone to swinging and missing, he ended that year with 148 strikeouts against just 18 walks. He later saw time in the majors with the Rangers and the Rays, but never regained his standing as a regular behind the dish.

Having failed to make it back to the game’s highest level in 2016, there was little question that the 31-year-old would have been looking at another minor-league assignment while waiting and hoping for another opportunity. Instead, he’ll move on.

As he humorously put it in his announcement: “I really never could take a walk in my career but this walk will be my biggest yet, I’m walking away from baseball.” MLBTR wishes Arencibia the very best in his future endeavors.

Joel Hanrahan Retires

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Reliever Joel Hanrahan has decided to retire from the game, as he announced in an appearance on MLB on TuneIn (audio link). He had been seeking to make a comeback in 2016, but ultimately wasn’t able to overcome the arm issues that plagued him in recent years and won’t undertake another effort this winter.

As recently as 2012, Hanrahan was a quality late-inning arm. But he succumbed to Tommy John surgery early in the following season, and ended up requiring a second UCL replacement in the spring of 2015.

Taken by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2000 draft, Hanrahan made it to free agency before seeing time in the majors with his original organization. But the Nationals snagged him off of the open market and even gave him 11 starts in his debut year of 2007.

It was a move to the bullpen that really launched Hanrahan’s career. Lots of strikeouts and walks quickly became the norm, and Hanrahan generally frustrated as much as he intrigued. After 168 innings of 5.30 ERA pitching, he was shipped to the Pirates in a rather interesting 2009 challenge trade. Hanrahan was joined by outfielder Lastings Milledge, with the Nats receiving lefty Sean Burnett and outfielder Nyjer Morgan.

The change of scenery benefited both relievers, with Hanrahan showing improved velocity and producing improved results upon heading to Pittsburgh. He ultimately took the club’s closer’s job in 2011 and made two All-Star games. Over 229 1/3 total innings with the Bucs, Hanrahan worked to a 2.59 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.

With one final year of arbitration control remaining, at a saves-inflated rate, Hanrahan was again moved in a deal that prominently featured another reliever. Joined by Brock Holt, he headed to the Red Sox in exchange for Mark Melancon (who was coming off of a disastrous prior season) and three others.

Boston proved to be the end of the line for Hanrahan: he made just nine appearances, picking up four saves but allowing eight earned runs with five strikeouts and six walks before going under the knife. While he signed with the Tigers in both 2014 and 2015, he never made a regular-season appearance for Detroit in the majors or minors.

All told, it was a nice run for Hanrahan, who ended up pitching in parts of seven major league seasons. MLBTR wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Joe Thatcher Retires

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Veteran lefty Joe Thatcher is calling it quits after a 13-year professional career, Pedro Velazco of the Kokomo Tribune reports. He says that he is looking forward to remaining involved in the game by helping young ballplayers in his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana.

Thatcher, 35, worked parts of nine seasons in the majors, throwing 260 2/3 total innings — the bulk of them with the Padres. He ended with a quality stat line, compiling a 3.38 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.

Though he was utilized primarily as a lefty specialist, and held opposing southpaw hitters to a .232/.298/.348 slash line, Thatcher proved useful enough against right-handed opposition, too. Ultimately, he faced exactly as many batters from each side (561) in the bigs. Thatcher’s strong K numbers came against lefties — 176 fell victim — but he kept opposite-handed hitters to a palatable .278/.346/.374 batting line.

Thatcher wasn’t drafted after finishing his collegiate career at Indiana State, but caught on in independent ball and got an opportunity in the Brewers organization. He was traded to the Padres in a deadline deal that sent reliever Scott Linebrink to Milwaukee. Later, he’d be the veteran changing hands in the summer. In 2013, he was swapped to the Diamondbacks for Ian Kennedy and then was moved on to the Angels the following year.

Thatcher joined the Astros as a minor league free agent for the 2015 campaign, making the roster and providing the team with 43 appearances but working only 22 2/3 innings. While he helped Houston in what proved to be a playoff year, Thatcher lost his spot in July. He never ended up playing in the postseason, though he did spend time in 2016 with three organizations — the Cubs, Indians, and Dodgers — that played rather notable roles in the postseason this year.

Though he didn’t quite make it back to the majors in his final season of pro ball, Thatcher says he has no regrets. With a family at home, the Triple-A lifestyle no longer held appeal. “I’m at peace with the decision,” he said. “I’m proud of what I’ve done. I played pro baseball for 13 years but I’m ready to try something different and move on with the next chapter in my life.”

Matt Thornton To Retire

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Veteran left-hander Matt Thornton has decided to retire, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The 40-year-old spent his final big league season in the Padres organization but was limited to 17 innings due to an Achilles strain and was released in mid-August.

MLB: Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers

Originally selected by the Mariners with the 22nd overall pick of the 1998 draft, Thornton didn’t make his big league debut until his age-27 season in 2004 and didn’t establish himself as a quality bullpen piece until his age-29 campaign. Traded from the Mariners to the White Sox in exchange for light-hitting outfielder Joe Borchard, though, Thornton blossomed on Chicago’s south side and eventually became one of the game’s premier left-handed setup men. From 2008-10, Thornton recorded a 2.70 ERA with 11.0 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9, showing a mastery over left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters alike thanks in large part to a fastball that averaged just shy of 96 mph.

Those three seasons may have represented Thornton’s peak, but the lefty was predominantly excellent for the better part of a decade from age 29 through age 38. In that time, Thornton recorded a 3.11 ERA and averaged just under a strikeout per inning. Overall, the lefty’s career will come to a close with a losing 36-46 record but a very solid 3.41 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, 23 saves, 206 holds (164 of which came with the White Sox — a franchise record), 8.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 48.2 percent ground-ball rate in 662 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer. Thornton earned more than $28MM in his Major League career, per Baseball-Reference (plus a $925K signing bonus). We at MLBTR wish Thornton continued success in his post-playing days and offer a hearty congratulations on an impressive career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

David Ross 99% Certain He Will Retire

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Cubs catcher David Ross is still 99.9% certain he will retire at the end of the season, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets. Ross indicated last November that he would likely retire after the 2016 season, although that was before a strong campaign in which he batted .229/.338/.446 in 205 plate appearances while playing his usual strong defense.

The 39-year-old Ross explained his thought process in some detail last week, as Rogers described at the time. “I just don’t want to be that weak link,” said Ross. “I don’t want to be the guy that holds everyone up. I want no regrets on my end.”

Ross did go on to say that he might consider continuing to play if the Cubs “blew [his] socks off,” although he seemed to be at least half-joking. He listed not being able to play with outfielder and fellow catcher Kyle Schwarber, who missed almost the entire season due to a knee injury, as one of his regrets about leaving the game behind.

For now, Ross appears to be concentrating on winning a World Series with the Cubs. “People ask, ’Where does my retirement stuff rank?’ Winning a World Series is way better than that. It’s an amazing thing to dog pile out there while no one else can do that,” he said last week.

Ross has played parts of 15 seasons in the Majors, suiting up with the Dodgers, Pirates, Padres, Reds, Braves and Red Sox before signing a two-year, $5MM deal with the Cubs prior to the 2015 season. He’s collected just 2,644 plate appearances in his career, since he’s generally played as a backup, and batted .229/.316/.423. He won a World Series as a member of the Red Sox in 2013.

Joel Peralta To Retire

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Veteran righty Joel Peralta is set to retire, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). Peralta visited the Rays clubhouse today to see former teammates in Tampa Bay.

May 30, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Joel Peralta (62) on the mound against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Though he is apparently not planning to make any kind of formal announcement, Peralta says that he is “not going to play anymore.” Peralta has not signed with a team since he was cut loose by the Cubs over the summer, and suggested to Topkin that knee problems played a factor in the decision.

Despite a short and unsuccessful final stop, Peralta was pitching at 40 years of age. All told, he has enjoyed a rather remarkable and quite valuable career in the majors. A native of the Dominican Republic, Peralta did not even record a pitch with an affiliated organization until he was 24 years old.

Despite first cracking the big leagues at 29, he managed to appear in a dozen seasons. While not all of those campaigns were productive, Peralta was able to rack up 648 innings of 4.03 ERA pitching.

After generally underwhelming results to start his career, Peralta broke out in 2010 with the Nationals, when he began relying heavily on his splitter — the pitch that he credits for his success. That kicked off a four-year run in which Peralta compiled a 3.07 ERA over 255 frames, with 9.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9

Peralta’s K/BB ratio remained strong over his final three seasons, which included a final run with the Rays, a 2015 appearance for the Dodgers, and stops with the Mariners and Cubs this year. But he became increasingly susceptible to the long ball, and wasn’t able to hold opposing batters to less than four earned runs per nine innings during that span.

Ultimately, Peralta will probably be best remembered for his craftiness and resiliency. It “was never easy,” he tells Topkin. “I had to fight every year.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Prince Fielder’s Career Over

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At a press conference Wednesday, Rangers designated hitter and first baseman Prince Fielder announced that he will not be able to resume his career after undergoing neck fusion surgery in late July.

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“I can’t play Major League Baseball anymore,” said Fielder, who was placed on the DL last month with a herniated disk in his neck before having surgery.

It was the second season in the last three he has had season-ending neck surgery, also having undergone fusion surgery in 2014. There were already questions about whether Fielder would make a full recovery from this second surgery, which could result in restrictions on his flexibility. After playing a solid full season in 2015, Fielder struggled greatly in 2016, batting just .212/.292/.334 with only eight homers in 370 plate appearances, and he has said that he’s suffered symptoms similar to those he battled in 2014, when he hit just .247/.360/.360.

Nonetheless, the end of Fielder’s career comes as a bit of a jolt. He’s only 32, and he’s under contract through 2020 at $24MM per year. Given that Fielder is medically unable to play and not technically retiring, the Rangers will still owe him $9MM per season through 2020, with $6MM annually coming from the Tigers (as per the terms of the trade that brought Fielder to Texas) and $9MM coming via insurance payments due to Fielder’s inability to play. He’ll also remain on Texas’ 40-man roster each offseason through the end of his deal, though the club will be able to free up room during the season by placing him on the 60-day DL.

The Brewers made Fielder the seventh overall pick in the draft in 2002, with Milwaukee likely imagining that he could become a first baseman and fearsome slugger in the mold of his father Cecil. Despite skepticism from some quarters about his body type, Prince quickly emerged as a serious home-run threat, making it to the big leagues in 2005 in his age-21 season. He swatted an NL-leading 50 home runs in 2007 at the tender age of 23, and joined Ryan Braun as dynamic power threat in the middle of Milwaukee’s lineup. Fielder also proved surprisingly durable, missing only one game in total over the five years spanning 2009-2013. Fielder signed his massive $214MM contract with the Tigers prior to the 2012 season before heading to the Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler following the 2013 campaign.

For his career, Fielder clubbed 319 home runs (exactly the number his father hit) while batting an impressive .283/.382/.506 in parts of 12 seasons. He also made six All-Star appearances and finished in the top 20 in league MVP balloting six times.

Fielder’s departure from the sport is the latest in a string of high-profile recent MLB career endings. The Yankees are set to release Alex Rodriguez, who is signed through 2017, and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira also recently announced he would retire at the end of the season. All three have been among the game’s most prolific sluggers in recent memory.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported that Fielder’s career was ending. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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