Mariners outfielder Jody Gerut announced his retirement today, saying that he was no longer into the game mentally and couldn't give it his all according to MyNorthwest.com's Shannon Drayer. "I didn't want to be a player that plays for only his paycheck," said Gerut according to MLB.com's Greg Johns (Twitter links).
Gerut, 33, originally broke in with the Indians back in 2003 after being a second round pick of the Rockies in 1998. He hit .279/.336/.494 with 22 homers and 33 doubles in 525 plate appearances as a rookie, but followed it up with a disappointing .252/.334/.405 season in 2004. Gerut bounced from the Indians to the Cubs to the Pirates before being out of the game completely in 2006 and 2007.
After signing a minor league contract with the Padres in 2008, Gerut resurfaced with a .296/.351/.494 season. He also spent time with the Brewers and is a career .262/.325/.433 hitter with 59 homers in just under 2,000 plate appearances. Gerut hit for the cycle last May, and he also hit the first homerun in CitiField history (as the game's first batter). Baseball-Reference.com has his career earnings at just over $5.1MM.
