37-year-old Mike Napoli has announced his retirement on Twitter. Napoli, who’d dealt with significant injuries to his right knee over the last calendar year, had initially planned to give it another go after completing the rehab process, but has decided, “after much thought and consideration,” to call it quits.
Napoli, a 2011 All-Star and 2013 World Series Champion, will long be remembered for his soaring moonshots, magnetic personality and sought-after clubhouse presence, and a preternatural eye at the plate. Napoli’s career spanned 12 major league seasons, during which time he featured prominently on seven playoff teams, three pennant winners, and the 2013 World Champion Boston Red Sox.
The catcher/first baseman piled up 5,330 plate appearances for four teams during that time, including three stints with the Texas Rangers, for whom his 2011 season (.320/.414/.631, 179 wRC+) was among the best in club history. In all, Napoli appeared in nearly 1400 major league games, slashing .246/.346/.475 with 267 career HR and an offensive output that graded approximately 20% above the league average during that frame. His 25.1 career fWAR is an outstanding mark for a player who never ranked among his organization’s top 10 prospects at any point during his minor league career.
Selected in the 17th round of the 2000 draft out of a high school in Florida, Napoli’s career began with a slow burn in the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angel farm system. By the time he finally reached the majors in 2006, after nearly seven full seasons in the minors, the then-catcher wasted no time making his mark. His 2.5fWAR in just 99 games places him squarely in the pantheon of most impressive seasons in history for a rookie catcher, and his 92 HR while behind the dish is easily tops in club history.
Persistent friction with skipper Mike Scioscia, though, who never quite seemed satisfied with Napoli’s work behind the plate, led the club to move Napoli in a bizarre 2011 swap with the Blue Jays, where the productive backstop was traded with outfielder Juan Rivera in exchange for the aging Vernon Wells, whose four years and $90MM in remaining salary placed him high on the list of least attractive assets in the game. Napoli was quickly shipped to Texas, where in 2011 he established himself as one of the game’s premier hitters; substantial decline followed, though, and the then-first baseman found a new home for the next three seasons in Beantown.
After the championship run of ’13, and a solid follow-up the next season, an aging Napoli sputtered a bit in ’15, and was left searching for a new home prior to the start of the 2016 season. He found it in Cleveland, where a last hurrah – a career-high 34 HR for the pennant-winning Tribe – left him within mere outs of a second ring.
Thank you Mike for the memories. Followed you since you were a Halo. Best of luck.
The Party At Napoli’s has officially ended! Happy Retirement Mike!
The party is just beginning…
he’s got even more time now.
He owns a club in Dallas now, so this will give him the chance to get a little #MeToo action with some ladies.
You really thought this was it huh lol
One of my favorites growing up. Will always been one of my favorite angels. Good for him
He’s still partying from the ‘13 WS.
Good career, Nap. Enjoy the rest!
Career salary= 82,220,000. Not bad.
82 million and he was a career .243 hitter. Didn’t Kevin Costner character hit higher than that and had more home runs? They need to redo the movie and have him make it big!
Kostners character was a career minor league. Spent 10 days in the bigs. Higher fictional avg, but that was in the minors.
I have never seen a guys career totally take a nosedive directly after winning a title like his did, while it was happening I kept remembering that video of him drunk and shirtless walking down around Boston after winning it and thought “Damn, he partied SO hard that night that it literally led to his numbers falling every year after”, haha
But respect to his career, he had such a brilliant 2011, crazy how he got no mvp votes that year, he was a game away from basically putting that whole Rangers team on his back to the title, but Cruz blew it for him. He was straight up butchering the Cardinals pitching all 7 games. Was fun to watch.
Yeah.. total nosedive considering 3 years later he set career highs in home runs and RBIs and was an integral part of yet another World Series team…
He went from 1.046 OPS guy in 2011 to .734 in 2015. Stop picking out a word you don’t like and understand tone and sentiment. God, the nitpicky trolls are the worst.
I fully understand your “tone and sentiment” your premise that he partied SO hard it literally led to his numbers falling every year after is idiotic as there were several other factors at play there.. but hey cool name
Likely since not too many guys not named Bonds, Ortiz or Beltre age well into their mid 30s these days.
Napoli did have a fairly productive age 34 season with 34 homers and a .800OPS. I doubt he was ever going to replicate the 173OPS+ he put up the year the Jays traded him to Texas but he was always a good fielding 1B who’d club dingers and get his share of walks.
He put up a 120OPS+ the year after winning a World Series in 2014 with 3.3bWAR. It’s not like he wasn’t a good 32 year old yet.
Dude smashed on and off the field
One night of drunken debauchery doesn’t amount to smashing it off the field.
Yeah….it’s not like he is Dock Ellis.
Retirement party at Napoli’s!
have drink on mike scoscia!
Red Sox Nation salutes you
For those about to ROCK!!!
Fun player who was well thought of here in Texas.
Nice career. Wish it had been as an Angel the whole time.
Met him once, he was very funny and nice.
Gotta love when a fan gets an autograph they refer to it as meeting the player.
I mean technically that qualifies as meeting the player
Loved him in Cleveland. Fantastic person.
Always a classy guy with the fans and a solid player. So long Nap, you’ll be remembered fondly by the fans.
Mr. Bradley is simply an incredible, gifted writer.
Very probably the most literate baseball writer alive today. Surely the best I’ve read.
A great, great future.
Thanks so much! Very kind.
Is that sarcasm, and if so why.
It’s Ty Bradley’s alt… or a close relative.
No. Don’t know a thing about him. Assume he’s young and starting out.
This reminds me of when Vin Skully joined the Brooklyn Dodger radio team as a minor 3rd announcer. The legendary Red Barber realized the talent and mentored him. Vinny went on to become the best baseball broadcaster in history.
Due to technology, disciplines have changed quite a bit. Mr. Brantley’s writing – and possibly speaking talents – portend a bright future.
Post-script: While I follow MLB on and off (the only professional sport left that has not turned into a branch of professional wrestling), once I got past 35 it’s been difficult to read the writers and listen to the broadcasters – both local (incredibly awful) and national (not much better). MLBTR – by far – puts out the best product of any media outlet disseminating information to baseball fans.
Epic party animal in Boston
link to goo.gl
The man played well, was respected in the game, seems to have endeared himself to many, made a lot of money and always looked like he was enjoying being an MLBer. Well played, Mike!
hated when the angels traded him for Vernon Wells .
Wells was twice the player
Is that a joke? That was one of the worst trades in decades
Welp. Especially when hindsight shows us how Vernon Wells turned out. Good retirement Nap!
Not much of player. .246 lifetime is not very good. He was a player who belonged in the 80’s. adios buddy
People who judge baseball players by their batting average belong in the 80’s.
ok so how about low batting average and high number of strikeouts…if he didnt hit homeruns this wouldnt even be news
You are an idiot. And clearly not a real Red Sox fan either
Great career, fun player to have watched throughout his career.
Party at Napoli’s!
Maybe if he didn’t party all the time he could have stayed on the field
sorry boys and girls, no more party at napoli’s
He has a stake in a nightclub in Uptown Dallas, so you can still party at Napoli’s.
I will never forget the behind the plate duo of Mathis and Nap.
Future manager in like 5 years or less from now
Met Napoli at a bar in Fort Myers during spring training. Bum
Sucks for you. Players don’t want to meet and hang out with dudes in Spring Training. They’re there to get ready for the season and hook up with hot women. Get your autographs another time.
has the traits be a good hitting coach, esp if he’s bilingual
He’s planning to work part-time as a fill-in for Toby on This Is Us.
It should read “First Baseman/Catcher” since he played 1B more.
That 2011 Rangers team still holds a place in my heart. One of the reasons I got back into following baseball. Everyone could mash on that squad, super exciting to watch. Napoli was a beast and still usually hit in the bottom half of their order. Don’t care too much if he was known for partying because it didn’t show on the field where he always brought it full bore come game time. Gonna miss his candor and gamer attitude. Happy trails partner. Hope your post playing career is fruitful.
Napoli had a nice swing for a right hander. very talented player, perfect for the Red Sox
I wonder who, if anyone , would get the hall vote: Napoli or victor martinez. Similar carriers, started as catcher, moved to dh or 1b after career slowed by injuries. Martinez has more war and RBIs, but a few down years of neg war but more award recognition, Napoli has more hrs in fewer years and less down years, but not so much on the award front.
Great player, even better person. Still beloved in Texas. Letting him walk to the Red Sox in free agency was one of Daniel’s biggest mistakes
“Persistent friction with skipper Mike Scioscia, though, who never quite seemed satisfied with Napoli’s work behind the plate”
Another example why the Angels are so much better off without Mike Scioscia in the organization.