Although he has yet to file official paperwork, Doug Waechter has retired from baseball according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Three arm surgeries and a lack of interest from Major League clubs led to the decision.
"I know how lucky I am," said the right-hander. "I got to do a lot of things a lot of people don't get the opportunity to do. It was a great ride, and I had a blast doing it. The arm is held together now with duct tape … Or at least that's what the scouts are saying."
Waechter, 30, spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, four with his hometown Devil Rays. He last pitched in 2009, when he allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Royals. Overall, Waechter's career in the show consists of a 5.34 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 384 1/3 innings. Baseball-Reference.com says he earned just shy of $1.3MM in his career.
