Veteran infielder Mark Grudzielanek has decided to retire, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. The 40-year-old appeared in 30 games with Cleveland last season before being released in June.
An 11th-round draft pick of the Expos in 1991, Grudzielanek collected 2040 hits and posted a .289/.332/.393 line in 15 seasons with the Expos, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Royals and Indians. He had a reputation as a solid defender, particularly at second base; Fangraphs shows Grudzielanek with a career +7.2 UZR/150 rating at second since 2002 and Grudzielanek won a Gold Glove at the position in 2006.
Grudzielanek was an NL All-Star in 1996 and, while he never reached the World Series, made it to the NLCS with the Cubs in 2003 and with the Cards in 2005. According to Baseball Reference, Grudzielanek earned roughly $36.8MM in his career.
Hof? But in all seriousness, he was one of the better second basemen of this decade, even if I still can’t spell his name.
18th in 2000-2010 WAR :-/
Hope this isn’t another misunderstanding like O. Cabrera’s speech about retiring next year…only to say he has many more years.
He had a heck of a career, and a long one too. Always overlooked because he never was a super-star.