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Retirement

Rockies Hire Peter Bourjos As Advance Scout

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The Rockies have hired longtime outfielder Peter Bourjos as an advance scout, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).  The hiring would seem to indicate that Bourjos, who turns 33 in March, is hanging up the cleats after a 14-year professional playing career that included 10 years in the majors.

Bourjos both began and ended his career with the Angels, who originally selected him in the 10th round of the 2005 draft.  He spent his first four MLB seasons with the Halos before moving on to stints with the Cardinals, Phillies, Rays, and Braves before once again landing back in Anaheim on a minor league contract last offseason.  After appearing in 26 MLB games for the Angels last season, Bourjos was released in May.

Best known for his quickness and defense, Bourjos was an often-outstanding center fielder, posting +40 Defensive Runs Saved and +11.9 UZR/150 over 4080 1/3 career innings up the middle.  This glovework made him a valuable part-time and bench commodity for teams looking for backup at all three outfield positions.  Bourjos hit .237/.293/.376 over 2334 plate appearances, and his offensive resume includes an AL-leading 11 triples during the 2011 season.

We at MLBTR wish Bourjos all the best as he moves into this new phase of his baseball career, and congratulate him on a successful decade on the field.

Tony Barnette Retires

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Former major league reliever Tony Barnette is calling it a career. “I’ve thrown my last pitch,” the right-hander declared Tuesday on Instagram.

It’s almost a year to the day the Cubs signed Barnette to a $750K guarantee on Feb. 1, 2019. The low-risk move didn’t work out for either side, though, as shoulder issues stopped Barnette from pitching until late June. Once Barnette did take the hill with the Cubs, he made just two appearances and threw a meager 1 1/3 innings before going on the restricted list July 1 for family reasons. The Cubs had a $3MM option on the 36-year-old for 2020, but they made the predictable decision to decline it in November.

Prior to joining the Cubs, Barnette was at times a highly successful bullpen option with the Rangers. As a rookie in 2016, Barnette pitched to a sterling 2.09 ERA across 60 1/3 innings. That was the beginning of an up-and-down Texas tenure for Barnette, who struggled in 2017 but posted great numbers the next season; however, shoulder problems cut him down that year and held him to 26 1/3 innings.

Of course, it would be unfair to Barnette to ignore the overseas success he enjoyed during his professional baseball career. He was a 10th-round pick of the Diamondbacks in 2006 who, after spending a few years in the minors, joined the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball in advance of the 2010 season. Barnette was terrific in Japan, where he posted a 3.58 ERA across 316 1/3 innings, logged 9.6 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 and amassed 97 saves in six seasons before returning stateside.

Barnette only picked up two saves in the majors, but he’ll still end his MLB career with solid numbers – a 3.53 ERA with 8.17 K/9 and 2.66 BB/9 in 145 1/3 frames. MLBTR wishes him the best in retirement.

Carlos Zambrano Ends Comeback Attempt

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Right-hander Carlos Zambrano hung up his cleats back in 2014, but he returned to professional baseball last season with the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association. That comeback didn’t lead to a new opportunity in the majors, though, and now Zambrano says he’s done for good, per Carrie Muskat.

The fiery Zambrano, now 38, threw 61 innings with the Dogs last season. He posted a bloated 5.16 ERA over that span, though he did manage 7.5 strikeouts against 2.5 walks per nine. None of that was enough to put Zambrano back on the big league radar, however.

At his best, the man known as Big Z was one of the majors’ most effective starters. The longtime Cub, a three-time All-Star and someone who once pitched a no-hitter, was particularly good from 2003-10. He racked up 1,548 innings during that stretch, ranked 10th among starters in fWAR (28.7) and recorded a 3.42 ERA/3.89 FIP.

Also a former Marlin, with whom he concluded his MLB playing days in 2012, Zambrano put up a 3.66 ERA/4.01 FIP with 7.52 K/9, 4.13 BB/9 and a 48.4 percent groundball rate in almost 2,000 innings at the sport’s highest level.

Not to be forgotten, Zambrano’s also one of the most threatening hitters in the history of his position. Pitchers are often automatic outs, but not Zambrano, who totaled 24 home runs and batted .238/.248/.388 across 748 plate appearances.

Carlos Gomez Will Reportedly Retire

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Longtime major league outfielder Carlos Gomez plans to retire once his season in the Dominican Winter League wraps up, Rolando E. Fermin of La Neuva 106.9 FM reports.

Gomez’s big league career began and ended with the Mets. He debuted in the league in 2007 as a highly touted youngster, but the Mets traded Gomez to the Twins in a package for then-superstar left-hander Johan Santana in the ensuing offseason. Gomez’s tenure with the Twins also proved to be short-lived, though, as they dealt him to the Brewers in a trade for shortstop J.J. Hardy in November 2009.

Gomez didn’t truly blossom until he got to Milwaukee, and he plans to retire as a member of the organization, according to Fermin. He posted star-level production at times as a member of the Brewers, with whom he slashed .267/.325/.452 and amassed 87 home runs and 152 stolen bases across 2,576 plate appearances from 2010-15. Gomez was especially outstanding from 2013-14, a 1,234-PA span in which he batted .284/347/.491, swatted 47 homers, swiped 74 bags and ranked seventh among position players in fWAR (12.4).

Unfortunately, Gomez’s output dropped off a cliff after his career-best two-year run. The Brewers traded Gomez (and sign-stealing whistleblower Mike Fiers) to the Astros in a 2015 blockbuster, which came after an attempt by the Mets to re-acquire him fell through. The Gomez pickup proved to be a failure for Houston, which released him in 2016 after he fell flat in an Astros uniform. Gomez wound up staying in Texas that year, though, as the Rangers took a low-cost flier on him that worked out well for them. He stayed with the Rangers the next season and once again recorded respectable production, but he was ineffective as a member of the Rays in 2018 and once again struggled in a Mets homecoming last year.

All told, the 34-year-old Gomez will end his MLB career a .252/.313/.411 hitter who totaled 145 HRs, 268 steals and 24.9 fWAR in 5,227 trips to the plate. He earned two All-Star nods and made just under $50MM in his playing days, according to Baseball-Reference. MLBTR wishes Gomez the best in retirement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Hire Darwin Barney As Triple-A Manager

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Veteran infielder Darwin Barney will manage the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville next season, as per a team press release.  The 34-year-old Barney is taking on his first coaching or managerial job, following a playing career that saw him appear in parts of eight MLB seasons.

Barney hit .246/.294/.341 over 2759 career plate appearances and 814 career games with the Cubs, Dodgers, and Blue Jays from 2010-17.  While his numbers at the plate weren’t anything special, Barney’s outstanding glovework earned him a spot as Chicago’s regular second baseman in the early part of the decade.  Over 5113 career innings as a second baseman, Barney posted 53 Defensive Runs Saved and a +6.7 UZR/150.  The 2012 campaign saw Barney post the third-highest (28) DRS total of any second baseman in the last 20 seasons, and Barney was duly was awarded a Gold Glove for his work that year.

Beyond the keystone, Barney also played third base and shortstop as he moved into a utility role later in his career, even amassing 50 innings as a left fielder for the 2016-17 Blue Jays.  Barney signed on with the Rangers on a minor league deal prior to the 2018 season, but was released during Spring Training and didn’t catch on with any other clubs.

As per Baseball Reference, Barney earned roughly $10.25MM over his career.  We at MLBTR wish Barney congratulations on a fine career and wish him all the best as he embarks on the next phase of his baseball life as a manager.

Ian Kinsler Announces Retirement

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Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler has announced his retirement, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (via Twitter; full article via subscription link). He’ll move into the San Diego front office as an adviser.

Precisely what will happen to the $4.25MM Kinsler is owed under the contract he inked last winter remains to be seen. That will be subject to negotiations between the team and its now-former player.

Kinsler, 37, says he simply decided it was “time to move on.” He wraps up a 14-year career with borderline Hall-of-Fame credentials. He tallied a hefty 57.2 rWAR in his career, tied for 140th among all MLB players, and logged overall statistics that put him ahead of some Hall-worthy second baggers. Now begins a five-year waiting period to see whether Kinsler will gain traction among voters.

Though it seems unlikely he’ll command a plaque in Cooperstown, Kinsler turned in an undeniably outstanding career — all the more impressive considering he was a 17th-round draft pick. He was a perennially above-average hitter who excelled in the field and on the basepaths. Kinsler finishes things up just one hit shy of the 2k barrier. Over 8,299 trips to the plate in the majors, he slashed .269/.337/.440 with 257 home runs and 243 stolen bases.

Kinsler will be remembered most for his eight-year run with the Rangers. While that tenure ended with some acrimony when Kinsler was dealt to the Tigers, he thanked the organization in his comments to Rosenthal. Kinsler ended up having a productive, four-year stint in Detroit before rounding out his career with brief stops with the Angels, Red Sox, and Friars. Kinsler picked up a ring with the 2018 Red Sox.

Of more immediate concern is the impact on the Padres roster. Kinsler wasn’t clogging up a ton of payroll space but would’ve occupied an active roster spot and commanded a decent amount of playing time. Now, the path is cleared all the more for recently acquired second baseman Jurickson Profar, who’ll presumably be supplemented by Greg Garcia at second. The Friars have an additional slot and some added financial flexibility to work with in structuring their preferred alignment.

Kinsler hadn’t been in the form he or the team hoped when he signed on this time last year. He managed only a .217/.278/.368 batting line in 281 plate appearances before his season was cut short owing to a herniated cervical disk. Kinsler says that malady also influenced his decision to call it quits. Though he wasn’t able to play to his typical standard or log his 2,000th hit in 2019, Kinsler did make his first and only appearance on the MLB mound, turning in a scoreless frame.

It seems that Kinsler is already preparing for the next chapter in his personal and professional life. MLBTR congratulates him on an outstanding career and extends its best wishes for the future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Hire Bobby Wilson As Double-A Manager

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Former catcher Bobby Wilson signed on with the Rangers organization to manage their Double-A affiliate, per a club announcement. That also indicates that his playing career is coming to a close.

Wilson, 36, appeared in parts of ten MLB seasons but just passed the threshold of one thousand career plate appearances. He was only a .203/.258/.304 hitter in the majors … which only serves to amplify the degree to which he was regarded for his work as a backstop.

It was once an annual tradition around these parts to cover the many minor moves involving Wilson. Those days are over. But he’s likely to return to MLBTR’s pages before long as a managerial or coaching candidate in the majors. Wilson has long been posited as a future skipper and will launch right into that career path now that his playing career is over.

Upon breaking into the bigs in 2008 with the Angels, Wilson kicked off a five-year run in which he appeared consistently with one team. He went on a journeyman run thereafter, spending time in the majors with the Rangers, Rays, Tigers, Twins, and Diamondbacks in addition to minor-league stints with the Yankees and Dodgers.

Steve Pearce “Unofficially Retired”

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Hard-hitting utilityman Steve Pearce appears to be putting the wraps on his playing days. He tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he’s “unofficially retired” from baseball.

Pearce surpassed ten years of MLB service last year, as Bradford notes. That entitles him to a full pension, an achievement that once seemed exceptionally unlikely. An eighth-round pick in 2005, Pearce made it to the majors with the Pirates and appeared briefly with the Bucs in five major league campaigns. But he departed the organization with little fanfare and struggled to find a new home elsewhere.

Through 2012, Pearce had managed just 709 MLB plate appearances of 82 OPS+ hitting in stints with four clubs. He showed a bit of life in a 44-game sample in his age-30 season, but still ended up being designated for assignment early in the ensuing campaign.

That’s when Pearce morphed from a little-known 4-A player to a sudden star hitter. He made the unusual decision to reject a late-April claim in order to return to the O’s after the DFA. And then he raked. Pearce finished the 2014 campaign with a .293/.373/.556 batting line and 21 home runs over 383 plate appearances.

Pearce ultimately appeared in 13 MLB campaigns, logging 2,555 plate appearances of .254/.332/.440 hitting. There were some peaks and valleys, and quite a few injury layoffs, along the way. He never once reached 400 plate appearances in a given season. But Pearce will finish off his career having produced solidly above-average offensive numbers.

Never regarded much for his glovework, Pearce nevertheless proved capable of stepping in all over the diamond, allowing teams to shoehorn his bat into the lineup. He saw action at first base, left field, right field, second base, and third base (in that order of frequency).

When he wasn’t working back to health or going through a rough patch, Pearce provided big output at times for the Orioles, Rays, Blue Jays, and Red Sox. He also appeared earlier in his career with the Yankees, making him the rare player to have donned every uniform in a single division. Pearce will no doubt be remembered most in the long haul for his indelible mark on Boston sports history, as his three-homer output in the 2018 World Series earned him an MVP award on the game’s biggest stage.

Pearce returned to the Red Sox in 2019 but struggled badly before back and knee injuries wrecked his season. While he isn’t yet ready to file his paperwork, it seems the 36-year-old won’t actively pursue a job this winter. That’s plenty understandable, as he’d no doubt need to earn his way onto a big-league roster on a minor-league deal. Pearce is to be congratulated for persisting through early-career setbacks and frequent health problems. MLBTR wishes him the best in his future endeavors.

Koda Glover Announces Retirement

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In a surprising and saddening development, Nationals reliever Koda Glover has announced that he’s retiring as a player at just 26 years of age. Injuries have ravaged the former eighth-round pick’s promising career and limited him to just 55 1/3 innings since making his Major League debut as a 23-year-old back in 2016.

Glover had Tommy John surgery before he was even drafted by the Nationals and has also battled a torn labrum in his hip, repeated back and shoulder troubles and, in 2019, a forearm strain that generated concerns about yet another elbow surgery.

“I write to you all today with great despair, that I will be announcing my retirement from professional baseball,” Glover writes. “I have experienced a number of injuries the past three years and I believe it is time to step away from my playing career. I have loved this game from the moment I took my first steps and I will continue to love it for the rest of my life.” His statement goes on to thank the Nationals organizations, its fans, and the coaches and teammates who’ve impacted him throughout his brief career.

Glover was heralded by managerial legend Dusty Baker as the Nationals’ potential closer of the future, and given his possession of a fastball that averaged better than 96 mph and a wipeout slider, it’s easy to see why Baker wasn’t alone in thinking that. Glover did save eight games for the Nationals in 2017, but injuries never allowed him to reach even 20 innings in a big league season — and they surely contributed to some of his struggles on the mound as well. Glover revealed after the 2016 season that he’d been pitching through a torn labrum in his hip, and he pitched through rotator cuff issues the following year.

Overall, he’ll be forced to step away from the game after pitching 55 1/3 innings with nine saves, a 4.55 ERA and a 42-to-21 K/BB ratio. His retirement will open a spot on the Nationals’ 40-man roster — it’s now at 31 players — and will only further underscore the team’s need for bullpen help. Best wishes to Glover in whatever path he chooses to pursue in his post-playing days.

Padres Hire Ryan Flaherty As Quality Control Coach

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The Padres have hired longtime utilityman Ryan Flaherty as their new quality control coach, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link).  The news would seem to indicate that the 33-year-old Flaherty has decided to retire after eight Major League seasons.

As Olney notes, Flaherty will join Bobby Dickerson and Wayne Kirby as members of San Diego’s coaching staff with ties to Manny Machado.  Dickerson and Kirby were both longtime coaches with the Orioles when Machado played for the club, while Flaherty and Machado are ex-teammates.

Drafted 41st overall by the Cubs in 2008, Flaherty never suited up for the organization, as the Orioles selected him during the 2011 Rule 5 Draft.  He made his big league debut and appeared in 77 games for the O’s the next season, kicking off a six-year stint as as important and versatile member of Baltimore’s bench.

Flaherty was able to play all over the field for the Orioles, spending most of his time at second or third base and posting plus grades (as per UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved) for his career glovework at both positions.  Flaherty also saw significant action at shortstop, first base, and both corner outfield slots, plus he even tossed an inning of mop-up relief work during an August 2016 game.

With only a .215/.284/.345 slash line and 37 home runs over 1474 career plate appearances, Flaherty wasn’t known much for his bat, though he took some nice swings during Baltimore’s playoff runs in 2012 and 2014.  Over those two Octobers, Flaherty posted an .830 OPS and two homers over 36 PA.  Flaherty is the first player born in Maine to ever hit a home run in an MLB postseason game.

Flaherty spent his last two seasons with the Braves in 2018 (reaching the postseason again), and then with the Indians last season, spending much of the year at Triple-A Columbus and appearing in only 14 games with the Tribe.  He’ll hang up his glove after 547 MLB games over eight seasons, and just over $6.71MM in career earnings, as per Baseball Reference.  We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Flaherty on his career and wish him the best as he moves into the coaching ranks.

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