Former All-Star Jose Reyes, known mostly for his time with the Mets, has officially announced his retirement from baseball. The 37-year-old did so on Twitter, as things generally seem to happen these days.
After 16 great MLB seasons I'm officially announcing my retirement from baseball.
As a young boy growing up in the Dominican republic, I could have never dreamed of achieving all that I have through this incredible game. I want to thank God for all my blessings.
No man can achieve success alone and with that in mind I have many that I would like to thank starting with my mom and dad. They've been there for me for all the ups and downs, the good and the bad and I will always consider myself blessed for their support and love.
I want to thank the New York Mets for giving me the opportunity to become a professional baseball player and for bringing me back at the end of my playing career. I want to also thank the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays organizations as well as all my teammates through the years.
Mets fans, what can I say? We never got the ring we hoped we would get, but I can't imagine playing in front of any better fans in the whole world. Your passion and energy always lifted me higher and for that I will always be grateful. I want to also think the fans in Miami and Toronto too, as well as all my fans around the world.
Reyes didn't play last season and hit .189/.260/.320 in 2018, so this is a bit of a forced retirement situation.
At his peak, Reyes was one of the better players in baseball. A star shortstop, he was a four-time All-Star who received MVP votes in five seasons, finishing as high as seventh. He won the NL batting title in 2011 and signed a nine-figure deal with the Marlins the following offseason. He was then traded to the Blue Jays when the Marlins unloaded. Later, Reyes also played for the Rockies before bouncing back to the Mets to conclude his career.
In all, Reyes hit .283/.334/.427, good for a 103 OPS+. He collected 2,183 hits, including 387 doubles, 131 triples and 145 homers. He stole 517 bases, which is good for 33rd all-time. He scored 1,180 runs and drove home 719.
The 37.2 WAR is good for a tidy 50th among shortstops in history.
Reyes' story isn't complete, however, without pointing out he was suspended by Major League Baseball for 51 games in 2016 for violating the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.
Inevitably, when a player of Reyes' ilk retires, the next discussion is the Hall of Fame. He's short of the standard. The only possible case would be leaning heavily on hits and stolen bases, but he's lacking everywhere else. His top statistical similars are Al Dark, Dick Bartell, Edgar Renteria and Tony Fernandez. Team that with the domestic violence suspension and the guess is he'll be at either zero votes or getting a few token votes from reporters who liked him in the clubhouse and don't want to see him shut out.
