During an appearance Monday on the "Mayor's Office" podcast, Josh Donaldson announced his retirement from the MLB.
While Donaldson's 13-year MLB career started in 2010 with the Oakland A's, his best season came when he won the 2015 AL MVP Award with the Toronto Blue Jays. That year, the third baseman hit 41 home runs and led the American League with 122 runs scored, 123 RBIs and 352 total bases.
The three-time All-Star left the Blue Jays in 2018, then spent time playing for the Guardians, Braves, Twins, Yankees and Brewers. He was ultimately released by the Yankees in August of last season after hitting .142 over 106 at-bats.
In addition to his accolades at the plate, Donaldson has been known for his outspoken personality — which is epitomized by this viral clip of him telling 10-year-old kids to tell their coach "no" if asked to get on top of the ball, because the MLB doesn't pay players to hit ground balls.
Happy retirement, Josh Donaldson!
His philosophy on hitting will always be hilarious ?pic.twitter.com/3vZpFpBbF6
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 4, 2024
During his "Mayor's Office" podcast appearance, Donaldson explained his wholesome reason for retiring, despite him still thinking at the end of last season that he wanted to play one final year.
"But, being home with the family, getting married — today is a sad but also happy day for me. ... I've dedicated my entire life around [baseball], and my family has," Donaldson said. "It's sad because I won't be able to go out there play the game that I love anymore, but it's also a very happy time that I get to be around my family and kind of take that next chapter in life."
Donaldson also noted that that he married his wife this offseason, after spending seven years and having two children together.
While Donaldson made it clear that he wants to take some time for his family after the retirement announcement, he also left the door open for a potential MLB return in the future — in a coaching capacity.
"Just for the people who have asked me about staying in baseball and wanting to be in baseball, or wanting me to stay in baseball, there will be some opportunities there if I want it," Donaldson said.
"I don't know if that's something I want to do right out of the gate. I think I would like to take a few years off."
So although we'll never see Donaldson at the plate again, perhaps we'll eventually see him coaching the next generation of players to avoid hitting ground balls.
