Veteran outfielder Andre Ethier has decided to officially file his retirement papers with Major League Baseball. The announcement came through the Dodgers early Wednesday evening, and the team plans to honor Ethier in Dodger Stadium before their Aug. 3 game against the Astros.
Ethier, 36, spent his entire MLB career with the Dodgers, who acquired him from the A's in 2005 -- roughly six months before his MLB debut -- in a trade that sent Milton Bradley to Oakland.
"I look forward to coming back to Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium, places I'm so lucky to have called home for the last 12 years," Ethier said in a statement. "There's nothing like stepping out on the field at Dodger Stadium and looking up and seeing the faithful Dodger Blue supporting you, and I'm grateful for the reception and support I received in all my years playing there."
In 1,455 regular-season games as a Dodger, Ethier hit .285/.359/.463 (122 OPS+) with 303 doubles, 162 home runs, 687 RBI and 641 runs. Injuries hampered him late in his career, but in his prime he was an excellent performer.
The two-time All-Star won the Silver Slugger and finished sixth in NL MVP voting in 2009, when he had 31 homers, 106 RBI and a 132 OPS+.
Ethier also saw lots of postseason action as well, appearing in 51 playoff games. In 126 career playoff at-bats, Ethier hit five home runs, including a game-tying shot in Game 3 of the 2017 NLCS, helping the Dodgers build an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
No one should be talking Hall of Fame here or anything, but Ethier will appear on the ballot for sure. He had a great career and made over $100 million in the process. Some of his career statistical comparables per Baseball-reference reiterate the great career: Mike Greenwell, Shin-Soo Choo, Brian Jordan, Bobby Higginson and Hideki Matsui, among others.
Kudos to Mr. Ethier.
