Once one of Major League Baseball’s best catchers, Russell Martin is retiring from the sport.
Martin, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates, announced his retirement on Saturday via Instagram.
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Martin had a decorated career and generally played well with all four of his teams. He was a four-time All-Star, making the team twice with the Dodgers (2007, 2008), once with the Yankees (2011) and once with the Blue Jays (2015). He also finished in the top-25 in National League MVP voting with the Pirates in 2013 and 2014 and in American League MVP voting with Toronto in 2015. With the Dodgers in 2007, Martin won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards at catcher.
He left an impression on a lot of fans throughout his 14-year career. Following his retirement announcement, some of those fans paid tribute to Martin.
A baller if there ever were one https://t.co/FkOmMI3smk
— Tyler Lennon (@Tyler_Lennon) May 28, 2022
Love this guy. Was the heart and soul of those ‘08 and ‘09 NLCS teams. https://t.co/7lbsREpVF6
— Kyle McCarty (@kylemccarty25) May 28, 2022
Martin was fantastic and I don’t know that he gets enough credit. He was quietly great for what was needed for LAD, NYY, & PIT. https://t.co/xhJsykJnKM
— Set The Tone Podcast (@SetTheTone_Pod) May 28, 2022
Four-time All-Star. He was good https://t.co/RVb5r0X2Su
— Patrick Andres (@PAndres2001) May 28, 2022
While Martin didn’t announce his retirement until Saturday, he has been out of baseball since the end of the 2019 season. In that season, he hit .220/.337/.330 with six home runs in 209 at-bats for the Dodgers as they won the National League West Championship. For his career, Martin hit .248/.349/.397 and had 191 career home runs. Particularly early in his career, Martin had a lot of speed — especially for a catcher. He stole at least 11 bases every year from 2006-2009, stealing a career high 21 in 2007.
[Russell Martin, MLB Trade Rumors]
