On Sports Spectrum’s Get In The Game podcast this morning, veteran infielder Matt Carpenter made his retirement announcement (via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
“I wanted to take this opportunity on this podcast, here with you, and officially announce my retirement from baseball. I was very fortunate enough to play for some great organizations, and had quite a thrill being able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years, a brief stint with the New York Yankees, and also the San Diego Padres.” Carpenter told former MLB pitcher Scott Linebrink. Carpenter went on to thank his family, before adding that he’s “excited for what’s next.”
As recently as this past September, Carpenter, a 14-season MLB veteran, expressed interest in extending his career in 2025. That came after a season with the Cardinals in which he struggled with injuries and struck out at a rate of 32.5%, but he managed to put up an average 95 wRC+ in 157 plate appearances while playing a part-time role. Carpenter’s output was sufficient to make him a reliable bench piece, but given the Cardinals’ efforts to give young players more chances this season, a reunion between the 39-year-old and his former team was obviously out of the question.
After being selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 2009 draft, Carpenter played in St. Louis for 12 of his 14 seasons in the major leagues. His career started in earnest during his 2012 campaign, but he only made it to the major leagues for a seven-game cup of coffee two years later. That year, Carpenter, a rookie at age 26, started hitting in the majors nearly immediately.In 114 games that season, he split time between first base, second base, third base, and both outfield corners, hitting an outstanding.294/.365/.463. Even though Carpenter had not yet produced the kind of power he would later in his career—clubbing just six home runs in 340 trips to the plate—that display of versatility was sufficient to earn him a sixth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting.
