Ross Stripling, a nine-year MLB veteran and former Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star, announced his retirement from baseball on social media Monday morning.
The Dodgers, who took the 35-year-old right-handed pitcher out of Texas A&M in the fifth round (No. 176 overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft, were his team for the most of his career.
Over the following four years, he advanced through the Dodgers’ organization until making his main league debut in 2016 as a part of Los Angeles’ Opening Day rotation.
Before being dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020, Stripling played portions of five major league seasons with the Dodgers. Before agreeing to one-year contracts with the Oakland Athletics in 2024 and the San Francisco Giants in 2023, he spent portions of three seasons with the Jays.
Former Dodgers All-Star Ross Stripling known for botched Angels trade announces retirement
Stripling worked for the Dodgers for over 400 innings as a starter and reliever, pitching to a 3.68 ERA. He made three appearances in the 2017 World Series while pitching for Los Angeles in the playoffs in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
Stripling was a valuable swing man during his time in Los Angeles. His best season with the Dodgers came in 2018, when he pitched to an 8-6 record and a 3.02 ERA over 122 innings en route to his first and only MLB All-Star nod.
Stripling’s time in Los Angeles ended rather abruptly in 2020 after a string of injuries sent his ERA skyrocketing above 5.00 for the first time in his career. According to reports, the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels were set to trade for Stripling in February of that year, but the deal was eventually canceled.
In the rumored deal, infielder Luis Rengifo and two minor leaguers would have been sent to the Angels in exchange for Stripling, outfielder Joc Pederson, and then-prospect Andy Pages. Later that year, the Dodgers traded Stripling to the Blue Jays.
With a 40-54 record at the end of his major league career, Stripling has pitched 846 1/3 innings in 248 games, including 129 starts, with a 4.17 ERA and 1.245 WHIP.
