Wil Myers has determined to name it a profession after 11 huge league seasons, the longtime Padres first baseman/outfielder instructed MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. Whereas Myers careworn that he wouldn’t ever “formally” retire, he made his resolution in June 2023 after he’d been launched by the Reds and was coping with some shoulder issues.
“I had an incredible profession. I liked what I did. I made lots of nice associates. I’ve no regrets,” Myers stated. “For those who had instructed me the day I used to be drafted that this may be your profession, I’d’ve taken it in a heartbeat. I liked what I did, and now it’s simply form of onto the subsequent chapter of life.”
Myers, who only recently turned 34, will dangle up his glove after an excellent 1100 profession video games with the Rays, Padres, and Reds from 2013-23. Myers hit .252/.326/.437 with 156 residence runs over 4290 plate appearances, good for a 107 wRC+ throughout his time within the Present. He spent nearly all of his time within the area as a primary baseman and proper fielder, but additionally with an enormous chunk of time on the different two outfield positions and a while at third base (primarily in 2018, when the Padres had a number of first base/outfield varieties they had been attempting to suit into the lineup).
A 3rd-round decide for the Royals within the 2009 draft, Myers rapidly turned certainly one of baseball’s most highly-touted prospects, and made headlines earlier than his MLB profession even started because of his involvement in a blockbuster commerce. In December 2012, the Royals despatched Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and third-base prospect Patrick Leonard to Tampa Bay in alternate for James Shields, Wade Davis, and Elliot Johnson. Kansas Metropolis’s farm system was seen as deep sufficient that it may afford to maneuver even a high prospect like Myers in alternate for win-now assist, and the choice paid off — Okay.C. gained the AL pennant in each 2014 and 2015, and Davis was one of many reduction aces of the Royals’ 2015 World Collection title group.
For the Rays, the deal paid some fast dividends, as Myers gained AL Rookie of the 12 months honors in 2013 on the power of 13 homers and a .293/.354/.478 slash line over 373 plate appearances. Nonetheless, Myers then battled wrist accidents and the sophomore hunch in 2014, resulting in his involvement in an excellent larger commerce. The Rays, Padres, and Nationals mixed on a mammoth three-team, 11-player deal that’s maybe greatest remembered right now because the swap that introduced Trea Turner to Washington (and thus setting the desk for the Nats’ 2019 World Collection championship).
From Myers’ perspective, the deal kicked off an eight-year run in San Diego that was general successful, albeit with loads of ups and downs. A lot of his time with the Padres is seen by way of the lens of the six-year, $83MM extension he signed previous to the 2017 season, which on the time was the most important contract in San Diego franchise historical past. The large wage inevitably led to greater expectations that Myers didn’t totally fulfill, as accidents and a propensity for strikeouts restricted Myers’ manufacturing.
That stated, Myers nonetheless had loads of notable performances over the size of the deal. Myers was an All-Star in 2016, hit 30 homers throughout the 2017 season, and was top-of-the-line hitters in baseball throughout the pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign. That 2020 marketing campaign was significantly notable because the Padres earned a wild card berth, marking San Diego’s first postseason look since 2006 and the official finish of the group’s prolonged rebuild. Paradoxically, Myers’ contract made him tough to commerce amidst the Padres’ different cost-cutting strikes, and in consequence, Myers ended up being “the one participant readily available for everything of the franchise’s turnaround,” Cassavell writes.
Because the 2022 season rolled alongside, Myers turned a part-time participant and was once more hampered by accidents, so it was no shock when the Padres declined their $20MM membership choice on Myers’ providers for the 2023 season. A free agent for the primary time in his profession, Myers landed in Cincinnati on a one-year deal value $7.5MM in assured cash, however he hit solely .189/.257/.283 in 141 PA over what is going to find yourself as his remaining season within the majors.
MLBTR congratulates Myers on a wonderful profession and we want him all the most effective in his post-playing endeavors.
