One former Houston Astros champion has officially caught his final pitch.
Veteran MLB catcher Martin Maldonado announced in a post to his Instagram page on Saturday that he is retiring from baseball. Maldonado said that “it’s time to hang them up” and offered his gratitude to the family, teammates, coaches, fans, and others who helped him along his journey.
You can see Maldonado’s full post announcing his retirement here.
Now 39 years old, Maldonado debuted in Major League Baseball in 2011 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He went on to play in 15 MLB seasons in a productive career featuring stints with the Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and San Diego Padres.
Maldonado is most associated with the Houston Astros, whom he had two separate stints with in 2018 and again from 2019-23. He was the starting catcher for the Astros during their World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022.
Also a Gold Glove winner in 2017 with the Angels, Maldonado was best known for his defensive prowess. Though a miserable .203 hitter over his MLB career, Maldonado was regularly regarded as one of the best catchers in the league at calling games, blocking pitches, and throwing out would-be base stealers. He also served as the personal catcher for star pitchers such as Gerrit Cole and Framber Valdez.
But after rating as an overall negative WAR player over the last two seasons combined with the White Sox and the Padres (a span during which he hit just .163), Maldonado has decided to call it quits. He certainly knew how to pack a punch during his MLB career (literally) and will now look ahead to his next chapter in life.
