Jarrod Saltalamacchia has retired from baseball at the age of 33.
Saltalamacchia was a first round oick of thr Braves before being sent to the Rangers in a lopsided trade that included Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison and Naftale Feliz for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay.
He later found his way to the Red Sox, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays before finishing up with a stint with the Tigers for a second time.
“First off I want to say THANK YOU to the good Lord for the blessings he has blessed me with! Thank you to the Braves organization for believing in me enough to draft me in the 1st round out of high school. Thank you to Mr. Schuerholz and Mr. Cox for believing in me and making a young kids dream come true and helping me join an elite group of people and becoming a big league player!
“Thank you to the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays for giving me the opportunity to pull into a big league park, put on the uniform and compete for a World Series! As a kid that was my dream! Not just make it to the big leagues but be a part of the last team standing!
“I want to especially Thank Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington and ownership of the Boston Red Sox for believing in me so much that they brought me over to fill the shoes of my childhood idol and mentor Jason Varitek! I can tell you playing beside him and putting on the Red Sox jersey and playing the position of Red Sox greats like the captain and Carlton Fisk was humbling and an honor!! To win a World Series is one thing but to win it in front of the iconic baseball fans of Boston is truly my most memorable moment!
”Thank you to all the fans in baseball for helping bring out the best player in me day in and day out! I want to thank all of my teammates and coaches that helped me through the daily grind of this game!! That is what I will miss most of all! I gained everlasting friendships in this game that I will continue to cherish. Thank you to the media for always being respectful and professional to me.
”Lastly I want to Thank my family! My parents John and Jeri Saltalamacchia for sacrificing so much to give me every opportunity to make my dreams come true. My brother Justin for always pushing me and making me a better player. My former agent and best friend Jim Munsey for going above and beyond in every aspect of my life to make it easy to focus on the game I love so much. Most importantly and I wouldn’t be where I’m at or who I am today without my wife Ashley and my daughters Sidney, Hunter, Sloane and Charlie! For 16 years they have put their lives on hold and followed me everywhere. They have been my Rock, my biggest fans, my cheering section, my coaches and my voice of reason!
“For that reason it’s time for me to hang up my gear and start the next chapter of my life and start following them around and being there cheering section and enjoy being a part of their lives year round. I have spent 30 years playing this game and it’s all I know so I fully expect to continue to give back to this game that has given me and my family so much. I enjoy spreading the knowledge that every veteran has given me on my 16 year journey so that’s what I plan to do! See you at the ballpark!
God Bless
