Kevin Youkilis Announces Retirement After 10-Year MLB Career

Former Major League Baseball All-Star Kevin Youkilis has officially retired after 10 seasons that included two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007.      

According to Pro Star Management, which has represented Youkilis, the three-time All-Star decided to end his career:

One of baseball's best hitters in his prime, Youkilis' career fell off a cliff in a hurry due to injuries. He hit .258/.373/.459 over 120 games in 2011, but slumped to .235/.336/.409 the next year between the Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. 

From 2006 to 2009, Youkilis was masterful with a bat in his hands. He hit .296/.393/.498 with 85 home runs and had the sixth-highest FanGraphs wins above replacement total during that span. 

Joon Lee of Gammons Daily took the numbers a little further, noting that the 2008 season saw Youkilis as one of the AL's five best players:

It's no surprise that Youkilis would end up finishing third in the AL MVP voting that season, behind Boston teammate Dustin Pedroia and Minnesota's Justin Morneau. He also finished sixth on the ballot in 2009. 

After signing with the Yankees in the winter of 2012, Youkilis was looking to have a bounce-back season. Instead, after playing just 28 games, he had back surgery that ended his season. Last offseason, he signed a contract to play in Japan hoping to rebuild his value for a potential MLB comeback. 

Unfortunately, as has been the case for the previous four years, a bout of Plantar fasciitis ended his season in May. He told Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com that he liked the experience of playing in Japan:

"

It was more of just trying to do something unique. It was nice for my family, it was a cool experience. My daughter went to an international school and learned some Japanese. Just doing something so now I can say I tried it and unfortunately my foot just didn’t hold up.

"

While 35 years old is still young enough for some athletes to play, Youkilis' long injury history made it impossible to keep trying. He also cited family reasons for not wanting to play anymore. Moving one's family to another country is a hard thing to do. 

On the field, there were few hitters who could put together a better at-bat than Youkilis when he was at full strength. He developed later than most top players, not arriving in the big leagues until the age of 25, but was a fixture in the middle of Boston's lineup for the 2007 title team. 

It's just too bad injuries had to ruin Youkilis' career before he seemed ready to go. He was a special and unique talent who could beat pitchers with his natural hitting ability, power or working a deep count. 

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