Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia Announces Retirement After 12-Year MLB Career

Jarrod Saltalamacchia has retired from MLB after 12 seasons, the veteran catcher confirmed to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Saltalamacchia cited a desire to spend more time with his family as his rationale for stepping away from the game:

"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!"

The Atlanta Braves selected Saltalamacchia with the 36th overall pick of the 2003 draft. He was with the Braves organization for four-and-a-half years before Atlanta traded him to the Texas Rangers in August 2007 as part of a deal for Mark Teixeira.

Saltalamacchia played for seven different teams: the Braves, Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. His last appearance came on Sept. 29 for the Tigers in a 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

A switch hitter, the 33-year-old was a platoon option for the bulk of his time in MLB. According to Baseball Reference, he had 2,320 plate appearances against right-handers, compared to 871 plate appearances against left-handers.

When facing righties, Saltalamacchia was a solid hitter, posting a .243/.321/.436 slash line. However, southpaws clearly had his number, as he slugged just .336.

Saltalamacchia's best season came in 2013 with the Red Sox, a year that also ended in his only World Series title. He hit 14 home runs while driving in 65 runs and slugging .466, and he ranked eighth among catchers in WAR (3.5), per FanGraphs.

More than anything he did on the field, Saltalamacchia will forever be remembered for something else. At 14 letters, his surname is apparently the longest in MLB history.