Former Braves second-round pick Andrelton Simmons has officially announced his retirement, according to Jared Tims of TalkinHalos.
The 2010 second-round pick had a career that spanned 11 seasons with four clubs but started in Atlanta.
After two years in the minor league system, Simmons made his MLB debut in 2012, appearing in 49 games. In his first full season, Simmons finished 14th in the NL MVP voting and earned the first of four Gold Gloves, notching another one the following season in 2014.
He was known as a premier defensive shortstop and was supposed to kick off the Braves rebuild. Simmons headlined a trade that sent him to Los Angeles in exchange for Erick Aybar, Sean Newcomb, and Chris Ellis. The Angels certainly got the better of the Braves in this deal.
Newcomb never really put it all together as many had hoped and only accursed 4 WAR over six seasons in Atlanta. Aybar was a backup infielder in his only season with the club, and Ellis was traded before he made his major league debut.
On the other hand, Simmons would have five great seasons with the Halos, winning two more Gold Gloves and finishing eighth and 15th in the AL MVP voting in 2017 and 2018. In five years in Anaheim, Simmons averaged 4 WAR per season.
He reached free agency after the 2020 season and finished his career with the Twins in 2021 and the Cubs in 2022. The 34-year-old Simmons was a career .263 hitter with 70 home runs and 444 runs batted in.
Congratulations on an excellent career Andrelton Simmons.
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