On Sunday, 31-year-old catcher Tony Wolters announced he was retiring from Major League Baseball. However, he isn't going far, as he said he was taking a coaching job with the Colorado Rockies organization.
He posted the following on his personal Instagram page:
In 2010 the Guardians believed in a kid from Vista, California. They gave me a shot to take the next step in my playing career, as a professional baseball player. After 6 years in the minors, the Rockies allowed me to walk onto a major league field as a big leaguer. That dream, that at times felt unattainable, became a reality that I will truly never forget. There have been countless moments in my career that have been etched in my memory, as if they happened just yesterday.
Those moments will be experiences that I will never take for granted and still wonder how I became so lucky to be apart of them. Today, after 13 years of being a professional baseball player, I have made the decision to retire from the sport that gave me so many incredible experiences. I feel an immense amount of gratitude towards the game and all the people that it brought into my life.
Thank you to everyone who has been apart of this journey- family, friends, my agent, organizations, coaches, trainers, teammates, members of the media, and everyone who had allowed me the opportunity to live out a dream.
To my wife- wow, look what we did. We built a life together on this unpredictable journey. You are the glue that made it all possible, the rock of our family, my strength and biggest supporter. I love you.
To my daughter, you are my greatest achievement. I thank God, everyday, that I was chosen to be your father. I can’t wait to continue to watch you grow up, right by your side, and witness you chase your own dreams.
Although I won’t be playing on the field anymore, I am excited to announce that I have accepted a coaching position with the Colorado Rockies. I hope that in this role, I will be able to be apart of someone else’s journey to realize their dream.
All in all, Wolters spent six years in the big leagues with the Rockies, Cubs and Dodgers. He played in a career-high 121 games during the 2019 season and was a lifetime .235 hitter with seven homers. His best overall season was that 2019 campaign when he hit .262 and had 42 RBI.
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