Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Walter Ibarra against the Arizona State Sun Devils during a spring training baseball game at Salt River Fields on March 3, 2015. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former Dodgers Infielder Retires, Takes Front Office Job

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 4:00 PM ET

As Triple-A teams go, the 2014 Albuquerque Isotopes were a memorable one in the course of Dodgers franchise history.

While the parent club was busy winning the second of its eight consecutive National League West titles, the Isotopes served as a launching pad for many careers — and many more home runs.

Thirty of those homers were hit by Joc Pederson in his final year as a minor leaguer. Yimi Garcia, Miguel Rojas, and a list of rehabbing big leaguers from Carl Crawford to A.J. Ellis all spent time in an Albuquerque uniform. None of them logged more innings on the middle infield than Mexican-born infielder Walter Ibarra.

Remarkably, Ibarra joined Pederson, Garcia, and Rojas among the select few 2014 Isotopes who were still active in professional baseball until last week.

Ibarra, 37, announced his retirement with the Leones de Yucatan of the Mexican Summer League.

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On Saturday the team announced Ibarra, a native of Los Mochis, would remain with the team as an advisor.

Ibarra began his minor league career in 2006 with the New York Yankees, and advanced all the way to Triple-A with them before he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in November 2013.

Ibarra would not last long with the Cubs. After he appeared in just four Cactus League games, going 1 for 2, the Cubs released Ibarra on March 27, 2014. He signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers the next day.

Ibarra split the 2014 season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, but spent the majority of the year (97 of 104 games) at Albuquerque. With the Isotopes, he slashed .269/.301/.346 with five home runs and 32 RBIs in 359 plate appearances.

A glove-first middle infielder without much pop or stolen base ability, Ibarra was blocked at his two primary positions in his only season with the Dodgers: at second base by 2014 All-Star Dee Gordon, and at shortstop by Hanley Ramirez.

In November 2014, Ibarra signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He would appear in 23 games in spring training the following year, going 10-for-29 (.276) and getting his longest look at a major league job to that point in his career.

But Ibarra could not capitalize on his opportunity, or his brief time with the Diamondbacks' Triple-A Reno affiliate (for whom he did not log an at-bat). He returned to Mexico and played the final 10 years of his career for various teams in the Mexican Winter and Summer leagues.