Former Padres Infielder Announces Sudden Retirement

“I wanted to take this opportunity on this podcast, here with you, and officially announce my retirement from baseball. I was very fortunate enough to play for some great organizations, and had quite a thrill being able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years, a brief stint with the New York Yankees, and also the San Diego Padres.” Carpenter told former MLB pitcher Scott Linebrink.

Carpenter went on to thank his family, before adding that he’s “excited for what’s next.”

Carpenter slashed a disappointing .176/.322/.319 in 76 games in his lone season in San Diego. A left-handed hitter, Carpenter primarily served as the Padres' DH in a platoon role, but he also saw action at first base.

The Padres ended up trading Carpenter and pitcher Ray Kerr to Atlanta for minor leaguer Drew Campbell in Dec. 2023, but the Braves released him three days later.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who drafted Carpenter out of TCU in 2009 and first promoted him to the big leagues two years later, signed him for one last tour of duty in 2024.

After playing 59 games for the Cards last year, Carpenter did not latch on with a team for this season. He retires with a career batting line of .234/.314/.372, three All-Star Game selections, a Silver Slugger Award, and the 2013 pennant he won with St. Louis.

Carpenter's career peaked with a four-year run from 2013-16 with the Cardinals. In that four-year span he averaged more than 4 WAR per season whil slashing .284/.378/.464 (131 OPS+). He finished fourth in National League MVP voting in 2013, when he led the league in hits (199), doubles (5) and runs scored (126).

Other than a 36-homer season in 2018, he would fail to replicate that clip over the remainder of his career. Carpenter saw action at first base, third base and second base during his career and shuttled among them effectively. He also dabbled in the outfield.

Although Carpenter's time in San Diego was brief, it was his penultimate stop in a 14-year career that saw him amass some impressive numbers: 329 doubles, 28 triples, 179 home runs, 659 RBIs, and 813 runs scored for three different teams.

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