Mitch Garver Retires

The Twins selected Garver in the ninth round of the 2013 draft out of the University of New Mexico. He hit well in the minors but there was skepticism about whether or not he had the defensive chops to stick at catcher. By the end of 2016, the Twins were optimistic enough that they gave him a 40-man roster spot to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

He made his debut in 2017 but didn’t hit much, slashing .196/.288/.348 with no home runs in 52 plate appearances. He showed more life the following season, hitting seven home runs and putting up a solid .268/.335/.414 line.

A true breakout arrived in 2019. Garver only played in 93 games and stepped to the plate just 359 times but that was still enough for him to launch 31 home runs as part of Minnesota’s “Bomba Squad”. That 2019 campaign is now famous for its juiced balls, with many home run records set across the league, but Garver’s huge .273/.365/.630 line was still 55% better than league average by measure of wRC+. Garver’s defense wasn’t lauded as highly as his offense, but considering catchers usually have lesser offensive production than other hitters, his big bat was a clear asset.

2020 was a struggle. Garver missed time due to an intercostal strain and only played 23 of the club’s 60 games in that shortened season, hitting poorly along the way. In 2021, he was again limited by injuries but at least performed well when on the field. He hit 13 home runs in 243 plate appearances, leading to a .256/.358/.517 line and 139 wRC+.

The emergence of Ryan Jeffers allowed the Twins to put Mitch Garver on the trade block before the 2022 season. He was flipped to the Rangers for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ronny Henriquez. The next day, Kiner-Falefa was traded to the Yankees alongside Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt in exchange for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela.

Garver’s first year in Texas wasn’t a huge success. He was on and off the injured list and required flexor tendon surgery in July after only playing 54 games. He got back on track in 2023, despite a lengthy absence for a knee sprain, which was excellent timing. He hit 19 home runs over 344 plate appearances and drew walks at a 12.8% clip. His .270/.370/.500 line translated to a 142 wRC+. Texas made the playoffs and Garver hit another three home runs in the postseason, helping the Rangers win their first title in franchise history.

He went into free agency on the heels of that championship. The Mariners gave him a two-year, $24MM to serve as a bat-first backup to Cal Raleigh and part-time designated hitter. That pact didn’t work out, as Garver hit .187/.290/.341 over those two seasons. Considering his subpar defense, that decreased offensive production sapped his value. Seattle brought him back on a minor league deal and he cracked the Opening Day roster in 2026 but he was released in August after hitting .175/.302/.294 in 149 plate appearances. He was briefly with the Yankees on a minor league deal after that.

After three straight tough years, Garver has decided to hang up his spikes. He retires with 702 games played and 2,498 plate appearances. He collected 497 hits, 110 of those being home runs. He scored 301 runs and drove in 324. He hit a combined .229/.325/.432. FanGraphs credited him with eight wins above replacement and Baseball Reference 10.1. B-Ref pegs his total earnings just under $35MM. MLBTR salutes Garver on his career and wishes him the best with whatever comes next.

Photos courtesy of Jordan Johnson, Jerome Miron, Imagn Images