Longtime MLB Shortstop Retires After 11 Seasons

A veteran MLB player calling it a career. Veteran shortstop Andrelton Simmons announced his retirement from baseball on Tuesday. Jared Tims of Talkin Halos confirmed the news on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Simmons was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2012 and played in 49 games. Simmons had a breakout year in 2013, hitting 17 home runs with 59 RBIs. He won his first Gold Glove and finished 14th in National League MVP voting. Simmons won another Gold Glove Award in 2014 and played his final season with the Braves in 2015. 

Former Braves SS Andrelton Simmons has reportedly retired from baseball.@Andrelton is one of my all-time favorites and the best defensive player I've ever seen on the diamond.

Congratulations a great career, Simba! pic.twitter.com/dTnXUouooy

— GSN (@GASportsNow) December 27, 2023

In November 2015, Simmons was traded to the Los Angeles Angels and spent five seasons with the team. During his time in Los Angeles, Simmons won two Gold Gloves (2017 and 2018) and finished eighth in MVP voting in 2017. Simmons spent the 2021 season with the Minnesota Twins and the 2022 season with the Chicago Cubs. In October, Simmons was drafted by the Mimbai Cobras of Baseball United, a league based in the Middle East and South Asia. 

In 2021, Simmons spoke to the Orange County Register about battling depression, leading to him sitting out for the final week of the 2020 MLB season. "It was tough for me mentally to where the thought of suicide crossed my mind," he said, per PEOPLE. "It was something I vowed a long time ago I would never consider again. I was fortunate to talk to a therapist, which helped me let go of those thoughts. At the end when a lot of people were still going through what most would think of as tough times, the idea of finishing the season in a bubble was too much for me to handle,"

Simmons went on to talk about how the world outside of baseball weighed heavy on his mental health. "First time was driving through Oakland and seeing some of the shops and restaurants trying to stay open with all the homeless people camping outside," he said. "That's when it really hit me." 

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