After 15 Major League seasons, Martin Maldonado quits baseball. The 39-year-old catcher made the official announcement today via his Instagram pagethanking his family, fans, teammates, coaches and many others who helped him make his dream come true.
“Baseball, I was only four years old when I fell in love with you,” Maldonado said in his statement. “From the moment I first put on that catcher’s gear, I knew this game would be a part of me forever. Every inning, every pitch, every moment behind the plate has been a blessing. For 34 years I’ve had the honor of wearing that gear – and the last fifteen years at the highest level. Today it’s time to hang it up and officially call it a career.”
The epitome of a glove-first catcher, Maldonado will retire with a career .203/.277/.343 slash line and 119 home runs over 4,028 plate appearances and 1,230 games in the majors. Despite modest offensive output, Maldonado carved out a long career thanks to his defensive and game-calling prowess. Maldonado was known for his ability to work with pitchers, whether they were young players just arriving in the major leagues or experienced pitchers who were stuck in their routines.
This skill earned Maldonado regular work on one of baseball’s most successful teams in recent years, when he played parts of the 2018-2023 seasons with the Astros. Initially a deadline pick for Houston in 2018, Maldonado left for a free agent deal with the Royals that winter, but was re-acquired by the Astros at the 2019 trade deadline. The Astros then signed Maldonado to a two-year contract that winter, with another extension in April 2021 that ultimately added another two years to Maldonado’s time in Houston once he played enough in 2021 to activate a vesting option.
With plenty of pop elsewhere in the lineup, the Astros liked to focus on defense at the catcher position, with other backstops like Jason Castro, Garrett Stubbs, Christian Vazquez, and eventual heir to the throne Yainer Diaz all spending time with Maldonado behind the plate. Maldonado’s tenure in Houston was highlighted by a championship ring in 2022 when the Astros captured the World Series.
Maldonado, a 27th-round pick of the Angels in the 2004 draft, didn’t make his MLB debut until he played in three games with the Brewers in 2011. That cup of coffee marked Maldonado’s first of six seasons in a Milwaukee uniform, complementing regular catcher Jonathan Lucroy. The Brewers dealt Maldonado to the Angels in December 2016, and in the 2017 season, Maldonado earned starting catcher duties and won the only Gold Glove of his career.
Maldonado went from the highs of the Astros’ ongoing struggles to the lows of playing with the 121-loss White Sox in 2024, though the Sox released Maldonado in July of that year as the team moved on to younger options. He signed a minor league contract with the Padres last winter and hit .204/.245/.327 in 161 PA and 64 MLB games in what would ultimately be his final season in the Show. The Padres designated Maldonado for assignment and released him in August, but re-signed him to a minor league deal in September. Maldonado even got another taste of the playoffs when the Padres activated him as a backup in their wild-card series against the Cubs, although Maldonado did not play during the three-game series.
Maldonado’s defensive attributes have fluctuated from year to year, but at various points in his career he was one of baseball’s best players at framing pitchers, blocking throws in the ground, and throwing out runners. In the latter category, Maldonado threw out 188 of 663 runners (28.36%) attempting to steal. Maldonado finishes his career with +17 in Fielding Run Value and with +57 Defensive Runs Saved.
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