Longtime Angels Shortstop Announces Retirement From MLB
Former Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. Jared Tims of TalkinHalos reported the news on X/Twitter.
Simmons, 34, is retiring after an 11-year career in the Majors. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft. In 2012, he made his MLB debut, appearing in 49 games.
Simmons burst onto the scene in 2013, winning a Gold Glove award and even finishing 14th in National League MVP voting. He won another Gold Glove in 2014, and finished 2015 with the Braves.
Then, in the 2015-16 offseason, the Braves traded Simmons to the Angels for Erick Aybar, Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis. The trade was an unequivocal win for the Halos.
Newcomb compiled 4 Wins Above Replacement in his six seasons in Atlanta. Aybar was a replacement-level backup infielder during his only season with the Braves. Ellis was traded to St. Louis a year later, where he made his major league debut.
Simmons had a dominant first season with the Halos, winning a Gold Glove award and finishing eighth in the American League MVP voting, the highest of his career. He then had another great year in 2017, winning his fourth and final Gold Glove. In five years in Anaheim, Simmons averaged 4 WAR per season.
After reaching free agency after the 2020 season, Simmons finished his playing with the Minnesota Twins in 2021 and the Chicago Cubs in 2022.
Simmons was a career .263 hitter with 70 home runs and 444 runs batted in. He was known for his defense, as one of the premier shortstop defenders during his 11-year career.
His best offensive seasons did come with the Halos, though, as he slashed .281/.328/.394 with 37 home runs and 238 RBIs across his five years in Anaheim.
