Kyle Seager, The 'Ranger Killer', Announces Retirement
Kyle Seager, the brother of new Texas Rangers infielder Corey Seager, announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday, ending an 11-year career with the Seattle Mariners.
Seager’s wife, Julie, distributed Kyle Seager’s statement via social media.
‘Today I’m announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball. Thank you to all of my family, friends and fans for following me throughout my career. It’s been a wonderful ride but I am unbelievably excited for the next chapter of my life.’
The statement did not note what that next chapter would be.
Seager’s retirement comes on the heels of a 2021 season in which he set career highs of 35 home runs and 101 RBI, despite hitting just .212. He never made a postseason appearance, as the Mariners have not been to the playoffs since 2001.
Kyle’s younger brother, Corey, signed a Rangers-record $325 million, 10-year contract with the organization in late November, part of a larger spending spree that included signing infielder Marcus Semien, outfielder Kole Calhoun and pitcher Jon Gray. It was a spending spree unprecedented in Rangers history.
It would now appear that Kyle Seager has time to watch his brother play more often.
The 34-year-old played 11 seasons, all with the Mariners, finishing his career with a lifetime .251 batting average, along with 242 home runs and 807 RBI. The Mariners selected Seager in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
His best overall season came in 2014, during which he earned his only berth in the All-Star Game, as he hit .268 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI. He earned his only Gold Glove that season and was 20th in American League MVP voting.
He was also 12th in MVP voting in 2016, when he hit a career-high .278 with 30 home runs and 99 RBI.
Rangers fans will mostly remember Kyle for the way he terrorized the Rangers over his career. In 182 games against the Rangers (tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the most in his career), he posted a .879 OPS—the highest against any AL West opponent—and hit 37 home runs against Texas, more than any other opponent in his career.
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