Former Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia announces retirement

On Monday it was reported that former Red Sox catcher and 2013 World Series champion Jarrod Saltalamacchia will hang up his mitt.

As reported by Ken Rosenthal on Monday, Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be retiring after a 12-year career in the majors. He spent his career with seven different clubs with the highlight being a World Series ring in 2013 with the Red Sox. Salty saw his playing time drastically reduce in recent seasons having only played in 15 games between 2017/18.

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After his tenure with the Red Sox concluded he would bounce between clubs at both the major league and minor league levels. Not only was 2013 memorable for Jarrod and the Red Sox for their World Series win, but it would also prove to be the best statistical year of his career. He saw career highs in BA (.273), OBP (.338), SLG (.466), and OPS (.804). He would also tie his career high for games played in a season at 121.

Saltalamacchia may not go down as one of the greats but he was a key member of that championship-winning squad in 2013. Not only was he the leader of the pitching staff being the everyday catcher for Boston but he also had a walk-off in Game 2 of the ALCS that year. Not a bad season at all for Salty.

With his career winding down over the past few seasons it isn’t much of a surprise to see that Jarrod was ready to retire. After the 2013 campaign, he would sign a deal with the Marlins but would be traded shortly into the contract. He’d then make his way to Arizona, Detroit, and Toronto. Salty would make his way back to Detroit as a late-season call-up in 2018 but didn’t make any noise with his opportunity.

The Red Sox didn’t waste any time in thanking their former catcher and to remind fans of his contributions to the franchise. HIs Game 2 heroics brought Boston one step closer to World Series in 2013 and inevitably their third World Championship in recent history. Not many players in history get to wear a World Series ring, and Jarrod is one of the few that can.

After being drafted in 2003 by the Atlanta Braves, Saltalamacchia puts an end to a 12-year career. Reaching the mountaintop in 2013 will most likely be the highlight of his time in the MLB. I for one would like to thank Jarrod for what he did for the Red Sox during his tenure and would like to congratulate him on a wonderful 12-year career.