A former SF Giants infielder has decided to hang up his cleats. Longtime infielder Ehire Adrianza took to his Instagram page to announce that he is officially retiring from a pro career that began as a 16-year-old prospect in 2006.
Former SF Giants infielder ends 12-year career, announces retirement
Adrianza filled a challenging role in baseball as a utility infielder. He never amassed more than 366 plate appearances in a season but always found ways to stick on rosters. He was a switch-hitter with good contact skills and the ability to handle multiple positions. That type of profile tends to always be in need.
The Giants originally signed him out of Venezuela as an international free agent in 2006. He was never regarded as a top prospect in the organization. Still, he was considered an excellent defender at shortstop with the ability to do a lot of things right on the baseball field.
Back in the day, I thought Adrianza had emerged as a major prospect after getting a brief call-up to Fresno at the end of 2008 in his age-18 season. This was back when Fresno was still in the Pacific Coast League. He tallied three hits, including a double, in six at-bats during that stretch.
This was before any type of video analysis or statcast data was available. The utility bat debuted for the Giants in 2013. He collected 106 plate appearances in the following season for a Giants team that went on to win the World Series. Though, Adrianza was not on the playoff rosters.
The switch-hitter appeared for the Giants through the 2016 season. He was claimed off of waivers by the Minnesota Twins and remained with the club for the next four years. Adrianza made stops with the Atlanta Braves (2021, 2022 – 2023) and Washington Nationals (2023) before making his final stop with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.
At that time, it looked like the Angels were trying to recreate past Giants teams with so many alumni on the roster. Adrianza did play a role during the Braves’ 2021 championship run. He registered a .728 OPS with five home runs and 28 RBI in 209 plate appearances during the regular season.
The 35-year-old added an impressive milestone with the Angels last season, reaching 10 years of service time in the majors. We at Around the Foghorn would like to congratulate Adrianza on his retirement and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.
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