MLB All-Star Tim Anderson announces retirement after ten seasons

Two-time All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Monday after 10 years in the league.

Anderson, 33, spent the first eight years of his career with the Chicago White Sox after the team selected him 17th overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. 

"The game brought a lot of good moments but also brought a lot of pain," said Anderson during a call with reporters. "Throughout playing, there definitely were a lot of dark moments. I lost a lot of people. It got to the point where I really couldn't enjoy being in that setting. It just wasn't the same."

"Even as I sit here and try to have an open conversation to be more calm and comfortable to talk about baseball, it's not really there no more. I still love the game, but it has just brought too much pain to me, so going back to play is probably not for me right now."

Three years later, the Alabama native made an impact immediately during his rookie season. Anderson finished 2016 slashing .283/.306/.432 with nine home runs, 30 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 99 games, finishing seventh in American League Rookie of the Year voting. 

While his slash line went down in 2017, his home runs (17) and RBI (56) totals hit new peaks after playing in 146 games. The following year, Anderson set new career highs in homers (20), RBI (64), and stolen bases (26) - numbers he'd never reach again in his career.

Despite those numbers dropping, Anderson broke out in 2019 when he won the Batting Title after leading the entire league with a .335 batting average, still paired with 18 homers, 56 RBI, and 17 stolen bases with an .865 OPS.

He became just the third player in White Sox history to win the award and the first since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas did it in 1997. 

"I'm getting emotional now because we're talking about something that I worked my whole life to get there," said Anderson.

"Nobody knows what I sacrificed and what the body felt every day, what I was leaving at home from my kids to my wife, through some of the decisions I made. I still kept going, and I had my moments where it bothered me.

"But I couldn't show it, and it got to a point where it started showing out loud and I couldn't control it."

Anderson would continue to find his stride, hitting above .300 in the next few years, earning three straight All-Star selections, including his lone Silver Slugger in 2020. 

It wasn't until 2023 that Anderson's career would nosedive significantly. Anderson finished the 2023 season with just one home run in 123 games, a career low, and finished with a .245 batting average, the second lowest he had hit since his second year (.240). 

And that was the year of his iconic fight with Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez. 

During the offseason, Anderson went on to sign a one-year, $5 million deal with the Miami Marlins for the 2024 season before moving on to the Angels on a minor league deal in his 10th and final season. 

Anderson came out of those two seasons without a single home run and a combined 12 RBI in 96 games, never hitting above .215. 

The veteran was one of the most watchable players during his time for his colorful personality that he brought to the game. 

"I'm kind of happier, waking up and being able to be around my kids and really living a real life, because life is bigger than trying to make people happier with a bat and a ball."

Arguably the best moment of his career was the memorable walk-off during the Field of Dreams matchup four years ago against the New York Yankees.