Baseball Guru
07-27-2002, 06:29 AM
By Associated Press
July 26, 2002, 8:27 PM EDT
MINNEAPOLIS -- Toronto Blue Jays catcher Darrin Fletcher, who played 14 seasons in the major leagues, abruptly announced his retirement Friday.
Fletcher, 35, notified general manager J.P. Ricciardi of his decision by phone. Fletcher was not with the team in Minnesota.
"We know that this was a tough decision for Darrin, but he felt it was in the best decision for himself, his family and the club," Ricciardi said.
Fletcher was hitting .220 with three homers and 22 RBIs in just 45 games this season. He was on the disabled list in May with a sprained right ankle and has since shared the catcher role with Ken Huckaby, Josh Phelps and Tom Wilson.
Fletcher broke into the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989. He played for Philadelphia from 1990-91 before spending the next six seasons with the Montreal Expos.
He signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent in 1999, and had his most productive season in 2000, when he hit .320 with 20 home runs in 122 games.
In 1,245 career games, he hit .269 with 124 home runs and 583 RBIs.
Fletcher's father, Tom, was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and his grandfather, Glen, played 11 years with the Boston Red Sox organization.
Fletcher and his wife, Sheila, have a 9-year-old son, Casey, and a 5-year-old daughter, Preslie.
The Blue Jays recalled outfielder Pedro Swann from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Fletcher's spot.
July 26, 2002, 8:27 PM EDT
MINNEAPOLIS -- Toronto Blue Jays catcher Darrin Fletcher, who played 14 seasons in the major leagues, abruptly announced his retirement Friday.
Fletcher, 35, notified general manager J.P. Ricciardi of his decision by phone. Fletcher was not with the team in Minnesota.
"We know that this was a tough decision for Darrin, but he felt it was in the best decision for himself, his family and the club," Ricciardi said.
Fletcher was hitting .220 with three homers and 22 RBIs in just 45 games this season. He was on the disabled list in May with a sprained right ankle and has since shared the catcher role with Ken Huckaby, Josh Phelps and Tom Wilson.
Fletcher broke into the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989. He played for Philadelphia from 1990-91 before spending the next six seasons with the Montreal Expos.
He signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent in 1999, and had his most productive season in 2000, when he hit .320 with 20 home runs in 122 games.
In 1,245 career games, he hit .269 with 124 home runs and 583 RBIs.
Fletcher's father, Tom, was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and his grandfather, Glen, played 11 years with the Boston Red Sox organization.
Fletcher and his wife, Sheila, have a 9-year-old son, Casey, and a 5-year-old daughter, Preslie.
The Blue Jays recalled outfielder Pedro Swann from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Fletcher's spot.