Josh Willingham retires after 11 seasons
Josh Willingham's first postseason run with the Kansas City Royals will also be his last, as the outfielder announced that he is retiring after 11 seasons in the major leagues.
"After praying on my decision many times and talking to my wife, my father and ex-players who have gone through the same process toward the end of their careers, I have decided to retire,'' Willingham told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
"I felt like it wouldn't be fair to myself, and more importantly to the team that was paying me a lot of money to perform at a high level, if there was a chance my dedication would waver -- particularly as the season got longer. I'm honored to have played for as many years as I have, and I feel even luckier to walk away on my own terms instead of having the decision made for me.''
Selected in the 17th round of the 2000 draft by the Florida Marlins, Willingham's career spanned 1,147 games with five different organizations.
The 35-year-old was most recently acquired by the Kansas City Royals in August and reached the playoffs for the first and only time in his career. The Royals would fall to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the World Series.
Willingham leaves the game with a career .253/.358/.465 slash line to go with 195 home runs and 632 RBIs.