First baseman Eric Hosmer announced his retirement Wednesday following a 13-year career that included a 2016 All-Star nod, four Gold Gloves, and a 2015 World Series title with the Kansas City Royals.
"My playing days are unfortunately over, which I'm cool with ... but at the same time, I still want to give back. I still want to reach and really lead some of these young guys," Hosmer said on his new podcast "Diggin' Deep." "This is what I'm excited for. ... I want to start a podcast and instilling this winning mentality in guys."
Hosmer, who was also a 2017 Silver Slugger, suited up for the Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs. He finished his career with a .276/.335/.427 slash line with 1,753 hits, 198 homers, and 893 RBIs over 1,689 games.
"You have to be 110% committed and doing what is necessary both physically and mentally to play at the major-league level, and I reached a point where I wasn't there anymore," Hosmer said, according to John Perrotto of The Associated Press. "I'm very satisfied with my career. I feel like I accomplished a lot, was around a lot of great people and have a lot of good stories to tell."
The 34-year-old signed an eight-year, $144-million contract with the Padres in February 2018 after seven seasons with the Royals. He ended up playing five campaigns with San Diego.
