David Freese announces retirement from MLB

Dodgers infielder David Freese announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Saturday. The veteran infielder wrapped up his 11th and final season in the majors following the club’s elimination from the NLDS on Wednesday.

In a lengthy Twitter post, Freese thanked each of his five former teams, as well as those who have supported his career over the last decade:

Family, friends, teammates, coaches, and fans that handed out support especially when your lives were already full, you helped more than you know. Padres, Cardinals, Angels, Pirates, and Dodgers. You took a 23-year-old kid out of college and pushed him to 36. Can’t thank you enough for that. Needed it. Will never stop thinking about the days I got to be around such wonderful people playing this game. As I move forward with the next phase of my life, I am forever grateful to all of you and the game of baseball.

Freese began his major-league career with the Cardinals back in 2009 and played out a five-year track in St. Louis that included his first (and only) All-Star designation and two postseason MVP distinctions for his performance during the club’s electric championship run in 2011. Following that 2011 World Series win -- and several unsuccessful postseason runs in subsequent seasons -- Freese took short-lived gigs with the Angels, Pirates, and Dodgers, working his way up to a lifetime .277/.351/.423 batting line with 113 home runs, a .775 OPS, and 19.2 fWAR.