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Aubrey Huff retires after 13 major league seasons
Following a thirteen-year major league career spent with five different clubs, Aubrey Huff is ready to hang up the cleats and move into a career in broadcasting, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish.
Huff, 37, last played with the San Francisco Giants in 2012, where he hit .192 with one homer and seven RBIs in just 52 games. His season was also marred by mental health issues, including panic attacks that forced him away from the team in April. He later returned after seeking treatment, but was soon hampered by a left knee injury suffered while celebrating Matt Cain's perfect game.
Citing improved physical and mental health, Huff attempted to find a job last spring but soon realized there were no major league offers on the table. At one point he stated he was “pretty much retired” and content spending time at home with his family. Now his retirement is official.
"I'm officially done. I have no desire to play anymore," Huff told Cotillo on Saturday. "That has come and gone. I couldn't even imagine picking up a bat and trying to get ready for the whole grind of a baseball season anymore. I'm enjoying this way too much, just hanging out."
Though Huff never made an all-star team and won only a single Silver Slugger award back in 2008, his career would have to be considered highly productive. In 1,681 games, Huff posted a .278 average with 242 HR and 904 RBI. If you want to look beyond his batting average and counting numbers, then his .806 career OPS and 114 OPS+ certainly suggest he was a good use of a roster spot. That's especially true in the American League where Huff's defensive flaws could be hidden as a designated hitter.
Huff spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays (2000-06) Houston Astros (2006), Baltimore Orioles (2007-09) and Detroit Tigers (2009) before wrapping up with the Giants (2010-12), where he would win two World Series championships.
"Really just for me, those two World Series we won in San Francisco are the one thing," Huff said. "I had been in dead last my whole career as far as being with the Rays for six years and Orioles for three, those were my only two stretches where I was with a team for that long. Obviously there were some stops in Houston and Detroit, but those didn't work out too well. Having the first time being able to make the playoffs after always being dead last, and to win two World Series in my last three years in the big leagues, that definitely made my career."
Of course, he was a much bigger contributor during their remarkable 2010 run. During the regular season, Huff was a huge part of their offense hitting .290 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs. In the postseason, he hit .268 with his lone home run coming in San Francisco’s 4-0 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the World Series.
But it wasn't just his production on the field. Huff was viewed as a veteran leader in the clubhouse and a great teammate. One that the other, younger Giants were ecstatic to help win a ring.
With those memories established and his playing career behind him, Huff is ready for the next chapter in his life. In the short-term, that means a career in broadcasting. Huff recently accepted a position with the Pac-12 Network where he will spend February and beyond calling college baseball games. Huff says there's still a possibility he'll pursue coaching down the road, but for now he sounds very content to be removed from the grind and surrounded by loved ones.
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is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
