Kevin Millwood Retires

After 16 seasons in the major leagues, Kevin Millwood is calling it a career. The 38-year-old cited the standard reasons for retiring (more time with family), leading one to wonder if single people should be forced to work forever, and also mentioned that going out on a high note was important to him.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Indeed, Millwood proved he could still be a useful arm in a big league rotation during the 2012 season, throwing 161 innings of 3.91 FIP baseball for the Mariners. FanGraphs values his final season at an even 2.0 WAR, giving him 49.4 over the course of his career which also included stops with the Braves, Phillies, Indians, Rangers, Orioles, and Rockies.

Despite being something of a journeyman over the latter half of his career, Millwood actually started off looking like he might turn into a perennial all-star and ace. His best season came in 1999 at the tender age of 24 while pitching for Atlanta when he went 18-7 with a 2.68 ERA, a 8.1 K/9 rate, and a league leading 0.996 WHIP over 228 innings of work. He finishes his career with 169 wins and a 4.11 ERA.

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