Three-time All-Star Carlos Guillen announced his retirement from the game of baseball yesterday. Guillen, who had recently signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners in February, decided to call it quits after continuing to struggle physically this spring. Guillen played 14 years in the majors; six years with the Mariners and eight with the Detroit Tigers.
Guillen made his major league debut with the Mariners in 1998 at the age of 22. Used sparingly over his first two years in the bigs, Guillen went on to play in 90 games for the Mariners in 2000, maintaining an OPS of .720 while splitting time between third base and shortstop.
This performance earned Guillen a chance to become Seattle’s primary shortstop, a position he maintained for the next three seasons. This is where Guillen remained until he was traded to the Tigers in January of ’04.
Guillen’s bat came alive in a big way once he reached Detroit. In his first season with the Tigers, Guillen posted what would be a career-best OPS, hitting at a clip of .320/.368/.434. This earned Guillen his first trip to the All-Star game. Guillen would wind up an All-Star twice more before all was said and done, during the 2007-08 seasons.
2007 marked the final year Guillen saw time at short, and the veteran slowly developed into a glorified utility player. Guillen’s numbers dropped and injuries took their toll. The 36-year-old finished the 2011 season having played in only 28 contests and with a meager .633 OPS.
This caused the Tigers to allow Guillen to walk this offseason. Though it took until February, the veteran was able to sign back on with the Mariners, hoping to win a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster.
But Guillen’s legs weren’t able to hold up for another season, convincing him to hang up his spikes. Over his 14 major league seasons, Guillen posted a line of .285/.355/.443.
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