David DeJesus hasn’t played an MLB game since 2015, but the veteran outfielder has officially called it a career after 13 seasons.
Longtime MLB outfielder David DeJesus has announced via Twitter that he will retire from the game of baseball. His job this season will be with CSN Chicago, as he will join the studio team for the 2017 season. He will be covering the Chicago Cubs for the network.
I am officially retiring from playing baseball. Im so excited for this next chapter with @CSNChicago covering the Cubs with @thekapman.
— David DeJesus (@David_DeJesus3) March 22, 2017
DeJesus, 37, last played with the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays during the 2015 season. He struggled tremendously in 2015, hitting .233/.297/.330 over 317 plates appearances between the two teams. He also hit five home runs and knocked in 30 RBI. It seems that DeJesus retired to spend more time with his family and because of the lack of interest.
For his career, DeJesus hit .275/.349/.412 over 13 seasons in the major leagues. He played for six different teams, including his longest stay of eight seasons with the Kansas City Royals. He fell one home run short of 100 for his career and drove in 573 runs. His 162-game average was 11 home runs and 63 RBI per season.
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DeJesus debuted in the major leagues on September 2, 2003, and has made an impact for teams ever since. He fell over 500 hits shy of the 2,000 hit mark, finishing his career with 1,434. He was drafted in the fourth round of the of the 2000 MLB draft by the Kansas City Royals. He played his college ball at Rutgers University.
DeJesus played his last game of his career on September 23, 2015, with the Los Angeles Angels. DeJesus finished the 2005 and 2008 season in the top 25 in MLB in batting average, where he hit right around .300. His career high of 101 runs scored in 2007 was good for 13th in the American League during that season. His specialty would be triples, where he finished in the top 10 in the AL six times.
Royals Review ranked DeJesus as the 24th greatest Royal of all-time. While that may be a stretch, DeJesus had a great career in the major leagues and most definitely left a mark on the game. It will be exciting to see what he can do in the studio as an analyst of the Cubs now. Many players have been successful in the studio after retiring.
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DeJesus will be remembered as a solid contributor on every team he played for. While he had trouble staying healthy at times, he was consistent throughout his 13-year career.