Former Cardinals, Dodgers Gold Glove Winner Announces Retirement

Contributing Sports Writer

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A two-time National League Gold Glove Award winner is calling it quits.

Kolten Wong, who played the last of his 11 major league seasons in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners, told reporters in his native Hawaii on Friday that he is retiring.

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"Pretty much right now, I'm done," Wong said, via Spectrum News. "I've kind of come to the conclusion that I'm probably going to be hanging them up. It's just one of those things where, the game how it's going now, there's no sense of chasing (it). ... I'm a dad now, yes, I'm enjoying that. I'm trying to be the best big league dad that I can be. So I'm going to stick to that."

Kolten Wong Los Angeles Dodgers Cardinals retirement — Kolten Wong #25 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a three-run home run against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on September 01, 2023 in Los Angeles. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Wong was drafted in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Hawaii. He made his MLB debut in 2013.

Wong spent the majority of his career (2013-20) with the Cardinals. He enjoyed the best years of his career in St. Louis. He claimed Gold Glove awards at second base in 2019 and 2020, and three Fielding Bible awards from 2018-20.

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Wong saw action in 28 postseason games with the Cardinals, including two games of the 2013 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

After 10 seasons in the Cardinals organization, Wong signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent in Feb. 2021. He was traded after to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the 2023 season.

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Wong struggled in Seattle, hitting .165 before being released in Aug. 2023. The Dodgers took a flier on Wong and saw him swat two home runs with a .300 batting average in 20 games to end the regular season. He also went 0 for 3 in the Dodgers' three-game NLDS loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Oct. 2023.

Wong tried to come back in 2024, first with the Baltimore Orioles, then the Arizona Diamondbacks. He slashed .271/.339/.383 in 31 games with the D-backs' Triple-A affiliate in 2024, but was not called up to the majors.

That proved to be the final act of his professional career. Wong retires with a .256 batting average, .330 on-base percentage, and .390 slugging percentage in 1,189 games with the Cardinals, Brewers, Mariners, and Dodgers.

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