Andre Ethier Hangs Up His Glove For Good, Dodgers Will Honor Him August 3rd

By Jordan Long

Outfielder Andre Ethier has decided to retire. The Dodgers will honor him during a pregame ceremony August 3^rd. According to ESPN, Ethier said, “I look forward to coming back to Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium, places I’m so lucky to have called home for the last 12 years. Nothing like stepping out on the field at Dodger Stadium and looking up and seeing the faithful Dodger blue supporting you, and I’m grateful for the reception and support I received in all my years playing there. I’m humbled by this evening and look forward to sharing it all with you.”

Ethier started his career with the Dodgers in 2006. In his rookie year he hit .308 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI’s. That was a taste of what was to come for Ethier. His top season for home runs was in 2009 when he smacked 31.

Ethier was not a power hitter with only 162 career home runs. What made him a dangerous hitter was his ability to hit on base and drive in runs. Ethier ends with a career average of .285 with 687 RBI’s. With him, the Dodgers made the postseason 8 times and even advanced to the World Series last year.

Besides his bat, the Dodgers trusted him in the outfield. He could play every position and rarely overplayed a ball for an error. Ethier had a strong arm to throw out runners advancing. He appeared in 922 games in right field and managed 17 errors but totaled 45 outfield assists. In left field Ethier played 297 games and had 17 assists with 12 errors.   He was placed at center field for 144 games and only had 3 errors and 5 assists.

The past 2 seasons, Ethier appeared in only 38 games because of injuries. In 2016 he missed all but 16 games because of a broken tibia.   Last year Ethier only played 22 games. He missed the majority of the season due to a herniated disc. Ethier was hoping to play again this season, but it was clear the Dodgers and the rest of the league were not interested in signing the outfielder.

Ethier needed to make this decision to walk away from baseball. He couldn’t play the game at a high level anymore. Ethier leaves the game as a 2 time All-Star and even won 1 Gold Glove. The only thing missing is a World Series ring. Unfortunately, he had his chance last year but the Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros in 7 games. Ethier will go down as one of the best Dodgers to ever play the outfield.