A former superstar at the shortstop position is hanging up his cleats after 14 years in the big leagues.
After yet another leg injury that forced him to the injured list after only five games with the Yankees this season, Troy Tulowitzki has decided to retire. At 34 years old, it’s an unfairly early retirement whose career was halted by persistent lower-body injuries.
Tulowitzki, the seventh overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, came up through the Colorado Rockies’ system. He made his big league debut in a 2006 cup of coffee before becoming a fixture in Colorado’s lineup the following season.
His trajectory with the Rockies was phenomenal. The California native was part of the Colorado squad that shocked the baseball world, advancing to play in the World Series in 2007.
After two solid, but unspectacular seasons, Tulowitzki established himself as one of the game’s top stars in 2009, hitting .297 with 32 home runs while playing excellent defense. He was then named an All-Star in every season between 2010 and 2015 (with the exception of an injury-hampered 2014), also winning two Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in that stretch.
Tulo’s 2015 trade to Toronto and its artificial turf feed didn’t help the star’s declining leg health, and his career petered out after a few unexceptional and injury-shortened years in the AL East.
He’ll go down as a Rockies franchise legend and as one of the 2010s’ best shortstops.
