Brian Fuentes has decided to call it a career, as reported by Sean Lynch of the Merced Sun-Star. He last pitched with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 before requesting a leave of absence from the team. The lefty pitched for 12 seasons, making four All-Star teams and posting a 3.62 ERA with 204 saves, the sixth-most in baseball history among left-handers.
Brian Fuentes reportedly set to retire
Four-time All-Star Brian Fuentes, the former closer for the Rockies, Angels and Athletics, reportedly announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday.
Christian Petersen
Fuentes took over the closer's role for the Colorado Rockies in 2005, saving 31 games and making his first of three consecutive All-Star teams. Before the 2009 season, he signed a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the Angels and led the league in saves with 48.
Fuentes says the time spent away from his family during his career was difficult to deal with.
“Ultimately, I was just having trouble with the time away from my family,” Fuentes said. “I’ve been playing baseball for all of their lives, but I’d never been so far away as when I was in St. Louis. I think at one point I went like two months without seeing them. Coming home and being able to put them to bed at night made me realize what I was missing.”
The Merced, Calif. native will now have plenty of time to spend with his children. According to Baseball-Reference.com, he earned nearly $39 million in career earnings.
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