Remember Phelps? He Is Hanging Up His Cleats

Nostalgia hit me hard when I hopped on Twitter late yesterday afternoon and saw David Phelps announced retirement. It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago we watched him break into the big leagues as a Yankee. My how time flies.

For the first three seasons of his career, he threw 299 1/3 innings with the Yankees over 40 starts and  posted a 4.21 ERA. He quickly became a favorite of mine so when the Yankees traded him to the Marlins over the 2014-2015 season I was pretty disappointed. In return, the Yankees got Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Jones and then Low-A pitcher Domingo Germán, who is still a Yankee today. Funny how trades pan out sometimes.

After his time with the Marlins he bounced around to five other teams and spent the last two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays where he posted his best numbers since he played for the Marlins, he tossed 63 2/3 innings of 2.83 ERA ball through 65 appearances. His resurgence would’ve landed him another contract somewhere in the league, but he decided to retire instead.

One of the reasons why I was disappointed to see him leave the Yankees was because I loved his attitude and his passion. When he was on the mound, he gave it everything he had. Even when he didn’t have his best stuff that day, you could tell he was such a competitor. It’s tough to hear about players retire sometimes, but I am actually happy to hear him hang them up now. Sure, he is healthy enough to go another year….but he’s battled some rough injuries over his career. Now he gets to go out on top and I think that is the best way to do it. End it on a high note.

So Phelps….best wishes and happy retirement. Thanks for the memories! You were one hell of a competitor and the game needs more guys with your dedication.