Eric Chavez, who’s spent most of this season on the Diamondbacks’ disabled list with a knee injury, has decided to retire now rather than waiting until the offseason.
Injuries derailed what was a very promising career for Chavez while with the A’s, but he bounced back and got healthy enough to thrive in part-time roles for the Yankees and Diamondbacks.
Before all the health problems struck he was a spectacular defensive third baseman with 30-homer power who posted an above-average OPS every season from 2000-2007 and won six Gold Glove awards by age 28. But then he never topped 400 plate appearances in a season after age 29 and retires at 36 with 260 homers, 1,477 hits, and an .818 OPS in 1,615 games while earning nearly $85 million.
It’s a shame Chavez couldn’t have had an injury-free career, because he was an excellent all-around player and dramatically underrated, but he still managed to have a helluva run.