Todd Wellemeyer was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2000 June MLB Amateur Draft and spent six years in the organization. He served primarily as a starter while in the minor leagues but shifted to the bullpen once the Cubs gave him a spot on their 25-man roster.
Wellemeyer moved on from Chicago in 2006 and spent time in different roles with the Marlins, Royals, Cardinals and Giants before re-signing with the Cubs on a minor league contract this winter.
On Saturday, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, Wellemeyer officially announced his retirement from baseball at the age of 32.
He was hoping to take advantage of the Cubs’ shaky rotation depth and climb his way back to the major leagues, but the right-hander allowed eight hits and four earned runs over just 3 2/3 innings Thursday at Triple-A Iowa and apparently took that as a sign that the game had passed him by.
Wellemeyer will finish up with a 4.83 career ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 459 strikeouts in 614 2/3 innings.