Michael Cuddyer pens emotional goodbye to baseball – SportingNews.com

One of baseball’s class acts, Michael Cuddyer penned an emotional farewell to professional baseball posted Saturday in The Players’ Tribune. 

The 36-year-old retired after 15 big-league seasons with the Twins, Rockies and Mets as he battled a broken shoulder, strained oblique, torn-up knee and bulging disc in his neck over the last four seasons in the majors.

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“Mentally, I was able to overcome it for a long time, but the physical and emotional taxation took its toll,” Cuddyer wrote. “Part of being a professional is to know yourself and to know your limits.”

Cuddyer said another reason for retiring was to spend more time with his wife and three children, who he says deserves to have him home full-time to unfold their own dreams with their dad by their side.

“I made the most important decision of my life when I married my wife, Claudia,” Cuddyer wrote. “She has been my rock and my constant ever since. Our relationship showed me a love greater than baseball. She has made me a better person and an even better baseball player.

“From our partnership, I’ve learned to value the importance of clubhouse relationships and leadership.”

The ninth overall pick in the 1997 MLB Draft by the Twins, Cuddyer spent his first 11 big-league seasons in Minnesota before moving to Colorado in 2012. He hit .331 the following season to win the NL batting title.

Cuddyer said he valued his time at all three clubs, but “became who he was” in Minnesota.

“The Twins organization was on the rise — and the reason was because they did things the right way,” he said. “From the bottom to the top, there were so many people in the Twins organization who impacted my career. Too many to mention.”

Cuddyer finished his career with .277/.344/.461 slash line and 197 home runs in 1,536 career games. A two-time All-Star, Cuddyer says he never played for money or fame, but rather lived by a childhood mantra: “play hard, dream big.” 

“I’ve always believed in loyalty to the game itself: the day that I can’t give it 100 percent is the day I have to walk away,” Cuddyer said. “Now that the day has come, it’s harder than I thought it would be.”