On Friday morning, former Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson announces his retirement from baseball on Twitter.
It’s been an incredible journey! Thanks for the ride of a lifetime, @MLB @MLB_PLAYERS pic.twitter.com/0AgOgSjWSC
— Curtis Granderson (@cgrand3) January 31, 2020
Granderson played 16 years in the big leagues playing for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Miami Marlins.
In his career, he hit .249/.337/.465 accumulating 346 doubles, 95 triples, 344 homers, and 937 RBI. His 47.3 career WAR ranks 31st all-time among center fielders putting him ahead of Hall of Famers like Hack Wilson.
Granderson was a three time All-Star, and he won the 2011 American League Silver Slugger. With the Mets, he was a 2015 Gold Glove finalist.
In terms of his Mets career, Granderson led the 2015 pennant winning team with a 5.0 WAR, and to date, he and Rickey Henderson are the only Mets oufielders to appear in the Opening Day lineup for Mets teams who have made consecutive postseasons.
In his career, he accomplished several feats. Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes Granderson is just one of 28 players with 340 homers and 150 stolen bases.
Andrew Simon of MLB noted Granderson had the highest combination of triples and homers in 2007 than anyone in Major League history.
There are other feats and accomplishments, but Granderson will be best remembered for the great human being he was.
Granderson is a three-time Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award winner, and he was the recipient of the 2016 Roberto Clemente Award.
In his charitable endeavors, including his Grand Kids Foundation, he has provided over 35 million meals to those in need in addition to helping provide supplies to school and to bring baseball to communities. With respect to the last point, he donated $5 million to the University of Illinois to not only serve as the school’s baseball stadium, but also to put on events for Chicago schools.
For his play on the field, the human being he was, and for things like the We Follow Duda Instagram account, Granderson was a beloved Met.
In the end, there may have been better baseball players, but there may not have been better human beings than Curtis Granderson to ever don a baseball uniform.
We here at MMO thank him for his time with the Mets and wish him the best of luck in his retirement.
