BOSTON — Troy Tulowitzki, a five-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies who has missed most of the past two seasons with leg injuries, announced his retirement on Thursday, more than three months after he played in his last game for the New York Yankees.
“For as long as I can remember, my dream was to compete at the highest level as a Major League Baseball player to wear a big league uniform and play hard for my teammates and the fans,” he said in a statement issued by the Yankees before a series against Boston. “I will forever be grateful for every day that I’ve had to live out my dream. It has been an absolute honor.”
Texas Longhorns head coach David Pierce announced later Thursday that Tulowitzki will join the coaching staff.
“I look forward to continuing my involvement in the game that I love instructing and helping young players to achieve their goals and dreams,” Tulowitzki wrote in his farewell. “I’m saying goodbye to Major League Baseball, but I will never say goodbye 2 the game I love. Thanks again 2 all of you!”
Tulowitzki was NL Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2007, when he helped the Rockies reach the World Series for the only time in franchise history. He finished in the top 10 of the NL MVP voting three straight years from 2009-11; in all, he received MVP votes in six seasons.
Tulowitzki finished with a .290 average, 225 homers and 780 RBIs in 13 seasons with Colorado (2006-15), Toronto (2015-17) and the Yankees. He is one of three shortstops in major league history to with at least 20 home runs and a .290 average in six different seasons; the others are Alex Rodriguez (seven) and Nomar Garciaparra (six).
