Baltimore Orioles Slugger Chris Davis Announces His Retirement

Longtime Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis is leaving the game. He announced on Thursday that he is retiring from Major League Baseball.

Davis had one more year left on his contract, a 7-year, $161 million deal, the largest in Orioles history at that point.

The final year of his deal was set to pay him $17 million in 2022. His last game played for Baltimore came back on September 11th, 2020.

Davis' MLB career started with the Texas Rangers, where he spent four seasons from 2008 to 2011. His best year in Texas saw him hit .285 in 2008 with 17 homers and 55 runs batted in.

His biggest season in the pros came in 2013, when with the Orioles he slammed a league high 53 homers with a league high 138 runs batted in.

Davis' only All-Star appearance came during that 2013 season with the Orioles.

The former Ranger and now Oriole was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 50th round of the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft from Longview High School in Texas.

He went on to get drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 35th round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft from Navarro College and the Rangers in the 5th round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft also from Navarro College (Corsicana, TX) before finally catching on to the Rangers roster.

Last season in the shortened COVID-19 season, Davis played in just 16 games. He didn't hit a homer or drive in a run.