After seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, MLB star Chad Pinder announced his retirement on Saturday. Pinder just signed with the Atlanta Braves, but he hasn’t played in an MLB game yet.
At age 31, Chad Pinder has embarked on a successful career in the major leagues. It’s not easy for him to play his seven seasons in the league.
“I heard Chad Pinder is retiring after tonight’s game against Gwinnett. He’s a great team leader and he’s going to be a great player.” He’ll be a great manager one day. – Susan Slusser
MLB fans weren’t entirely happy with Pinder’s retirement decision, with Twitter flooded with comments such as:
“He could start in Oakland today and do better than 75% of the team. Crazy thing is he stopped doing that at 31. A guy who doesn’t even get a paycheck.” – James
“I still can’t believe that, at 31, a Pinder with that ability couldn’t find a job on a major league team. It really blows my mind.” – Tony Soprano
“Always swipe right on Pinder!” – Kathy Tran
“Good luck to the good guy who was with the Red Wings earlier this season.” – Josh Wetzel
Many fans think this is unfair as Chad never actually got regular playing time.
“Unfortunately Chad was a stud at the Athletics. Wish he was given regular minutes. Go for it, Chi!” – Square State Sandlot Podcast
Others think Pinder might have an opportunity somewhere along the line because of her superior abilities.
“I’m surprised he didn’t get another chance with a major league team. Pinder didn’t have a lot of injuries during his Athletics years, but I always thought his versatility and leadership would hold him up elsewhere. – Shayna Rubin
Despite playing briefly, Chad Pinder’s presence was important to Athletics
Despite problems with the Oakland Athletics in 2023, Pinder has played a key role for Oakland in past seasons. Between 2016 and 2022, he appeared in 553 games for the Athletics. Able to play second base, third base and the outfield, Pinder was never a star, but he brought an inherent flexibility.
Pinder’s career offensive slashline was .242/.294/.417 and OPS was .711. He also contributed to a career with 204 points and 62 home runs. He joined the Athletics in 2019 and played the most games of his career in one season. Pinder had a .240/.290/.416 batting average, a .706 OPS and 13 home runs that season. But through 110 games in 2018, Pinder hit a career-high 15 homers, batting .258 and posting a .769 OPS.
