On Feb. 17, Nick Swisher announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. He wrote a letter announcing his retirement, which was published on “The Player’s Tribune.” He stated, “This dream is over y’all. But another one is about to begin.”
He explained how he wanted to play until he was 40 years old, but was dealing with injuries that cause him pain. Back in August 2014, he had surgery on both of his knees. Swisher was held back for the past few years due to this. He only played 55 games last season with the Yankees’ Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team. He then ended his season in July when his second child was born.
He was drafted sixteenth into the MLB in 2002. He made his debut in September of 2004 with the Oakland Athletics. He has played a total of 12 years in the MLB. He played for five different teams: Oakland Athletics from 2004 to 2007; Chicago White Sox from 2008 to 2009; New York Yankees from 2009 to 2012; Cleveland Indians from 2013 to 2015; and Atlanta Braves from 2015 to his retirement.
Swisher played for the American League All-Star team in 2010 as a member of the New York Yankees. He played a major role in helping the Yankees win their 27th World Series title in 2009 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Swisher was at his best when he played with the Yankees. In a total of 598 games, he had averages of .268, .367 and .483. He had 134 doubles, 105 home runs and 349 RBI’s. Swisher has always been an excellent power hitter, and has hit a total of 20 home runs in eight straight seasons from 2005 to 2013.
He ends his career with an average of .249, 803 RBI’s and a whopping total of 245 home runs, 1,338 hits. Swisher has been a fan favorite and has always played the game with energy and positivity.
For the 2017 season, he will be joining Fox Sports as a studio analyst. He will make an appearance explaining pregame coverage. Swisher was an analyst during the 2014 World Series, and since then Fox Sports has had their eyes on him. John Entz, the president of the production, explained how he liked Swisher’s love for the game.
Three days after the announcement of his retirement, he showed up to spring training for the Yankees to be an instructor. He worked specifically with outfielders. Yankees manager Joe Girardi stated that Swisher will give tips and knowledge to the rookies because he knows how to play the game.
Swisher is not the only MLB player in his family. Swisher’s father, Steve Swisher, played a total of 509 games with the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Diego Padres, from 1974 through 1982. Nick Swisher is the father of two and is married to JoAnna Garcia. His wife is an actress, best known for her role as Cheyenne on the television show “Reba.”
Swisher is looking forward to spending more time with his family. He explains that the roller coaster of life is not stopping, and he will enjoy every minute of the second half of his ride.