Former Gold Glove SS Andrelton Simmons retires after 11 seasons

Four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who was arguably the finest defensive player of his era, has retired after 11 big-league seasons.

Simmons' agency, ISE Baseball, made the announcement on Instagram earlier this week.

Simmons last played in the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. He represented the Netherlands at the World Baseball Classic this past March but was unable to parlay that stint into a big-league contract. His final professional appearance came last winter when he suited up for Curaçao in the 2022-23 Caribbean Series.

Originally a second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2010, Simmons reached the majors two years later. He played his first four seasons in Atlanta before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels, where he'd spend five years as the Halos' starting shortstop. Simmons moved on to the Minnesota Twins in 2021 before his final stop in Chicago.

While never a world-beater with the bat, few players were able to match Simmons' defensive brilliance at shortstop. Despite his shorter career, Simmons retires with the most defensive runs saved (201) at any position since the stat was created in 2003. Only he and third baseman Adrián Beltré (200) collected at least 200 DRS over the last 20 years. Simmons also owns the single-season DRS record across all positions (41 in 2017).

Simmons is one of seven players in baseball history to have collected at least 200 career fielding runs - a defensive stat that encompasses all eras - at any position, per Baseball Reference. His 200 fielding runs place third all-time among primary shortstops, trailing only Mark Belanger and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith.

As a hitter, Simmons put up a career .263/.312/.366 slash line with 70 homers, 444 RBIs, and 72 stolen bases across 4,816 plate appearances. His 1,169 hits are the second-most among players born in Curaçao, behind Andruw Jones.

Because he last played in the majors in 2022, Simmons becomes eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028.