Matt Carpenter, one of the purest hitters in St. Louis Cardinals history, announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday after 14 MLB seasons.
The three-time All-Star spent most of his career with the Cardinals before later stints with the Yankees and Padres, finishing with a brief return to St. Louis this season. Carpenter, known for his smooth left-handed swing and refusal to wear batting gloves, walks away as one of the more underappreciated on-base machines of his era.
Carpenter’s path to MLB stardom wasn’t exactly conventional. The Cardinals took a flyer on him in the 13th round of the 2009 draft out of TCU, but he quickly hit his way to the big leagues and never looked back.
His breakout came in 2013 when he led the league with 55 doubles, 199 hits and 126 runs scored while batting .318. That season established him as one of the game’s premier table-setters.
What made Carpenter special was his remarkable eye at the plate. He walked more than 80 times for five straight seasons during his prime. He wasn’t just taking pitches, though – he led the league in doubles again in 2015 and developed surprising power as his career progressed.
The power surge peaked in 2018 when Carpenter slugged a career-high 36 home runs alongside 42 doubles and 102 walks, posting an impressive .257/.374/.523 slash line. That season represented the perfect blend of his contact skills, power development, and elite plate discipline.
While his career .259 batting average reflects his late-career regression, it doesn’t tell the full story of a hitter who, at his peak, was one of the most complete offensive players in the National League. During his prime years in St. Louis, few hitters were more reliable or productive.
Carpenter’s retirement brings an end to a career that exemplified the Cardinals’ knack for developing overlooked talent into All-Star caliber players. His patient approach, professional at-bats, and that distinctive swing without batting gloves will be remembered fondly by Cardinals fans for years to come.
