Two-time National League Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong has decided to retire from professional baseball. Wong, who played his final MLB season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners, announced his retirement during an interview in his home state of Hawaii on Friday.
“I’m pretty much done at this point,” Wong told Spectrum News. “I’ve accepted that it’s time to step away. With the way the game is going, there’s not much point in continuing to chase it. Now that I’m a father, my focus is on being the best dad I can be.”
Wong was selected in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Hawaii and made his major league debut in 2013. He spent the bulk of his 11-year career with the Cardinals (2013–2020), where he had his most productive seasons, winning Gold Gloves at second base in 2019 and 2020 and earning three Fielding Bible Awards from 2018 to 2020.
During his time in St. Louis, Wong appeared in 28 postseason games, including two games in the 2013 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. After a decade with the Cardinals, he signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021, before being traded to the Mariners ahead of the 2023 season.
Wong struggled with Seattle, batting just .165 before being released in August. The Dodgers then picked him up, and he finished the 2023 regular season strong, hitting .300 with two home runs in 20 games. He went hitless in three postseason at-bats during the Dodgers’ NLDS loss to the Diamondbacks.
In 2024, Wong attempted a comeback with stints in the Orioles and Diamondbacks organizations. He posted a .271/.339/.383 slash line in 31 games for Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate but wasn’t promoted to the majors—marking the end of his playing career.
Wong retires with a career batting average of .256, a .330 on-base percentage, and a .390 slugging percentage over 1,189 games with the Cardinals, Brewers, Mariners, and Dodgers.
