Former Angels Pitcher Announces Sudden Retirement From MLB

Noah Camras | Jan 1, 2025

Sep 7, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ty Buttrey (31) delivers the ball in the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-Imagn Images / Quinn Harris-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ty Buttrey announced his official retirement from Major League Baseball this week.

Buttrey, 31, concludes his baseball career after playing only for the Los Angeles Angels at the MLB level. He also spent time in the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners organizations.

Buttrey made the announcement on his personal X account.

More news: MLB Insider Confirms Angels Interest in Projected $100 Million All-Star Slugger

I started playing baseball at the age of 4 and quickly fell in love with the challenges of the game. I was always the underdog never making the All-Star teams, getting cut from travel ball teams, getting sent down from varsity to JV and not even starting on the JV team my…

— Ty Buttrey (@tybuttrey_) December 30, 2024

"I started playing baseball at the age of 4 and quickly fell in love with the challenges of the game. I was always the underdog never making the All-Star teams, getting cut from travel ball teams, getting sent down from varsity to JV and not even starting on the JV team my freshman year and constantly being told by others that making it to the MLB was impossible. “Have you seen the odds?” they’d say. Btw it’s 0.029% chance of making it. But I do not believe in odds I believe in dreams, I pushed forward.

"If you had looked at me during those years, you might have labeled me a “jock” or assumed I was an all-sports kind of guy. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. I spent countless hours playing RuneScape, dominated Halo 2 as the best player in my neighborhood, and enjoyed plenty of hobbies that didn’t align with the typical “baseball player” mold.

"I’ve always had a deep passion for art, fascinated by how every stroke of an artist’s hand can create masterpieces that stand the test of time. That creative side has fueled me throughout my life, just as much as my love for tackling challenges. Baseball became a vessel that allowed me to build a great career for myself and my family. It gave me the opportunity to travel the world, meet incredible teammates, and experience moments most people will never know like closing a game in front of 50,000 screaming fans.

"But even more than baseball, my true passion lies in motivating and inspiring others to be MORE. I genuinely believe we’re all capable of so much more than we think we just have to believe in ourselves."

Buttrey says he's been involved in the cryptocurrency space, and will officially transition into the next chapter of his life.

Buttrey was drafted by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He was with the Red Sox until 2018, when he was acquired by the Angels via trade for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Buttrey would appear in 115 games over the next three seasons, sporting a 4.30 ERA across 115 innings of work. Then, in April 2021, he announced he was stepping away from the game since he was playing for the "wrong" reasons — for money and to prove people wrong.

In 2023, Buttrey signed a minor league contract with the Astros. In 2024, he signed a minor league contract with the Mariners.

Now, Buttrey is officially stepping away again, as he heads into the Web3 community.