Inside The Rangers

At 36, Next Chapter For Texas Rangers Fan Favorite Elvis Andrus? Coaching His Kids

After 15 MLB seasons, including 12 with the Texas Rangers, longtime fan favorite Elvis Andrus retired flanked by former teammate Michael Young and former manager Ron Washington.

Stefan Stevenson

Texas Rangers
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ARLINGTON — Elvis Andrus, who was a Texas Rangers infield fixture for a decade, retired from MLB after 15 seasons on Friday.

Andrus, 36, was flanked by his former Rangers manager Ron Washington on his left, and longtime teammate Michael Young on his right during a press conference before the Rangers hosted Washington's Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field.

Andrus, who was 18 when he was acquired in a seven-player trade in July 2007 with the Atlanta Braves, was the Rangers starting shortstop from 2009 to 2019, playing in 145 or more games in 10 of those 11 seasons. He was an integral part of the club's first two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

He thanked his family, including his wife and kids and father, who were all on hand for the ceremony, which included Andrus letting his young son throw the ceremonial first pitch to Young.

"When I first saw Elvis, the first thing that came to my mind was this kid can play," said Washington, who managed the Rangers from 2007 to 2014. "This kid has an idea how to play the game of baseball. There wasn't much that he couldn't do on a baseball field at a very young age. He just had it."

Andrus finished with a .269 career catting average, 2,091 hits, 102 homers, 775 RBI, and 347 stolen bases in 2,059 career games with Texas (2009-20), Oakland (2021-22), and the Chicago White Sox (2022-23).

Andrus said he has no plans for a second career yet. He's busy coaching his kid's little league teams and wants to focus on them while they're young.

"I'm very young, and fortunate and blessed to retire having my life in front of me right now," Andrus said. "I have no plan to try to fast forward. I'm really going day by day, growing spiritually, having fun. Get to see my children grow. Being a coach. I think that's going to be my next chapter for the next 10 years."

He credited teammates such as Young, Adrián Beltré, Ian Kinsler, and Robinson Chirinos for not only helping him as a player, but also guiding him through leaving the game.

"I've been very blessed to have guys — Ian, Michael, Adrian, and the rest of my teammates — to always guide me. [Reminding me] that life brings a lot of other opportunities and a lot of other things to enjoy."

With the Rangers, Andrus slashed .274/.330/.372 with 76 homers and 636 RBI in 1,652 games through 2020. He is the club's all-time leader with 305 stolen bases, and ranks second in games (1,652), at-bats (6,366), and triples (48), and is third in runs (893) and hits (1,743). He was an All-Star in 2010 and 2012 and the Rangers' Player of the Year in 2017 when he set career highs with 100 runs, 191 hits, 44 doubles, 20 homers, and 88 RBI.

The Rangers reached the postseason in five of Andrus' 12 seasons with the club.

He's the Rangers’ all-time postseason leader in games (42), at bats (173), hits (46), and stolen bases (9) with a .266 career average that included a .294 (20-68) figure in 16 playoff games in 2010.

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Stefan Stevenson
STEFAN STEVENSON

Stefan Stevenson worked as a journalist and editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for 25 years, covering sports, concerts, and general news. His beats have included the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, and Texas Christian University football.

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