PHILADELPHIA -- Matt Carpenter, a three-time All-Star and a middle-of-the-order stalwart during his 12 seasons with the Cardinals, announced his MLB retirement on Wednesday morning.
Carpenter, 39, told Sports Spectrum’s “Get in the Game” podcast that he was retiring, following a career that saw him complete a long tenure with the Cardinals, play single seasons with the Yankees and Padres and finish in the top 12 in National League MVP voting three times. In 12 campaigns with the Cardinals -- 11 from 2011-21 and a final season in 2024 -- Carpenter slashed .261/.366/.446/.812 with 159 homers, 308 doubles and 591 RBIs.
The infielder/designated hitter will be eligible for entry into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2028, where he will likely be easily elected as a fan favorite and one of the core pieces of a Cardinals franchise that was a dominant force in the National League in the 2010s.
Some of the best moments of Carpenter’s career came during the playoffs, where he smashed six home runs and drove in 21 runs in 56 postseason games. Carpenter made his MLB debut in 2011 and received a World Series championship ring, but he did not appear in a postseason game that season. He led the Cardinals to the 2013 World Series, during which he went 8-for-27 (.296) with a double and two RBIs in a series loss to the Red Sox.
Carpenter’s most productive seasons came in 2013, 2015 and 2018. In 2013, he hit .318 with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs while finishing fourth in the voting for the NL MVP Award. He smashed 28 home runs and a career-best 36 long balls in 2015 and ’18, respectively, finishing 12th and ninth in NL MVP voting in those years.
“I was very fortunate enough to play for some great organizations, and I had quite a thrill being able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years, a brief stint with the New York Yankees and also the San Diego Padres,” Carpenter said on the podcast. “I’m excited for what’s next and getting to spend some much-needed quality time with my wife and kids on a more consistent basis now that I’ve put the cleats up. So, yeah, it’s exciting stuff.”
Carpenter signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals before the 2024 season, where he mostly served as a mentor to the club’s younger core of players. In 59 games, Carpenter hit .234 with four home runs and 15 RBIs for a Cardinals team that won 83 games but missed the playoffs for a second straight year.