Jake Diekman introduced his retirement in a prolonged social media put up this night. The longtime reliever appeared with 9 main league groups throughout a profession that spanned elements of 13 seasons. His announcement is price a full learn, as he went on to thank his former organizations, teammates, household, followers, representatives at Beverly Hills Sports activities Council and extra.
Now 38, Diekman entered skilled baseball as a 20-year-old again in 2007. The Phillies drafted the lanky lefty within the thirtieth spherical out of a Kansas junior school. He’d been dedicated to attend the College of Nebraska the next spring however elected to signal with the Phils. Diekman moved to the bullpen a pair seasons into his minor league profession and acquired his first MLB name in Could 2012.
Diekman made 191 appearances over three and a half seasons for the Phils. Philadelphia was rebuilding for many of that run, however he was a part of a mixed no-hitter in 2014 and tallied a cumulative 3.84 earned run common. The Rangers acquired him alongside Cole Hamels in an enormous 2015 deadline deal.
Whereas that was primarily the Hamels commerce, Diekman was a big a part of the Texas bullpen for the subsequent few years. He tallied 124 1/3 innings of three.18 ERA ball over elements of 4 seasons as a Ranger. He appeared within the postseason in 2015 and ’16, firing six innings of one-run ball in his first October motion through the former season.
Diekman was on the transfer on the 2018 deadline. Texas was headed to a 95-loss season and he was ticketed without spending a dime company, making him an apparent commerce candidate. The D-Backs picked him up for the stretch run, although he struggled throughout his transient stint within the desert. Diekman signed a one-year contract with the Royals through the winter. Kansas Metropolis flipped him to the A’s on the 2019 deadline, and he impressed the crew sufficient to re-sign on a two-year deal the next offseason.
After three seasons in Oakland, Diekman firmly moved into journeyman territory for his last few seasons. He performed for one more 4 groups between 2022-24, concluding his large league run with 43 appearances for the Mets final yr. The Nebraska native returned residence on a contract with the impartial Lincoln SaltDogs a couple of weeks in the past, however he’s now determined to wrap up his taking part in days.
Diekman finishes with a 3.91 ERA in just a little over 600 large league frames. He recorded 764 strikeouts, fanning nearly 29% of opposing hitters all through his profession. He by no means had pristine command, however he reliably missed bats behind a fastball that received into the 97-98 MPH vary at his peak. He recorded 187 holds, a mark topped solely by Tony Watson and Adam Ottavino since his 2012 debut, and secured 19 saves in scattered closing alternatives. Baseball Reference calculates his profession earnings north of $28MM. MLBTR congratulates Diekman on a powerful profession and sends our greatest needs for his post-playing endeavors.
