Outfielder Jason Heyward announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Friday after 16 seasons, two World Series titles and five Gold Gloves. The former All-Star, who debuted with a home run in his first at-bat, plans to focus on his Chicago-based youth baseball academy and mentoring young players. Heyward expressed gratitude for his career and excitement for giving back to the game.
Jason Heyward, a first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2007 out of Henry County High School in Georgia, made an immediate impact upon debuting in 2010. He homered in his first MLB at-bat off All-Star lefty Carlos Zambrano, finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Buster Posey, posted 6.4 WAR and earned an All-Star nod while slashing .277/.393/.456 in 142 games that season. Heyward accumulated 29.9 WAR through his age-25 year and later signed an eight-year, $184 million contract with the Chicago Cubs—the largest free-agent deal in club history at the time. With the Cubs from 2016 to 2022, he won a Gold Glove twice and delivered a pivotal speech during a Game 7 rain delay in the 2016 World Series, rallying the team to their first title since 1908 in a 10th-inning comeback. He credited his remarks with reminding teammates of their regular-season dominance and resilience: 'Just reminded them who we were... Don't forget that we've defied every odd.' Heyward earned five Gold Gloves overall for his elite right-field defense, along with strong baserunning, despite batting .255/.336/.408 (101 OPS+) with 186 home runs, 730 RBI and 41.5 career WAR over 1,824 regular-season games and 45 playoff contests. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, appearing in 34 games for the Padres last season and winning another World Series ring with the Dodgers in 2024. In announcing his retirement on MLB Central, the 36-year-old Heyward said, 'I wanted to reach this moment and know without a doubt that it was time to walk away, and I do. No second-guessing, no looking back, just gratitude.' He founded the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy in Chicago in 2023 and looks forward to mentoring the next generation: 'The game's given all of us a lot. It'll be interesting to see what's next.'