Pittsburgh Pirates: Former Reliever Tony Watson Announces Retirement

Former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star relief pitcher Tony Watson has announced his retirement after 11 MLB seasons

Former Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Tony Watson has recently announced his retirement. The southpaw’s announcement was first released by the Athletic’s Stephen Nesbitt. Watson ends his career with the all-time lead in holds at 246 while appearing in at least 60 games and having an ERA+ of 100 or greater in all but one of his seasons, that being his rookie year (not counting the shortened 2020 campaign).

Watson was originally a ninth round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. He was never a top prospect and was a late-bloomer, making his MLB debut just nine days after his 26th birthday. After a shaky rookie campaign in 2011, Watson blossomed into one of the game’s best set-up men for the next handful of seasons.

All told, Watson pitched 433 innings in a Pirate uniform, posting a 2.68 ERA, 3.59 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP.  Watson became a household name, making the 2014 All-Star Game and becoming a massive cog in one of baseball’s best bullpens. He, alongside the likes of Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, and Jared Hughes made up a formidable pen during the 2013-2015 years. In 2015, the lefty racked up 41 holds, which ties him with Joel Peralta for the most in a single season. In fact, Watson retires as MLB’s all-time leader in holds.

In 2017 and on an expiring contract, Watson started out the year as the closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates but struggled. Once he was moved back into a set-up role, he started to bounceback and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for now top of the line prospect Oneil Cruz. After the 2017 season, Watson signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco Giants where he continued to be an effective arm. Watson had a 3.20 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP in his first stint with the Giants.

After 2020, Watson signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, but was released late into March. That was when he signed another contract with the Los Angeles Angels, but only had a 4.64 ERA, 4.11 FIP, and 1.82 WHIP in his first 33 innings of 2021. He was then traded back to the Giants for three players and thrived down the stretch. The final 24.1 innings of his career saw him post a 2.96 ERA, 2.64 FIP, and 0.78 WHIP.

Watson ends his career with a 2.90 ERA, 3.59 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP. Overall, he was a well above average reliever reflected by his 136 ERA+, 73 ERA-, and 91 FIP-. The 36-year-old now heads into retirement having pitched 648.1 innings in the majors. Dating back to 2010, he has the sixth most innings pitched. Watson was a key component to the Pittsburgh Pirates making the postseason in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and he landed them Oneil Cruz on his way out.

We here at Rum Bunter wish the former All-Star, Tony Watson good luck in his retirement and future endavors.