Phillies minor-leaguer Andrew Pullin retires from baseball, again
By John Town
Phillies minor-league outfielder has retired from baseball (again) after seven seasons in the system. He played nearly 600 games in his career.
It isn’t often that a 24-year-old retires from baseball. It’s even less common when someone retires twice at that age. That is the case with Phillies minor-leaguer Andrew Pullin as Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia first reported the news. Matt Breen of Philly.com confirmed it soon after.
Pullin first retired just before the 2016 season started. He said that it was due to home issues, although there was thought that it was because he started the year in High-A Clearwater rather than Double-A Reading.
That retirement lasted one month as Pullin eventually joined Clearwater that May. He had a .796 OPS in 36 games before being promoted to Reading. Pullin then hit 10 home runs and drove in 32 runs in 46 games for the Fightin’ Phils.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
- Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?
- Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?
- Prospect Andrew Baker could help Phillies bullpen in 2023
- Bryce Harper’s absence should lead to Phillies lineup tinkering
A similar case could be playing out again. Pullin was scratched from Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s lineup Wednesday night after the news broke that Rhys Hoskins was heading to the disabled list. Pullin likely thought that he was heading to the majors, but it was instead Dylan Cozens who got the call. Considering the similarities between this situation and the last one, it’s within the realm of possibility.
Pullin most recently ranked as Philadelphia’s No. 31 overall prospect by Baseball America after the 2016 season. He was defensively limited to left field after failing to stick as a second baseman after being drafted. His status as a prospect depended entirely on his ability to hit.
Pullin’s hit tool wasn’t good enough to make him a full-time major-leaguer.
Pullin dominated in Reading, as plenty of hitters do, but once he got to Triple-A, he hasn’t had the same success. He had a .231/.280/.412 line with six home runs in 67 games there last year. He really struggled this season there, hitting just .171 with a .515 OPS in 36 games. He had 41 strikeouts in 125 plate appearances, rivaling Cozens’ strikeout rate.
Next: What should we think of Zach Eflin so far in 2018?
There could still have been a chance somewhere for Pullin to make it to the majors. He may come back yet again. If not, we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.