Former South Carolina baseball star announces ‘difficult decision’ to retire
Former South Carolina Gamecocks catcher Grayson Greiner announced his retirement from professional baseball on Monday.
In a Twitter post entitled “I’ll miss you baseball,” Greiner, 30, thanked his family, his wife, his children, agents, teammates, coaches and front office personnel while expressing his gratitude.
“From the time I picked up a bat, all I ever wanted to do was play baseball,” Greiner wrote. “It was my first love and I loved the game for 20 years. After a lot of thoughtful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to retire from professional baseball.”
Greiner was playing in Triple-A Albuquerque with the Colorado Rockies organization after being released from the Minnesota Twins on March 24. He appeared in his final game on May 4.
Prior to this season, Greiner spent four years with the Detroit Tigers from 2018 to 2021 and last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was a third-round draft pick by the Tigers in 2014.
In 139 major league games, Greiner hit .201 with nine homers and 46 RBIs.
The 6-foot-6 Greiner became the tallest catcher in MLB history when he made his debut in 2018. He is the 10th tallest player to ever appear in a MLB game.
Greiner was a three-year starter for the Gamecocks, including for coach Ray Tanner’s College World Series runner-up team in 2012, and hit 18 homers and 120 RBIs in his college career.
Before USC, Greiner was a standout at Blythewood High School and was a three-time all-state selection. He was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2019.
This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 4:01 PM.
