Mike Mayers, a relief pitcher who spent parts of eight MLB seasons from 2016 to 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, and Kansas City Royals, announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday via a LinkedIn post. “After 12 amazing years in professional baseball — including time in the majors with the Cardinals, Angels, and Royals — I’ve officially decided to hang up my cleats,” he wrote.
Mayers played the 2024 season with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons, where he appeared in 31 games—including three starts—and posted a 2-5 record with a 6.10 ERA. He was released from his minor league deal by the Blue Jays on August 2, 2024, and did not sign with an affiliated team for the 2025 season.
In his final MLB season in 2023, Mayers pitched in six games for the Kansas City Royals, recording a 1-2 record with a 6.15 ERA. Over 26.1 innings, he gave up 19 runs (18 earned) and 34 hits. The Royals designated him for assignment in June 2023, and he was traded to the Chicago White Sox the following month. He ended the season with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate.
Mayers returned to Missouri a decade after being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the University of Mississippi. Between 2016 and 2019, he frequently moved between the majors and minors, appearing in 73 games for the Cardinals—72 of them out of the bullpen. During his time in St. Louis, he posted a 3-3 record with a 7.03 ERA. In November 2019, he was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Los Angeles Angels.
During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Mayers emerged as the Angels’ most dependable reliever, leading the team with 29 appearances and 30 innings out of the bullpen. He finished the year with an impressive 2.10 ERA and 43 strikeouts. In 2021, he set a career high with 72 appearances, recording a respectable 3.84 ERA (117 ERA+) and tallying 90 strikeouts over 75 innings.
However, Mayers had difficulty replicating his previous success in 2022. He posted a 1-1 record with a 5.68 ERA over 24 appearances, including three starts, while his strikeout rate fell below one per inning. The Angels designated him for assignment twice that year. After the 2023 season, Mayers chose free agency and later signed with the Royals in December. He ends his career with a 12-11 record and a 5.21 ERA.
Leave a Reply