Tony Wolters retires, rejoins Rockies for next chapter
Jan 21, 2024, 9:46 PM
Tony Wolters once ran into the arms of Scott Oberg as the two started the celebration after they beat the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 NL Wildcard Game. Now Wolters will rejoin Oberg as a retired Rockie rejoining the organization as a staff member.
The 31-year-old seven-year big leaguer retired from playing baseball on Sunday, he announced on Instagram. Wolters debuted with the Rockies in 2016 and was with the team through 2020. He was one of the club’s primary catchers as they reached the postseason in 2017 and 2018. A light hitter through most of his career, his clutch off-the-bench knock in the 13th inning advanced the Rockies to the Divisional Round for the first time in nine seasons. They didn’t win another playoff game and have not been back to the postseason since that moment.
Wolters was known for a steady glove and was athletic enough to venture out to the field at times. He threw out 31% of base runners in his career. In his 1266 trips to the dish, he slashed .235/.321/.314.
“Although I won’t be playing on the field anymore, I am excited to announce that I have accepted a coaching position with the Colorado Rockies,” Wolters wrote as part of a long touching message he shared on social media. “I hope that in this role, I will be able to be a part of someone else’s journey to realize their dream.”
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Wolters was let go by the Rockies in 2020, the same way they got him from Cleveland years prior. He went on to play in the Pirates, Cubs, Dodgers and Twins organizations, only playing 16 more games in the bigs. Last year he spent the season at Triple-A St. Paul.
While Wolters will start his coaching work at a very low level it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him claim the ranks, similar to how he battled the minors in his playing career. He is now back with the Rockies as the Bench Coach for the team’s Arizona Complex team in the low minors, according to MLB.com.
Oberg did a similar thing last summer to what Wolters is doing now. It’s cool to see the Rockies keeping some key figures from their franchise’s short history involved with the club.
