There have been two significant retirements announced in Major League Baseball over the last 48 hours. According to CBS Sports on Tuesday, Texas Rangers catcher Tucker Barnhart of Indianapolis, Indiana retired at the age of 34. Then on Wednesday, Texas Rangers outfielder Kevin Pillar of West Hills, California, retired at the age of 36 according to Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors. Both Barnhart and Pillar were known for their defense. Barnhart won two Gold Glove awards at the catcher position. The first in 2017 and the second in 2020. Pillar, meanwhile was known for the quality of his catches in the outfield. Many of the catches were of the highlight reel variety.
Who did Barnhart play for?
Barnhart played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. He played eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds from 2014 to 2021, and one season each with the Detroit Tigers (2022), Chicago Cubs (2023), Arizona Diamondbacks (2024), and Texas Rangers (2025).
Who did Pillar play for?
Pillar played 13 seasons of MLB. He was with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2013 to 2019, the San Francisco Giants in 2019, the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies in 2020, the New York Mets in 2021, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, the Atlanta Braves in 2023, the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels in 2024, and Texas Rangers in 2025. It is interesting that Pillar and Barnhart played this season with the Rangers.
Barnhart and Pillar in 2025
Barnhart batted .231 this season with zero home runs and zero runs batted in. During eight games, 13 at bats and 15 plate appearances, Barnhart had one walk, three total bases, an on base percentage of .333 and a slugging percentage of .231. Barnhart’s walk came in a 2-1 Rangers win over the Colorado Rockies on May 12.
Pillar batted .209 with zero home runs and one run batted in. During 20 games, 43 at bats, and 43 plate appearances, he scored six runs, and had nine hits, two doubles, three stolen bases, 11 total bases, an on base percentage of .209, and a slugging percentage of .256.
Barnhart’s career stats
Barnhart batted .241 with 53 home runs and 292 runs batted in. During 920 games, 3103 plate appearances, and 2749 at bats, he scored 254 runs and had 662 hits, 131 doubles, six triples, eight stolen bases, 297 walks, 964 total bases, 18 sacrifice bunts, 17 sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .318 and a slugging percentage of .351.
Pillar’s career stats
Pillar batted .255 with 114 home runs and 469 runs batted in. During 1234 games, 4409 plate appearances, 4131 at bats, 533 runs, 1053 hits, 245 doubles, 16 triples, 111 stolen bases, 176 walks, 1672 total bases, 13 sacrifice bunts, 32 sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .293, and a slugging percentage of .405.
