The former first rounder hangs up his cleats after 13 seasons in the big leagues
One of the greatest pitchers in Missouri Tigers baseball history officially hung up his cleats today for the last time.
Kyle Gibson, who last appeared in the majors this season with the Baltimore Orioles, announced his retirement on the “Serving It Up!” podcast where he is a regular guest hosted by St. Louis Cardinals sideline reporter Jim “The Cat” Hayes.
“It’s been exciting being home, and exciting turning the page to a new chapter,” he said, “I’ve kind of taken the last couple of weeks to call people and text people that I really wanted to let know in person, and I’m going to take the next few days and try to write something up and make sure that I can properly thank everybody that needs to be thanked for the last 15, 16 years in professional baseball.”
Gibson pitched for 13 years in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles and Cardinals, ending his career with over 11 seasons of service time in the big leagues. He was named an all-star in 2021 with the Rangers, making 19 starts with a 2.87 ERA before being moved to the Phillies at the trade deadline.
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His best full statistical season came in 2018 with the Twins, when he recorded a 3.62 ERA in 32 starts and had 3.5 WAR (wins above replacement) – tied for his career high with 2021.
Gibson’s professional career began with the Twins, who drafted him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft out of Mizzou.
The Greenfield, Indiana, native was a three-year starter in Columbia, reaching the NCAA Regionals all three seasons and finishing his Tigers career second in program history with 304 career punchouts. He elevated his play to another level in his draft year, recording a 3.21 ERA and 131 strikeouts, a single-season Mizzou record.
The effort earned him First Team All-Big 12 and Second Team All-American honors, alongside being named a Golden Spikes National Player of the Year semifinalist. He also pitched for USA Baseball’s National Collegiate Team before becoming a first-rounder.
He made his MLB debut with Minnesota in 2013 and pitched for the organization until 2019, when he signed a three-year, $28 million contract with the Rangers as a free agent.
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Later stops included 2023 with the Orioles, where he had a 4.73 ERA in a career-high 33 starts on a division-winning team, and a bounce-back 2024 season with the Cardinals. He had a 4.24 ERA in 30 starts with the Redbirds last season, his last full year of professional baseball.
Gibson returned to the Orioles on a one-year deal in late March and joined the major league rotation at the end of April. He struggled greatly in four starts, though, and was designated for assignment May 18.
The Tampa Bay Rays picked him up at the end of that month and assigned him to AAA Durham, where he dominated with a 0.52 ERA in four starts and 22 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched.
“The goal for me going there was trying to get my stuff and how I felt physically to match up and the results to match up and I felt really good,” he said, “My stuff was kind of back to where I wanted to be, velocity was right where I needed to be. And then the stuff that Tampa was having me work on, just from a pitch usage and location and execution side, really worked out well.”
Gibson opted out of his contract when it was clear there wasn’t any room on the Rays’ major league roster, and hoped to get another big league opportunity elsewhere. With few opportunities available, he talked over the situation with his family during a vacation and eventually decided he’d thrown his last professional pitch.
“That’s kind of where I ended up a couple of weeks ago, whenever it turned out that I just wasn’t going to get the opportunity that I was looking for,” he said.
The Mizzou legend ends his career with a 112-111 record across 334 major league appearances, 328 of those being starts, and 1,878 innings. He compiled a 4.60 ERA, 14.3 career WAR, and 1,520 strikeouts in those nearly 2,000 innings.
As for his future, Gibson indicated an interest in coaching – though spending time with his family is his top priority. Whatever comes next, congratulations to a Tigers great on the completion of a fantastic career.
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