James Monger officially announced his retirement today on social media after spending the 2053 season with the Omaha short A team, collecting just 19 plate appearances as it appeared to be more of a “support” spot than an actual player this year.
With an even 56.0 career WAR, all spent with Omaha, “slap” has officially hung up his boots. He finished with 478 home runs, 488 doubles, nearly 1,400 RBI, and a triple slash line of .276/.333/.479 that all adds up to a 112 OPS+. In the field, he had an impressive 26.8 ZR at second base in 2,235 games. His 381 games spent at shortstop likely have kept him from over 60 career WAR, as he had a -24.7 ZR in those 381 games.
While he likely will fall short of joining the Brewster Hall of Fame, it seems that it is only a matter of time before he is inducted into the Cyclones' hall of fame.
“James has meant much more to this organization than I could even begin to put into words. Since we drafted him second overall in 2033, he has always gone above and beyond any of our expectations as a player, a teammate, or an individual. We couldn’t be more thankful to have experienced what he brought to our club.” Said Omaha GM Justin Niles.
“That’s not all, though. This isn’t the end of the movie for him. He is going to join our coaching staff immediately and will take over as the bench coach at the BBA level. Most guys need some seasoning, but not James. He is a proven leader, and we are so proud that he will continue to come to the ballpark daily to share his knowledge, strategy, and wit with each and every member of our organization. He has one ring to his name, but has 9 other fingers to fill with championship rings. Let’s go get some titles.”.
