KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A key figure in the Kansas City Royals’ back-to-back American League pennant victories in 2014 and 2015 announced on Monday that he will retire as a member of the team.
Former Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas revealed that he will sign a one-day contract with the club during spring training in Surprise, Arizona, later this year.
“This city and this organization mean so much to me and my family,” Moustakas said in a video shared by the Royals.
The signing will take place on May 31, followed by a retirement ceremony in the afternoon, prior to the Royals’ home game against the Detroit Tigers at 3:10 p.m.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63067425/1046214226.jpg.0.jpg)
Moustakas played a pivotal role in the Royals’ rebuild after years of underperformance. Selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft from Chatsworth, California, Moustakas made his MLB debut in 2011, playing in 89 games as a rookie for Kansas City.
Fans would often shout “Moose” in excitement as he stepped to the plate or made a highlight-worthy play. He hit 22 home runs and drove in 82 RBIs during the Royals’ 2015 World Series championship run.
In 2017, Moustakas set a Royals record by hitting 38 home runs and earned the AL Comeback Player of the Year award. He was traded to Milwaukee in 2018 and later played for the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Angels.
Moustakas retired from professional baseball after attending the Chicago White Sox’s spring training in 2024. Over the course of his 13 MLB seasons, Moustakas posted a .247/.307/.431 batting line with 215 home runs and 683 RBIs. During his eight seasons with the Royals, he recorded a .736 OPS with 858 hits, 388 runs scored, 184 doubles, 139 home runs, and 441 RBIs in 934 games.
