WASHINGTON — Pirates utility player John Jaso made a surprise announcement Sunday that he is probably retiring from baseball.
Jaso, 34, spent two seasons with the Pirates and enters free agency this offseason.
“Honestly, this is probably it for me, as far as baseball goes,” he said in the clubhouse after the Pirates’ 11-8 victory over the Washington Nationals. “I don't know, I've played this game for a while, it's done a lot of great things for me, and I got to meet a lot of really cool people along the way. But I don't know, my mind is going elsewhere and everything like that. We'll see. I mean I can't say anything for sure. I can't really tell you what the future holds or whatever. But if I left now, it would be a really good feeling to leave right now, if I did. These last couple of years with the Pirates were good.”
Jaso said he plans to travel, live on a sailboat and contribute to Puerto Rico’s hurricane relief efforts. He has some experience working in construction thanks to his uncle, he said. Jaso said he plans to be in touch with Pirates third base coach Joey Cora and Mike Gonzalez, special assistant to the general manager for cultural initiatives, who are Puerto Rican and are helping to facilitate the team’s relief efforts on the island.
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“Traveling, living simply, being anonymous, that sort of stuff,” Jaso said of his post-baseball plans. “Really I just want to live a simple life. I have a sailboat, so I just want to sail away. If you live on a sailboat, it's really hard to live complicated. You have to keep things simple, so that's kind of my catalyst and everything, and my ride and my home.”
Jaso was one of 23 Pirates who appeared during the team’s season finale Sunday at Nationals Park. Manager Clint Hurdle spread out opportunities in game No. 162 among rookies and veterans alike.
"Yeah, let me go out there and just have one more go-round there before taking off, it was nice,” Jaso said. “It was kind of a bittersweet moment for me at the end.”
In two seasons with the Pirates, Jaso hit .245 with 18 home runs, 77 RBIs and and a .342 on-base percentage. Overall, Jaso, a former catcher turned utility player, was grateful for the opportunity the Pirates gave him.
“When I had the concussions, I thought my career was over, and got to push through three more seasons and experience a couple more positions. It was nice,” he said.
Elizabeth Bloom: ebloom@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1750 and Twitter: @BloomPG.
First Published: October 2, 2017, 12:30 a.m.
