Longtime veteran outfielder with brief SF Giants tenure announces retirement

The 2019 campaign saw an SF Giants team very much in transition as a new front office took over and aggressively cycled through the 40-man roster. This led to some brief stints in a Giants uniform, including a veteran outfielder who recently announced his retirement.

Longtime veteran outfielder with brief SF Giants tenure announces retirement

Gerardo Parra has hung up his spikes after 12 seasons according to Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. The veteran outfielder has moved into a role as a special assistant in the Washington Nationals front office.

Parra originally signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2004 and debuted with the club in 2009. Early in his career, the 35-year-old proved to be an excellent defender as he took home a Gold Glove in two of his first five seasons.

The left-handed bat was a below-average hitter throughout his career, posting a 91 OPS+ in 12 seasons. However, he did prove to be a capable hitter in a platoon role as he slashed a .285/.330/.428 line against right-handed pitching.

By the time that Parra made his way to San Francisco, the Giants had more questions than answers in the outfield. The Giants inked the veteran outfielder to a minor league contract with a camp invite just before the 2019 season.

The hope was that Parra could provide a steady glove and good at-bats, but that did not come to fruition. In 97 plate appearances, Parra registered a .198/.278/.267 line (47 OPS+) with just one home run and six RBI before being released.

Parra did not know it at the time, but this proved to be a fortuitous transaction as he latched on with the Nationals for the remainder of the season. His bat warmed up with Washington as he posted a .747 OPS in 204 plate appearances to finish out the 2019 season.

The Nationals went on to win the World Series that year and Parra played a role in that. The longtime outfielder returned to the Nationals in 2021 where he made his final stop as a major leaguer.

Parra did ink a minor league pact with Washington in 2022 but he did not make the club out of camp. In 12 seasons, Parra appeared with the Diamondbacks, Nationals, Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Colorado Rockies. We at Around the Foghorn want to wish Parra the best as he shifts into a new career!