Los Angeles Angels reliever Ty Buttrey moves away from baseball and says he lost his affection for the game.
“I just wanted to prove everyone wrong,” the 28-year-old posted on social media on Saturday. “As time went on, baseball became more of a business and less of a game. I wouldn’t want to tell you that my love and passion for this game began to wane. I always thought that baseball it was a great job. I also knew this same job paid extremely well. “What kid doesn’t want a great job that pays well?”.
The right was one of the key pieces of the Angels’ bullpen in the last three seasons, but he struggled with control issues during spring training.
His 115 2018-20 appearances were fourth on the team among pitchers, and he had an 8-11 record with an effectiveness of 4.30.
Buttrey said he informed Angela of his decision to quit baseball and the organization asked him to take more time to think about it. He did not describe his next steps in his statement.
Angels manager Joe Maddon testified before Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox that he had been in contact with Buttrey since last weekend. He said the team would welcome him if he decided to return to baseball.
“There are a lot of times when you’re that age and you get confused with different things and you choose different routes. Maybe something is more important to him right now,” Maddon said. “It’s one of those things that depends on the individual. Respect. Respect.”