Rangers World Series Winner Mitch Garver Retires from Baseball

Mitch Garver’s short tenure with the Texas Rangers resulted in a world championship. On Wednesday, Garver reportedly retired from baseball.

Ted Schwerzler of minnesotasportsfan.com reported the retirement. Garver hasn’t posted anything on social media and there is no formal announcement from the Seattle Mariners, the team he played for the past few seasons.

The catcher and designated hitter played for Texas in 2022 and 2023 and helped the Rangers win their first World Series.

Mitch Garver with Rangers

The Rangers acquired Garver from the Minnesota Twins in a trade before the 2022 season. It turned into a lost year for him. He suffered a flexor tendon injury in his right arm early in the season and while he was able to bat, he was unable to throw due to the injury, so he was limited to designated hitter. By summer he opted for surgery so he could be ready for the 2023 season.

Even with another injury, a knee sprain, he made an impact on the Rangers’ run to the title. He batted .270 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI in the 2023 regular season. That was his best season since his breakout 2019 campaign with Minnesota, where he hit .273 with 31 home runs and 67 RBI.

In the postseason he was one of many unheralded players that showed up for the Rangers as he three home runs. The Rangers won every road game that postseason and beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.

The Rangers chose not to trigger his $20 million option for the 2024 season, and he landed with the Seattle Mariners, keeping him in the division. He played his final three seasons with the Mariners, as he slashed .185/.292/.333 with 28 home runs and 96 RBI as a catcher and DH. He helped the Mariners reach the American League Championship Series in 2025, where they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays and fell short of their first World Series appearance.

He broke into the Majors with the Minnesota Twins in 2017 and played his first five seasons in the Twin Cities. He put up solid numbers, as he slashed .256/.341/.494 with 53 home runs and 154 RBI. He was originally selected by the Twins in the ninth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the University of New Mexico. He’s an Albuquerque native.

All three catchers from the 2023 World Series teams are either retired or with other teams. Jonah Heim is back with the Athletics after the Rangers non-tendered him last offseason. Austin Hedges returned to the Cleveland Guardians after the Rangers opted not to re-sign him.