One of the unsung heroes of the Houston Astros' 2022 World Series championship was Martin Maldonado.
He batted just .186, but he was such a steadying force behind the plate at catcher that he still played a ton of games.
His career is winding down in San Diego, though.
And according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Maldonado "plans to retire" after the 2025 season.
That'll end a 15-year MLB career.
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Maldonado has played for the Astros, Brewers, Angels, Royals, White Sox, Padres and Cubs.
He's now 38 years old and still in the big leagues in San Diego, where he's batting .188 this season.
Maldonado has hit .203 in his career with 118 homers.
His defense has allowed him to accumulate 6.3 Wins Above Replacement in his long career.
Maldonado was the American League's Gold Glove catcher in 2017 with the Angels.
According to Nightengale, Maldonado plans to spend a year away from the game and then get back into coaching.
Catchers become classically good coaches and managers, and there's no reason to believe the same wouldn't be true for Maldonado.
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