Stone Garrett will always have a place in the hearts of true Nationals fans. His 2023 season was so much fun and a great story. He was a lovable journeyman who made the most of his shot with the Nats. However, he was never quite the same after a horrific injury at Yankees Stadium. Just a couple years after his magical season in DC, Stone Garrett announced his retirement this morning.
Hearing
the name Stone Garrett just brings a smile to my face. There are not too many Nationals players from the last five years you can say that about, but Stone is one of them. Sure, his performance played a part in that, but it was more than that.
Stone Garrett is such a charismatic presence with his giant muscles and big smile. He was clearly a beloved figure in the Nationals clubhouse. Players like MacKenzie Gore are still very close to Garrett. There was just an energy about him that was unique and easy to like.
Garrett took the hard way to the MLB. He spent 8 seasons in the Minors before getting a shot in Arizona in 2022. After that 2022 season, Garrett signed with the Nats as a Minor League free agent. However, he spent the 2023 season in the Big Leagues and looked like a breakout star.
Garrett started out as a bench player, but as the year went on he earned more playing time. His monster home runs and strong overall play gave Davey Martinez no choice. The fans were also clamoring for Garrett to play more.
In that 2023 season, his numbers were outstanding. In 234 at bats, Garrett hit .269 with an .800 OPS and 9 homers. By August, Garrett was earning regular playing time. However, in a game against the Yankees, disaster struck.
Stone Garrett broke his leg trying to make a play in the outfield. It was a horrific injury that would cost him the rest of that season. As we know now, he was never the same player after that injury.
In 2024, Garrett started the season in Triple-A with the expectation that he would join the Nats at some point. However, he really struggled for most of the season. His signature power was gone following the leg break.
However, at the end of the season, Garrett’s bat showed a little bit of life. In late September, the Nats gave him the call to come back to the MLB. There were only a few games left in the season and he was a beloved member of the team.
His first game back was a storybook ending to the season. In Garrett’s first at bat in the MLB, he launched a no doubt home run which sent the crowd and his teammates into a frenzy. As he rounded the bases and headed into the dugout, you could tell Garrett was emotional.
Fans hoped that this meant the 2023 Stone was back. However, baseball can be a harsh game. Garrett struggled mightily in AAA and was eventually released by the Nats. At the end of the day, baseball is a performance based business and Stone was not performing.
After the release, Garrett decided to go to Korea to try to reignite his career. However, he struggled over there as well. This leads us to today, where the beloved former Nat decided to hang up the cleats at 29 years old.
Nats fans wish the best of luck to Stone in his future endeavors. He brought us joy in an era of Nats baseball where joy was hard to come by. Players like Stone Garrett are what baseball is all about. Fans outside DC probably don’t even know who he is, but we will always love him.
