Kansas City Royals: Luke Hochevar calls it quits for good

A member of the 2015 World Champion Kansas City Royals has been forced to give up his dream of returning to the MLB. Luke Hochevar officially announced his retirement from the MLB on August 13.

Former Kansas City Royals right handed pitcher Luke Hochevar held onto the hope that he would return to baseball and be able to pitch again. Two years ago, Hochevar underwent thoracic outlet surgery as means of alleviating pain in his neck and shoulder.

He discovered last year that he would never be able to pitch again without pain. He made his return to Kauffman Stadium to throw out a ceremonial first pitch in celebration of 50 years of the franchise.

Though he was hoping for a comeback, he realized that it was not worth the pain to continue pitching. He worked hard to try and rehabilitate after surgery. But unfortunately, his time in the MLB is over.

Career Statistics

Hochevar was first drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, first in 2002 in the 39th round and then again in 2005 in the first round. He finally became a part of the MLB in 2006 when he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the first overall pick in the draft.

His career record ended up at 46-65. He pitched in 279 games total, and he tallied a career ERA of 4.98. His nine year career started as a starting pitcher before he transitioned to a relief role in 2013.

In 2015, he came out of the bullpen and pitched in 49 games. During that season, he yielded an ERA of 3.73 through 50.2 innings of work.

Though his career did not end on his own terms, he has been quoted saying that he has no regrets. He spent his whole career with the Kansas City Royals, and he is obviously grateful to the organization. Although we would have loved to see a comeback, Luke Hochevar had to make the decision that was best for him.