Former Cardinal Dexter Fowler announces retirement

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - A former Cardinal whose wide, winning grin delivered numerous smiles to St. Louis fans from 2017 to 2020 has decided to hang up his cleats.

Dexter Fowler announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Tuesday following a 14-year career in the big leagues.

Thank you to the fans.

Stay tuned for what’s next. pic.twitter.com/qZd84zge6Z
— dexfowler.eth (@DexterFowler) January 31, 2023

The Cardinals signed Fowler as a free agent the winter following his contributions to the Chicago Cubs ending their 108-year World Series drought in 2016. A trade ahead of the 2021 season sent Fowler to the Los Angeles Angels, where an unfortunate torn ACL in April of that year cut his career shorter than anticipated. He did not play during the 2022 season.

Fowler was a sparkplug for the Cubs during his final season in Chicago, but it could be argued that his first year in St. Louis was an even better statistical achievement for the veteran outfielder. Fowler posted a career-high .488 slugging percentage to complement a robust .363 on-base percentage in 2017.

A trying 2018 campaign saw Fowler post career-low numbers across the board, but it still provided some great memories for fans. His 14th-inning walk-off homer that snuck over the outstretched glove of former Cardinal right fielder Jason Heyward was a highlight from an otherwise forgettable year in Cardinals baseball.

How could you ever forget this? Thank you @DexterFowler pic.twitter.com/YdKCERJpuc
— Ryan (@The_Ryan_Shull) January 31, 2023

Fowler bounced back the next year, rebounding to a .751 OPS in 2019 while providing a career-high 19 home runs for a St. Louis team that returned to the NLCS for the first time since 2014. Though Fowler spent only four years with the Cardinals, he hit more home runs with St. Louis (49) than he did in six years with Colorado (40).