By Mallory Mattingly
The Saint Louis Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter recently decided it’s time to hang up his cleats to be a full-time dad after 14 seasons in the MLB.
He officially announced his retirement on Sports Spectrum’s “Get in the Game” podcast.
“God really just put it on my heart that it was time to come home and be a dad,” Carpenter said. “I’ve got two little kids. I’ve got a third-grade daughter, Kinley. I got a first-grade son, Cannon. And they are just in such fun ages. I just didn’t want to miss out on any more things that you miss as a professional athlete.”
“I was very fortunate enough to play for some great organizations, and I had quite a thrill being able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years, a brief stint with the New York Yankees and also the San Diego Padres,” the infielder/designated hitter added. “I’m excited for what’s next and getting to spend some much-needed quality time with my wife and kids on a more consistent basis now that I’ve put the cleats up. So, yeah, it’s exciting stuff.”
Throughout his entire career, Carpenter let God guide him. That became especially evident when he made the call to retire.
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“For all of my children’s lives at this point, I haven’t been that constant figure at the house due to the demands of a Major League Baseball season,” he said. “I mean, the one benefit of playing professional sports is you do have an offseason where you come home and you are there every single night and you’re spending hours a day that someone that’s working a normal job maybe doesn’t get to spend. You can kind of double down on that time. But then once the season starts, you’re gone a lot and just that tugging on my heartstrings in that specific area when it comes to my wife and children was a big one.”
“As we as we went through the off season, it just became clear and clear to me that, you know, God wanted me here at home,” he added.
For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.
According to MLB.com, Carpenter, who the outlet calls a fan favorite and a likely Cardinals Hall of Famer, completed an outstanding career with Saint Louis. He also played one season with the Yankees and one with the Padres. He finished “in the top 12 in National League MVP voting three times. In 12 campaigns with the Cardinals — 11 from 2011-21 and a final season in 2024 — Carpenter slashed .261/.366/.446/.812 with 159 homers, 308 doubles and 591 RBIs.”
Though Carpenter has enjoyed a successful MLB career, nothing quite compares to being a dad, and he’s ready to take full advantage of his time with his wife and kids, a decision he won’t regret.
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