Former Blue Jay Martin officially announces retirement

After 14 years of dawning an MLB uniform, Russell Martin has decided to walk away from professional baseball as he announced his retirement on Instagram Saturday. 

In a heartfelt message, the four-time All-Star thanked the clubs he played for and the numerous people in his life that supported him along the way. 

Martin, a native Torontonian, was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 35th round of the  MLB June Amateur Draft from Polyvalente Edouard Montpetit in Montreal as well as by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft from Chipola College in Florida. 

Martin spent the early years of his MLB career with the Dodgers, where he played five seasons (2006-10) in Southern California. In his first season in the big leagues, Martin finished ninth in Rookie of the Year voting, with 117 hits, 10 home runs and 65 RBI. The following two seasons (2007-08) would see Martin collect his first and second All-Star nods. 

Departing the NL West for the AL East, Martin joined the New York Yankees for two seasons (2011-12). During his time in the Bronx, Martin tallied 188 hits, 118 RBI, and 39 home runs and earned his third All-Star nod in 2011. 

Following the 2012 season, Martin signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played two seasons (2013-14), recording 209 hits, 122 RBI, and 26 home runs. 

Finding himself a free agent again after the 2014 season, Martin signed north of the border to play for his hometown Toronto Blue Jays. 

Martin spent four seasons in Toronto (2015-18), where he recorded 335 hits, 66 home runs and 211 RBI. His first two seasons were highlighted by the Blue Jays' first AL East title since 1993 in 2015 and back-to-back ALCS appearances (2015, 2016). 

In 2019, Martin was