Former Mets Gold Glove winner Juan Lagares officially retires
Former Mets Gold Glove-winning outfielder Juan Lagares announced his retirement Thursday after two decades in professional baseball.
Lagares, whose last MLB appearance came in 2022, thanked the Dominican Winter League’s Águilas Cibaeñas in a social media post after appearing with the team for the last four seasons.
“Thank you so much, Águilas family,” the 36-year-old wrote in Spanish on Instagram, which was translated by The Post. “Thank you to the fans for your unconditional support on and off the field. I will be eternally grateful. God bless you always. With gratitude and pride.”
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Juan Lagares announced his retirement from baseball on Thursday. Paul J. Bereswill
The Constanza, Dominican Republic, native began his pro career by signing with the Mets as an international free agent in 2006.
He ascended in the Mets’ system as a light-hitting prospect with elite outfield defense, eventually reaching the majors in April 2013 and winning a Gold Glove the next year.
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He made a strong first impression at the plate in his rookie season, including being named National League Player of the Week for July 15-21, 2013, after hitting .700 with a home run and five RBIs.
In 121 games that season, Lagares slashed .242/.281/.352 with four homers and 34 RBIs while playing outstanding defense, including a franchise-rookie-record 15 outfield assists.
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Lagares won a Gold Glove with the Mets in 2014. Getty Images
After making the Mets’ Opening Day roster in 2014, Lagares went down with a right hamstring injury in mid-April and did not play much upon his return, sparking a “Free Lagares” campaign on social media.
Despite going down with another injury in June, Lagares put together the best season of his major league career in 2014.
He hit .281 with four homers, 47 RBIs, 117 hits and 13 stolen bases while winning a Gold Glove, joining Tommie Agee (1970) and Carlos Beltran (2006-08) as the only other Mets outfielders to win the award.
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The Mets honored Lagares alongside a bevy of other Mets legends before their home opener last April as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Juan is by far the best outfielder I’ve seen, that I’ve played with and got a chance to watch,” Curtis Granderson said after Lagares won the award. “There are some amazing things he does because he’s not necessarily the fastest guy out there, but his jumps are amazing. His reads are amazing and the fact that you can throw in center field is a top tool to have.
“If you think about all the center fielders in the game, there’s not too many of them that can possess an arm with that much accuracy and that much strength. So he’s got that, he’s got the range. He closes the gap. Everyone talks about how big Citi Field is and he made it look very small out there.”
Enticed by his defensive and offensive upside, the Mets signed Lagares to a four-year, $23 million extension in April 2015.
While Lagares remained a strong defender, he never took the next step at the plate and spent the remainder of his Mets tenure battling injuries, mostly as a fourth outfielder.
Lagares briefly joined the Padres on a minor league deal in 2020 but eventually returned to the Mets later in the year after never appearing for San Diego in the majors.
His New York return lasted just two games as the Mets designated him for assignment.
Lagares spent his final two MLB campaigns with the Angels, hitting .228 with six homers from 2021-22.
The Mets honored Lagares alongside a bevy of other Mets legends before their home opener last April as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
