Elvis Andrus will officially retire as a member of the Texas Rangers on Friday, the team announced.
\"Being in the big leagues was always a blessing, but the game has changed, players have changed, teammates changed,\" Andrus said.
\"Everybody is in their early 20s. Everybody I grew up with is out now. The last five years, I\'ve seen all the guys that were my closest friends retire. Over the last few years, I found myself thinking: \'When is it going to be my time?\' I thought this was going to be a depressing journey, but it\'s been amazing. I really thought it was going to be harder to be away, but I\'ve really been at peace and I\'m at peace with the next decision about the next journey.\"
Andrus, 36, originally signed with the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2005. He was traded as a prospect to the Rangers in the big Mark Teixeira trade at the 2007 deadline, then won the Opening Day shortstop job as a 20-year-old in 2009.
He was selected to the All-Star Game the next season and, from 2009-17, he was one of the most reliable and most durable shortstops in the game.