Eleven years after going pro at the age of 18, former Washington Nationals outfielder Stone Garrett has retired, the 29-year-old announced on his Instagram on Wednesday morning.
An eighth-round draft pick of the Miami Marlins in 2014 out of high school, the Sugar Land, Texas native struggled to find his footing in the minor leagues a bit despite being named the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2015. After only reaching Double-A with the organization in 2019, Garrett appeared to be on his way to the doorstep of the majors when the COVID-19 pandemic spurred the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season. Garrett elected free agency in November of that year, signing on with the Diamondbacks where he would spend 2021 in Double-A before getting a full campaign at Triple-A the following year. 2022 also saw Garrett crack the major league roster for the first time, posting an .848 OPS in 27 games over the final two months of a third straight losing season for the D-Backs.
The Diamondbacks did not tender Garrett a contract in the offseason, and he soon jumped ship to the Nationals. He played just two games at Rochester in 2023 before being selected to the major league roster as a bench bat; mid-season injuries to Corey Dickerson and Víctor Robles gave Stone a chance to start on a regular basis, and Garrett did not look back. From June onward, the 27-year-old posted a .273/.358/.532 slash line for a 135 wRC+ with 20 extra-base hits and 31 RBI. Stone would finish the 2023 season 4th overall on the Nationals in offensive Wins Above Replacement.
Just as soon as his chance in the spotlight had begun, however, it was ripped away. Trying to make a leaping play on a DJ LeMahieu home run on August 23, Garrett crashed into the fence in right field at Yankee Stadium, fracturing his left fibula in the process and requiring season-ending surgery. Garrett would not see game action again until the middle of April 2024, detailing his arduous recovery journey--aided by his mother and teammate MacKenzie Gore--in the team's clubhouse that September.
Garrett's time with the club wouldn't last too much longer. He struggled to find his power stroke at Rochester in 2024, hitting just 3 home runs with an OPS south of .700. He did return to the big leagues in the final week of the season, though, following Andrés Chaparro's placement on the paternity list, and provided one more big moment in his first of six plate appearances. On September 27, Stone Garrett, facing Ranger Suárez, turned on a curveball that stayed in the zone just a hair too long, cranking it 430 feet to left field for a two-run blast. It would be Stone's final home run in Major League Baseball.
Garrett started the 2025 season at Triple-A Rochester after passing waivers in February, but slashed just .087/.176/.130 in 51 plate appearances and was cut from the organization altogether. A brief stint with the KBO League's Kiwoom Heroes saw Garrett knock in 15 runs in 22 games but otherwise post a 63 wRC+, and Stone's contract with the club was not renewed upon its expiration in July.
To this day, Stone Garrett holds a special place in my heart. I first learned about Garrett in 2022 when, in my Out of the Park Baseball Nationals franchise, I employed him in a bench role. In under 100 plate appearances through June 8, 2023, Stone's video game likeness had hit 7 home runs, including three through his first five pinch-hit appearances. I was ecstatic to see the team sign him in real life that November, and was even moreso when the dude started raking. The first Nationals jersey I ever purchased was a Stone Garrett cherry blossom City Connect. Suffice it to say, Stone Garrett, in his brief time in the major leagues, made a significant positive impact in a dark period of Nationals baseball.
Stone, if you're reading this, from me and everyone at District on Deck, congratulations on a successful professional career, and happy trails to wherever you go next.