Former first-round pick, top prospect announces retirement from baseball

Twins outfielder and first baseman Alex Kirilloff retires from his playing career, he announced on Instagram account Thursday morning. The Gemini next confirmed his retirement in an announcement on

The surprising decision comes due to the many injuries Kirilloff has suffered during his career. The outfielder was plagued by a number of wrist, shoulder and back injuries throughout his career, leaving him on the injured list seven times during his four years in the Majors, limiting him to just 249 games at the big league level. That long list of injuries includes three surgeries: two on his wrist and one on his shoulder.

“In my nine professional seasons I have encountered numerous injuries, which led me to look for new ways to overcome the pain. These challenges have taken their toll both mentally and physically; Over time I have realized that my passion for playing the game has changed,” Kirilloff said in his announcement. “Baseball requires an ‘all-in’ approach, something I have brought with me every season. However, I can no longer give it the total commitment it requires. I have always believed that playing this game requires 110% effort, and anything less would not do justice to my teammates, coaches, fans or the game itself.”

Kirilloff’s professional career began when he was selected 15th overall by the Twins in the 2016 draft. Although he didn’t make his full-season professional debut until 2018, Kirilloff tore through the lower levels of the minors with a .348/.392/.578 slash line in 130 games at the Single-A and High-A levels in that first full season, which immediately catapulted him to top prospect status. He entered 2019 as a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport, and even after a slight dip in production during his first taste of Double-A action that year, he remained a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport when he made his great success. competition debut in 2021.

Although hampered by a torn ligament in his wrist, Kirilloff’s first season in the Majors was generally solid, as he slashed a league average of around .251/.299/.423 with eight home runs and 11 doubles in just 231 trips to the plate. . Unfortunately, those wrist problems continued to plague Kirilloff in his second year as a big leaguer, limiting him to just 156 appearances in 45 games and requiring him to undergo wrist surgery for the second consecutive season.

After that second wrist operation, things finally seemed to be looking up for the talented youngster last year. His season debut was postponed until early May due to recovery from the aforementioned surgery, but he hit quite well with a .314/.448/.486 slash line in that first month back in the majors. Although his production dipped a bit from there, he remained a fixture in the Twins lineup through the first half, hitting a solid .270/.357/.442 through the end of July. Unfortunately, he was promptly sidelined with a strained right shoulder that would see him miss the entire month of August. Although he managed to return late in the year to play another 19 games in September, the ailment ultimately required another operation, forcing him into his third consecutive offseason rehabilitation.

When Kirilloff returned to the Twins lineup in 2024, he again hit quite well early in the season with a .259/.323/.471 slash line through May 1. However, the outfielder started to struggle, even though his underlying statistics were poor. solid, hitting just .135/.207/.284 in what would ultimately be the final 30 games of his big league career. Hampered again by injury, Kirilloff was placed on the injured list in mid-June due to a back injury he was trying to play through. With the fourth consecutive offseason set to be dominated by the rehab process, it is understandable that Kirilloff said he was unable to put in the “110% effort” required to be a professional baseball player.

Overall, Kirilloff wraps up his big league career with 249 games played in the Majors and a respectable .248/.309/.412 slash line over 884 trips to the plate.