In his own way, Chad Pinder, who retired over the weekend after 11 seasons in professional baseball, is going out on top.
Pinder, 31, who spent the previous seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, accomplished two important goals in the final days before hanging up his cleats. Both came simultaneously.
Playing for the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers earlier this month, Pinder rediscovered the hitting stroke that mostly abandoned him in 2022 — his final season with the major league A’s. In what the Gwinnett website labeled a “debut for the ages,” Pinder went 4 for 6 on May 18 with a two-run homer in the 11th inning to give the Stripers a 4-3 win at Memphis.
He followed the next night by going 4 for 5 with a home run. Doing so in Memphis was part of a dream-come-true weekend for Pinder, who had long wanted to play in a professional game with younger brother Chase Pinder, an outfielder for the Redbirds.
“How cool is it that I’m playing baseball, just shy of the highest level, with my younger brother?” Pinder said. “That was really special.”
But neither that nor his long-sought return to hitting form quieted the voices in his head urging him to retire.
“I was asking myself, `What am I playing for? What do I have to prove? What’s the purpose of this?’ ” Pinder said, realizing that a return to the majors would not further validate a career he already considered successful. “My decision to retire didn’t come overnight.
“I took my time and found peace in the answers to those questions. I knew I had nothing to hang my head about and that I left no stone unturned, playing for three different teams (this season).
“When I went to Memphis and had those two big games, there wasn’t that same spark and enjoyment. I felt if I couldn’t get fired up after that, I’m cheating my family, I’m cheating myself, I’m cheating the game and I’m cheating my teammates.”
And there was that other question, the biggest one of all: “Where can I be most useful to his family?”
Pinder’s second child, daughter Camden, was born five months ago. He said that event had no bearing in his decision when to retire, but he is certainly looking forward to spending more time at his Charlotte, N.C., home with her, 2½-year-old son CJ and wife Taylor.
“I’m ready to be part of the team in my family,” he said. “For the next month I’m going to decompress and soak up the time with my family, and be the husband and dad I want to be and need to be.”
Pinder will leave behind a memorable playing career that began on the playing fields of Poquoson, where he led the Islanders to two Group AAA championships. He was the winning pitcher in the state final as a junior, when older brother Clark Pinder scored the winning run to give him that victory.
An All-ACC career as an infielder at Virginia Tech followed, then Pinder became the ultimate utilityman after being drafted by the A’s in 2013 in the second round. During 553 games for Oakland, he played every position except catcher — including one inning in 2022 as a pitcher.
“We were losing by a lot,” he joked, when asked how that happened.
Since debuting with the A’s in 2016, Pinder batted more than 1,600 times, notching 388 hits, 62 home runs, 197 RBIs, 89 doubles, 62 home runs and a batting average of .242. No single moment stands out.
“The friendships, relationships and all the time in the clubhouse and on the field battling with my teammates are things I will always look back on fondly,” he said. “I’m grateful to have been a part of a couple of playoff teams in Oakland.”
While Pinder is done as a player, he indicates he is far from done with baseball. He plans to begin pursuit of his masters in Clinical Mental Health Studies next month and says it’s possible the knowledge gained in it will be part of his future in the game.
“Baseball will absolutely be part of my life,” he said. “I’m leaving every door open.
“I look back (to playing professionally) with nothing but a big smile. Even though there were some hard times mixed in there, it’s a beautiful game and I’m very lucky and blessed.
“It’s given me a beautiful life and I’m excited about what’s to come.”
