Matt Carpenter and Alec Burleson share a laugh in the Cardinals dugout after Carpenter’s double scored Burleson in the eighth inning of a game against the Cubs Saturday, May, 25, 2024, at Busch Stadium. Carpenter, who spent two stints with the Cardinals across 12 seasons, announced his retirement Wednesday, May 15, 2025.
PHILADELPHIA — Early in his professional baseball career, before he debuted in the majors and about the time he wondered if he ever would, Matt Carpenter received a phone call offering him a chance to coach college baseball, to leave the cleats behind for a clipboard, so to speak.
He declined, promising himself at least another season to chase the majors.
Fourteen years, three All-Star Games, one National League pennant with the Cardinals and a strong run as one of the game’s leading leadoff hitters later and Carpenter may take that call about coaching, eventually. Carpenter announced his retirement Wednesday morning in a series of social media posts and a guest appearance on a former teammate’s podcast.
“For the past 16 years I’ve been fortunate enough to live out my childhood dream of playing professional baseball,” Carpenter wrote in a comment shared on Instagram. “This sport has given me more than I couldn’t ever dreamed — a career filled with purpose, challenges, and immense joy.”
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Carpenter, 39, returned to the Cardinals for the 2024 season and put the finishing touches on a career that included 1,257 hits, 329 doubles and three top 12 finishes for the MVP award.
Teammates with the Cardinals through the run of four consecutive National League Championship Series, Carpenter and longtime pitcher Lance Lynn will both be eligible for the team’s Hall of Fame in 2028. Lynn retired earlier this season as well, and the two All-Stars are likely to appear on the fan ballot for election to the red jackets.
On the podcast “Get in the Game” with Scott Linebrink, Carpenter made his retirement official and thanked many of the people who contributed to his career, starting with his wife, Mackenzie. He also noted each of the teams he played for — a group that included the Yankees, Padres and Cardinals.
“Was very fortunate enough to play for some great organizations and had quite a thrill being able to don the St. Louis Cardinals logo for many years.” Carpenter said during the podcast.
He elaborated on that sentiment in a social media post.
“To the city of St. Louis and the amazing Cardinal fans, thank you for making me one of your own,” Carpenter wrote. “You welcomed me, supported me through ups and downs, and gave me a place to raise a family. Getting to finish my career where it started was a dream come true. Playing in front of you wasn’t just a job, it was an honor. I’ll carry that with me for life.”
The Cardinals selected Carpenter in the 13th round of the 2009 draft. As a fifth-year senior coming back from elbow surgery, Carpenter had no leverage for his first pro contract and signed for a $1,000 bonus. Carpenter once described how he felt if he was going to reach the majors, he had to move quickly through the minors because he would not get the time or attention of the higher-picked, higher-bonus players. In his first major league spring training, he impressed manager Tony La Russa with his work ethic, prompting the Hall of Fame manager to say he tried to beat Carpenter to the ballpark before dawn and that he couldn’t stop playing the versatile hitter.
Carpenter debuted in 2011, played seven games for the eventual World Series champions and became a regular in 2012. By 2013, he was the leadoff hitter for the best offense in the National League and taking a run at a record set by Cardinals great Stan Musial.
In late September 2013, Carpenter hit his 54th and 55th doubles of the season to break Musial’s club record for doubles by a left-handed hitter — a record that stood for 60 years.
That same year, he hit .318 with a .392 on-base percentage and 73 extra-base hits. He finished fourth in the MVP voting and began to help rewrite the power profile of leadoff hitters while also earning a reputation for a keen eye at the plate. Ahead of the 2018 season, Carpenter made a conscious choice to chase more home runs and late in that season led the National League in homers and slugging before finishing with a career-best 36 homers to go with 42 doubles. In July of that year, Carpenter hit three home runs and two doubles in the same game at Wrigley Field to become the first player ever with five extra-base hits before the seventh inning.
His 16 total bases in the game set a major league record at leadoff.
The change eventually came with a cost as Carpenter struggled to maintain his production in the following years and also faced constant, extreme defensive shifts from opponents to rob him of hits.
From 2012 to 2018, only Angels outfielder Mike Trout had a higher on-base percentage from the leadoff spot than Carpenter, .397 to .389. Carpenter’s .495 slugging percentage from the leadoff spot in that span ranked sixth behind Trout, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor and Charlie Blackmon, a contemporary who also brought the power component to the leadoff spot before the others joined in.
Carpenter scored the most runs from the leadoff spot in those seven seasons (509), hit the most doubles (203), took the most walks (422) and ranked second behind only Trout when it came to creating runs, doing so 64% better than league average.
“This guy, even before he got to the big leagues, just prepared in a way that was pretty impressive,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, Carpenter’s first roommate in professional baseball. “You feel pretty good about anything coming your way when you’re as prepared as he was. That is what allows him to play for as long as he did is coming through in those moments and not making it bigger than they were.
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t deal with the angst or the nerves that come with that,” Marmol continued Wednesday morning before the Cardinals’ doubleheader against the Phillies. “Your ability to process it better than most allows you to survive.”
Carpenter holds the Cardinals’ record for leadoff homers at 24.
He also retires as one of the game’s best with the bases loaded. At one point in his career, Carpenter nearly had as many times reaching base with the bases loaded as the opponent had been able to get him out. In 107 plate appearances with the bases loaded, Carpenter hit .432 with a .676 slugging percentage to go with two grand slams and 101 RBIs.
The son of a Hall of Fame high school baseball, Carpenter grew up in Texas and played for his father Rick’s powerhouse prep teams.
Carpenter remains in contact with Cardinals officials and former teammates to talk about hitting, preparation and things that sure sound like the early stages of coaching. Marmol mentioned how Carpenter’s presence in the clubhouse a year ago still has benefits that he sees this year in players and his coaching staff. Asked if he already reached out to Carpenter with an invitation to join spring training or to appear in some capacity as a coach, Marmol shook his head and said he’d let Carpenter get some “well-deserved time” with Mackenzie and their two young kids.
In the podcast, Carpenter echoed those immediate plans.
But the game will call again.
“I’m excited for what’s next,” he said.
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