First baseman Lyle Overbay will likely retire this offseason, as he told MLB Network Radio that he is "99.9 percent sure" of retiring this offseason. This is all after he said he had struggled to find his swing this season with the Milwaukee Brewers.
"That daily grind that I used to love on a daily basis, I mean I loved it. I don't enjoy anymore. It's becoming that daily grind," Overbay said.
It is very common for players to start losing the love for the game of baseball later in their careers, as they have been in the game of baseball their entire lives and need some change, too.
In his fourteen big league seasons, Overbay has played with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees.
Overbay, a 37-year-old standout from the University of Nevada, spent all of the 2014 campaign with the Brewers. In Milwaukee, he was the team's part-time first basemen, as he was able to appear in 121 games. Despite playing in a large amount of games for a bench player, Overbay only accumulated 296 plate appearances, as he slashed .233/.328/.333 with four home runs, 35 runs batted in, fourteen doubles, a 85 OPS+ and a low -0.3 WAR.
From 2004 to 2010, Overbay averaged a 112 OPS+, but his numbers have significantly declined, as he has averaged a 88 OPS+ from 2011 to 2014. For his career, Overbay has hit .266/.347/.429, with a 106 OPS+, while collecting 1,355 hits, 356 doubles, 151 home runs, 638 walks, and a career 17.2 WAR.