The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Saturday morning that minor league outfielder Tyler Gaffney has retired. Gaffney was originally drafted by the Pirates in the 24th round in 2012 out of Stanford and played that summer for State College. After putting up strong stats, he returned to school to pursue a football career, which led to two Super Bowl rings without him actually getting into a real game.
After injuries derailed his football career, Gaffney decided to return to baseball last year. He went to Bradenton to begin the season and hit .291/.391/.470 in 38 games, before moving up to Altoona in early June. There he saw limited time and hit .194/.313/.298 in 51 games. He went 14-for-19 in stolen bases during the season.
Gaffney, who turns 28 years old in April, would have been competing this spring for a spot in the Altoona outfield.