David Dahl’s career didn’t quite go as hoped but the one-time Colorado Rockies outfielder still earned a trip to an All-Star Game, helped a playoff team and spent seven years in the majors — on Wednesday, he said goodbye to baseball.
Dahl announced his retirement from baseball on social media via a nice video. He did not play any pro ball in the 2025 season and his last stint in the major was a short one with Philadelphia in 2024.
The Rockies selected Dahl with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft, and his talent was evident from the start — his career was simply derailed by a relentless string of injuries, including a wild play in Double-A which cost him his spleen. That happened in 2015, when it was removed after colliding with an outfield wall. A rib and back injury cost him any time in the majors during 2017. A broken right foot sidelined him for two months in 2018.
But when he was healthy, Dahl was a top-notch hitter. His breakout 2019 season earned him a spot on the National League All-Star team, and he recorded a single in the Midsummer Classic. He batted .302 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI in 100 games that year — a career high — before a high ankle sprain ended his season in early August. He played parts of four years for the Rockies and 11 years in the team’s system.
Once a top-25 prospect and hoped to be a big bat for the Rockies during their window built around Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story and the best pitching in franchise history, Dahl went hitless during the 2018 postseason — a microcosm of the entire team, which saw its offense disappear during its last playoff trip.
Baseball has been my life for as long as I can remember. From being a kid in Alabama chasing a lifelong dream to stepping foot on a big-league field…after 13 seasons and several months to reflect on it, it’s officially time for the next chapter.
Thank you, baseball. pic.twitter.com/ukcWCJfdN9
— David Dahl (@ddahl21) December 10, 2025
Dahl went on to play for the Rangers, Padres and Phillies, playing a total of 350 games in the big leagues, almost all of which actually came for the Rockies.
