Catcher Chad Wallach announced his retirement following 14 seasons in professional baseball, including spending parts of seven MLB seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels.
Wallach, 34, announced his decision Monday, Oct. 12, on Instagram after spending the 2026 season in the Athletics organization, primarily with Triple-A Las Vegas. He finishes his major league career with a .198 batting average, 11 home runs and 39 RBIs across 156 games.
The son of former All-Star infielder Tim Wallach, Chad followed in his father’s footsteps to Cal State Fullerton before being drafted by the Marlins in 2013 and enjoying a productive big-league career.
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His biggest highlight came on May 10, 2022, in just his second game with the Angels. Wallach homered and caught rookie pitcher Reid Detmers’ no-hitter in a 12-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Wallach enjoyed his most extensive major league playing time in 2023, appearing in 65 games for Los Angeles. He recorded career highs with seven home runs, 31 hits, 18 runs scored and 15 RBIs.
He also caught 15 of Shohei Ohtani‘s 23 starts that season. To this day, only one MLB catcher (Max Stassi) has caught more Ohtani innings than Wallach.
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Wallach made his major-league debut with Cincinnati in 2017 before moving on to Miami. He later joined the Angels, with additional stops in the Texas Rangers and Athletics organizations as he continued pursuing opportunities in professional baseball.
“After fourteen seasons, I’m ready to hang ‘em up,” Wallach wrote on his Instagram account. “It’s been a great run and a bit of wild ride! Thank you to everyone who has been a part of it, especially my family, friends, teammates, and coaches that have been there through it all!”
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