Parra retires from MLB, joins Nationals as special assistant originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Gerardo Parra has decided to call it a career after 12 seasons in the big leagues and join the Nationals’ front office as a special assistant to the GM, MASN’s Dan Kolko announced during Sunday’s broadcast of their game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Parra, 35, endeared himself to the franchise and its fans after signing with the Nationals during their 2019 championship season. Having just been released by the San Francisco Giants in early 2019, Parra joined the club in May and quickly became a clubhouse leader.

He helped his teammates overcome their dreadful 19-31 start, encouraging them to adopt a relaxed approach to the game while delivering hits in several key moments. Parra also became a viral sensation for making “Baby Shark” his walk-up song.

Though he only hit .250 in 89 games with the Nationals during the regular season and had just seven plate appearances in the playoffs, Parra’s impact was captured on their World Series rings in the form of a Baby Shark engravement. He played the 2020 season in Japan before returning to D.C. last season for one final run; the Nationals also invited Parra to spring training this year but he didn’t make the roster.

Before finishing off his career with the Nationals, Parra completed stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2009-14), Milwaukee Brewers (2014-15), Baltimore Orioles (2015), Colorado Rockies (2016-18) and Giants (2019). He won a pair of Gold Gloves with the Diamondbacks and ended his career as a .275 hitter with 90 home runs, 269 doubles and 532 RBIs.