Munenori Kawasaki announces his retirement

Former Blue Jays fan favorite Munenori Kawasaki has announced his retirement after being released by his Japanese team. He says his heart is no longer in it.

Kawasaki played 3 seasons with the Jays. He hit .242/.326/.301 with 1 home run, 58 walks and 96 strikeouts. And 12 steals (but several very entertaining fake jumps from first, pretending to steal).

As a Jay he had a 2.2 bWAR, and I’m sure he’s the most popular replacement level player in Blue Jays history. I remember being told that Muni was a better team leader than Jose Bautista. That was a stretch, but, playing on a less that terrific Jays team, he was very entertaining to watch. He was a nice reminder that baseball is, above all else, entertainment.

But....I’m only posting this so I can post this video:

Congratulations Kawasaki, I hope you enjoy your retirement.