Aubrey Huff Officially Retires, Will Join Pac-12 Network As Broadcaster

September 22, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff (17) at bat before earning a walk against the San Diego Padres during the sixth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Aubrey Huff, a key component of the San Francisco Giants’ 2010 World Series champions who picked up a second ring as a reserve in 2012, has retired from baseball, according to a report.

Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported the announcement on Saturday.

"“I’m officially done. I have no desire to play anymore,” Huff said. “That has come and gone. I couldn’t even imagine picking up a bat and trying to get ready for the whole grind of a baseball season anymore. I’m enjoying this way too much, just hanging out.”"

Huff said he will be joining the Pac-12 Network and will work as an analyst for the network’s baseball coverage beginning in February.

Huff made 97 starts at first base and another 57 at the corner outfield spots in 2010, when he finished seventh in the National League Most Valuable Player voting, but was not named to the All-Star team.

He hit .290/.385/.506 in 668 plate appearances, scoring 100 runs while notching 35 doubles, five triples, 26 homers and 86 RBI. His OPS+ was 142, which tied for seventh in the NL.

In the postseason, Huff was 4-for-15 with three walks and an RBI in the Giants’ NL Division Series win over the Braves, 6-for-24 with a walk and  three RBI in the NL Championship Series victory over Philadelphia and 5-for-17 with a walk, two doubles, a homer and four RBI in the World Series win over the Rangers.

His career took a detour in 2012 when he lost the first base job to Brandon Belt in spring training and was later placed on the disabled list while seeking treatment for an anxiety disorder. He returned and was a key bat off the bench for the Giants, hitting .192/.326/.282 in 95 plate appearances with a homer and seven RBI. As a pinch-hitter, Huff was 7-for-26 with six walks, a double and an RBI.

Huff was 1-for-9 as a pinch-hitter in the postseason, drawing a walk and scoring a run in the NLCS against St. Louis.

He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the fifth round in 1998 out of the University of Miami and made his major league debut with the Devil Rays in 2000. He hit a career-high 34 homers for Tampa Bay in 2003 and in July 2006 was traded to the Houston Astros for Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist, as he would be eligible for free agency for the first time that winter.

In January 2007, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles, where his best season was in 2008, when he clubbed 32 homers and drove in a career-best 108 RBI in 2008, when he was the DH on the American League Silver Slugger Team. Huff was dealt to the Detroit Tigers in August 2009 for a minor-league player and became a free agent that November.

He signed with the Giants in January 2010 on a one-year deal, $3 million deal and then came back to the Giants on a much more lucrative contract, three years and $30 million, with the club holding an option for the third year.

The Giants opted not to exercise that option, making Huff a free agent in November 2012. He did not play in 2013.

He closes his career with a lifetime slash line of .278/.342/.464 and 1,699 career hits in 13 seasons, with 242 homers and 904 RBI. Not a Hall of Famer, but a solid player for a decade or so who played a vital role on a World Series winner.

There are a lot worse careers than that.