Poquoson native Chad Pinder retires from pro baseball after 553 MLB games with Oakland

Poquoson native Chad Pinder, who played seven seasons in the majors with the Oakland Athletics, announced his retirement from pro baseball after playing Saturday night for the Gwinnett Stripers, Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate.

Pinder, 31, a versatile standout who led Poquoson to two VHSL state championships before becoming an All-ACC player for Virginia Tech, played this year in spring training and the minors in the Cincinnati, Washington and Atlanta organizations but didn’t get a call-up to the majors.

“I just knew,” Pinder told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I wasn’t quite getting the same joy lacing them up and playing. I still loved all the work, I loved being in the clubhouse, I loved the guys and was blessed to play with some great people this year. But it was just time for me to be home and be a dad and be a husband and pour as much of myself that I poured into the game into my family.”

Pinder and his family have been involved in charity ventures. He, his younger brother Chase and high school teammate Kyle Crockett — a former MLB pitcher — were honored by Poquoson in January at the Islanders’ stadium. Chase now plays for the Memphis Redbirds, St. Louis’ top affiliate.

Chad Pinder, drafted by Oakland in the second round in 2013, progressed through the minors and debuted in the majors in August 2016. He finished with 388 major league hits, including 62 home runs, in 1,603 at-bats for a .242 average in 553 games. He scored 204 runs and drove in 197.

Primarily an outfielder, he played in the majors at every position except catcher, even pitching for one inning in a lopsided game last season.

Pinder had seven hits in seven playoff games in 2020, the COVID “bubble” season, when the A’s beat the Chicago White Sox but lost to the Houston Astros.

This season, he hit .256 in 23 minor league games with Rochester, the Nationals’ top affiliate, and the Stripers.