John Jaso Gave Up Baseball to Enjoy Life on a Boat

Baseball|No More Spring Trainings

John Jaso knew he wanted to retire, truthful he started shopping for sailboats. It was nan 2017 season, and Jaso, nan Pittsburgh Pirates’ first baseman, would walk his downtime astatine location browsing connected vessel websites. And erstwhile nan Pirates visited a squad adjacent a assemblage of water, he would rotation nan marinas and ideate himself connected nan unfastened water.

One June greeting successful Baltimore, earlier a 7:10 p.m. first transportation against nan Orioles, Jaso rented a car and drove to Annapolis, Md. There, he recovered nan vessel he’d been looking for: a 2014 Jeanneau 44 DS. He had it surveyed, bought it and had it shipped to his off-season location successful St. Petersburg, Fla. He made it backmost to nan stadium successful clip to spell 2 for 4 pinch an R.B.I.

Four months later, erstwhile nan Pirates’ play ended without a playoff berth, a fistful of reporters wandered complete to Jaso’s locker and asked him what his plans were. He had reached nan extremity of his two-year, $8 cardinal woody pinch nan squad and was group to go a free agent. He told them that his adjacent destination would beryllium location successful nan Caribbean. He was retiring.

“I person a sailboat,” he said, “so I conscionable want to sail away.”

Five years later, arsenic pitchers and catchers began flooding into outpouring training camps successful Arizona and Florida connected Monday, Jaso, nan past catcher to person caught a cleanable game, has nary regrets astir having sailed disconnected into nan sunset. “Sometimes I’ll conscionable beryllium retired connected nan vessel bobbing successful nan water, not sailing aliases moreover fishing, and I’ll deliberation to myself: ‘There’s obscurity other connected nan satellite I’d alternatively beryllium than correct here,’” he said. “It’s been nan cleanable fresh for who I am.”

Jaso’s shot travel was ne'er rather arsenic bully a fit. Tampa Bay selected him successful nan 12th information of nan 2003 draft, and he made it to nan fields adjacent nan extremity of nan 2008 season. In his nine-year career, he was traded 3 times and switched to first guidelines from catcher aft sustaining aggregate concussions. But he had plentifulness of highlights too: He caught Félix Hernández’s 2012 cleanable crippled for nan Seattle Mariners — location hasn’t been 1 successful M.L.B. since — and deed for nan first rhythm successful PNC Park history erstwhile he was pinch Pittsburgh successful 2016. His agelong dreadlocks toward nan extremity of his profession made him almost instantly recognizable. And he pulled successful profession net of much than $17 million, according to Spotrac.