Mike Piazza ended his 16-year major league career after failing to receive a free agent offer.

On May 20, 2008, Mike Piazza announces his retirement. A 12-time All-Star, Piazza hit .308/.377/.545 in 16 seasons after having been picked in the 62nd round of the amateur draft. He socked 427 home runs, with a record 396 home runs as a catches scored 1,048 runs and drove in 1,335 and set the all-time major league record for homers by a catcher. At the time of his retirement, Piazza is 30th in history in slugging, 39th in home runs and 64th in OPS+. Many opine that he is the greatest catcher ever, though others argue the claim, citing Josh Gibson or others.