Robert Brooks, 27, announced his retirement after playing 114 games for the independent Atlantic League’s Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, his busiest season. The catcher hit .253 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs after the Blue Jays released him in March.
The Blue Jays signed Brooks in June 2024 after he hit .354/.514/.646 in 27 games with the Staten Island FerryHawks. He played three Triple-A games in Toronto’s system in 2025 and spent most of his four-year professional career in the lower minors.
In an Instagram post dated Sept. 19, Brooks said he began playing because it was something he and his father enjoyed, and that he was grateful to leave the game on his own terms.
