By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

While he would have liked to have joined fellow Bahamian and close friend Antoan Richardson as a major leaguer, Albert Cartwright has walked away from the professional ranks of baseball after a 10-year career in the minor league.

Cartwright, drafted by the New York Mets in the 43rd round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft from American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Florida, announced his retirement quietly on social media this week after he conferred with his family.

But he said a couple months ago, after he played for the second year in the World Baseball Championships with the other eight Bahamians on Great Britain’s team in September, that he realised that the writing was on the wall.

Cartwright, 29, joins Richardson who, a few months ago, revealed during an emotional press conference that he had retired.

“My drive for playing baseball has shifted from me as a little boy to every day going out there hitting the ball now,” said Cartwright in an exclusive interview with The Tribune, rather than go through the emotions that he saw Richardson endure when he made his announcement in March.

“I would stop swinging to give the young boys some swings, or I would be hitting the ground balls and I would feel like my drive to play just switched. So instead of me going at it halfway, I decided to hang it up and focus on my passion right now, which is just giving back to the boys and coaching at Max-D and putting my all into that.”

During his tenure in the sport, the second and third baseman, as well as outfielder, found himself playing for six different teams from his rookie year in 2007 to the Independent League in Ottawa, Canada, over the past two seasons in 2015-16. “I’ve been playing baseball for a number of years and it has opened up a number of doors that through baseball, I probably would not have been able to achieve,” he said.

“Baseball and sports are the type of things that change your life. Who knows where I would have been if I didn’t play this game that I love. It’s never easy stepping away from something that you pretty much do half of your life.

“But looking back at my career, I think I survived playing longer than many other people. That’s me going at it the right way and having guys like Antoan, who was above me, showing me how to respect and love the game even more.”

The stats sheets credited the 5-foot, 10-inch, 180-pound right-hander for playing in a total of 636 games. In 2,350 at-bats, he ripped 611 hits, inclusive of 106 doubles, 35 triples and as many home runs, driving in 217 runs (RBI), scoring 372 times with 194 base on balls (walks). He also struck out 568 times, stole 141 bases and got caught stealing in 55 attempts. He ended up with a batting average of .260.

The only regret in his career is that he didn’t get to play in the Majors, as Richardson did twice with the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. “That’s every player’s dream,” Richardson said of the big leagues where the lights shine brighter and the pay cheque is heftier. “But I know that I gave it my all. Everybody can’t play in the major league.

“I was fortunate enough to have a big brother and a friend who made it to the Major League, so that was a proud moment for me as a baseball player. Hopefully we can get a few more guys coming up in the ranks who can play in the Major League and we can all live through that experience through them.”

Considering that there’s only a select few who reach that plateau, Cartwright said he’s not disappointed because the game gave him a lot and the younger guys can look up to him as a role model.

“I know when me and Antoan were playing, there were no other players playing,” he said. “Now there’s at least 11 guys playing in the pipeline to follow in our footsteps in the minors.

“So I’m hoping that what I went through to get to where I am, that they won’t have to go through that struggle. That would be more contribution to them in terms of their success.”

Since he contemplated retirement, Cartwright said he has been preparing himself for the next question. What’s next for Albert Cartwright?

“Everybody know me as Albert the baseball player, but I will be fulltime with Max-D and I’m sure I will venture of into other stuff outside of baseball like getting in a fishing boat,” he proclaimed.

“During the summer, I also intent to be doing some coaching in Florida with the youth teams just so that I can continue to stay actively involved with the latest development of the sport.”

With the Bahamas Baseball Association and even the Bahamas Baseball Federation looking at forming some teams to play internationally, Cartwright said he hope he can be considered to travel as a coach.

But looking back, Cartwright said he would walk away with his head held high and no regrets.

“Ten years ago in 2007 when I started out on this journey, who would have thought that 2017 would be my last year,” he insisted. “No regrets. You get a chance to wake up and play baseball for a living.  You are paid to play a sport.

“So it’s crazy that I got to do it for so long, but I have no regrets of what has happened and what I’ve done through the years. I think everything happened for a reason. It was a journey and you learn from your mistakes and it makes you a better human being.”

His second appearance in the WBC with Richardson and the seven other Bahamian players in September would be listed as the highlight of Cartwright’s career.

“Even though we were playing together, we were a tight knitted bunch of players sitting down to breakfast every morning and talking to the guys how important it was for me as one of the two older members how important it was for them to continue the legacy,” Cartwright stressed.

“We were able to go on the field and got a glimpse of what could eventually happen for the Bahamas in fielding their own team. So playing with them was the highlight of his career on the world stage.”

If there was any low or disappointment, Cartwright said his biggest was in 2010 when he tore his Achilles.

“At that point, I didn’t even know what the Achilles was,” he quipped. “Being a young boy, I though I was superman on the field and I couldn’t get hurt. So to go out there and get a freak injury, it really humbled me.

“My family and friends definitely helped me through that part of my career. I think that’s throughout baseball. Whenever guys go through stuff, there are things that we go through, but we only acknowledge the good part when we hit the home runs or scored the winning run.”

In walking away from the sport, Cartwright expressed his gratitude to his family and friends, Max-D, his girlfriend, Candy, and anyone else whose name he can’t remember, for helping him to get through the tough times.

“My mom would call me if I strike out four times or if I hit a home run in one game,” he said of Pasty Cartwright. “When I struggled at times, I had to try to annoy the calls because I know the first thing she will tell me.

“I want to also thank Freedom Farm where I got started a long time ago when I was six years old with Greg Burrows, who introduced the game to me as a catcher. I can’t forget Greg Burrows Jr, Geron Sands and Antoan Richardson, guys who made it possible.”

He admitted that it was fun and he will cherish the memories for the rest of his life.