Copyright Newsweek
The Pittsburgh Pirates are not an organization that ranks among the top spenders in the league. As a result, the team is very dependent on scouting, drafting and developing players. However, not all young players end up working out, for a wide variety of reasons. One of those reasons is early retirement. On Friday, outfielder Caden Shapiro retired, according to his transaction log on the MLB.com page. He is also the son of Toronto Blue Jays chief executive officer Mark Shapiro. He signed with the organization on Aug. 5. The minor league contract he signed was the start of his professional career. He played college baseball at Princeton. He hit .264 in 162 career games, starting in 147 games. He hit 14 home runs and collected 72 RBIs as well. During the 2025 season, he was a captain and started all 43 games. In 2023, he was named Second-Team All-Ivy. Despite some success in college, he was not drafted. He played in the MLB Draft League and had just a .197 batting average. He was assigned to the FCL Pirates just after the team signed him. The 23-year-old will now try to navigate life after baseball. Perhaps his father's connection with the Blue Jays could open the door for a career in the business side of baseball.
