NEW YORK, NY - JULY 16: Curtis Granderson #3 of the New York Mets chases down a ball hit for a seventh inning two run inside the park home run by Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies on July 16, 2017 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

MLB is losing one of its nicest people with the retirement of former New York Met and Yankee Curtis Granderson.

Former New York Mets and New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson announced his retirement from major league baseball on Friday.

Baseball has now lost one of the greatest people to ever play the game. Granderson was a beloved teammate and a genuinely good person. He has made it his life’s mission to give back in whatever ways he can.

Whether that means helping younger ballplayers on a struggling team, or his charity work, Granderson was always looking for a way to better the world around him. That mission won’t stop now that he’s retired from the game, but MLB will miss his presence.

During his career, Granderson played for seven teams across 16 seasons. He spent four years each with the Mets and Yankees.

Granderson was a veteran leader with the Mets. He helped lead an incredibly young team to a National League pennant in 2015. His 5.0 rWAR in 2015 was one of the most special seasons by a free-agent acquisition in Mets history.

Granderson was a borderline elite-level player with the Yankees. He was an All-Star twice with the Yankees and finished top-five in MVP voting in 2011. Nobody will ever forget John Sterling’s famous home run line “the Grandy-man can.”

He certainly made his mark in New York and all around the big leagues. It’s always sad to see a player retire, but Granderson is special. His infectious energy and his personality make it especially hard to say goodbye.

Perhaps some team will hire him in their front office and keep him in the game. He certainly has the knowledge and the attitude to be successful in that role. Maybe they could reel him into a coaching gig. After all, he did say, “I know that my role in this game is only just getting started.”

A contributor here at elitesportsny.com. I'm a former graduate student at Loyola University Chicago here I earned my MA in History. I'm an avid Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers fan. I am also a prodigious prospect nerd and do in-depth statistical analysis.