Yankees: Slade Heathcott retires to pursue career as a pilot

Former Yankees outfield prospect, Slade Heathcott, is retiring from baseball at the age of 28 to pursue another of his passions, flying.

It’s not often in life that a person gets the opportunity to fulfill two careers they are both equally passionate about. Former Yankees top prospect, Slade Heathcott, is one of the lucky ones.

On Monday, Heathcott announced on Twitter that he would be retiring from baseball to pursue his other dream of becoming a commercial pilot.

"Next Chapter: I have talked enough… it’s time to do! It’s time to create my own path, it’s time for me to deviate. Commercial Piloting here I come!"

Throughout his 10-year minor league career, Heathcott slashed .266/.344/.398 in 590 games.

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Despite committing to Louisiana State University on a baseball scholarship, the Yanks made the two-sport star (he was also a standout linebacker at Texas High) the 29th overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.

In 2012/13, Heathcott looked like a sure-fire star in the making. That year he ranked as the 63rd best prospect by Baseball America. After being added to the 40-man roster in 2013 as to avoid being subjected to the Rule 5 Draft, Heathcott’s productivity dipped, before undergoing offseason knee surgery — something that plagued him for the remainder of his career.

Although Heathcott was non-tendered following the 2014 season, he re-upped with the Yankees the following winter on a minor league deal with an invite to camp and a July 1 contractural opt-out.

That March, Heathcott received the James P. Dawson Award, as the best rookie in all of Spring Training. Upon being assigned to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre, the speedy center fielder got off to a fast start — hitting .285 with 17 RBIs in his first 35 games.

An injury to none other than Jacoby Ellsbury earned Heathcott his first taste of big league action on May 20, 2015. Two days later, Heathcott picked up his first major league hit — and three days after that, his first home run.

Unfortunately, after just six games, where he hit .353 (6-for-17) with one homer and three RBIs, Heathcott was placed on the disabled list with a strained quad and wouldn’t return to the majors until Sept. 12. However, in his first game back, Heathcott slugged a game-winning homer against the Rays.

In 17 games for the Yanks, Heathcott hit an even .400 with two homers and eight RBIs.

The following season brought with it his recurring knee injury, and Heathcott was soon released in May. Over the next three years, Heathcott tried to catch on with the White Sox, Giants, A’s and Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League before calling it a career at the age of 28.