Ryan Zimmerman has announced his retirement from baseball.

He issued a statement via CAA Baseball in which he thanked the Washington Nationals' front office, managers and coaches, athletic trainers and medical staff, teammates, his agents and his family.

"When we first met I was a 20-year-old kid fresh out of the University of Virginia," he wrote. "I had no idea how unbelievable the next 17 years of my life were going to be."

The Nationals drafted Zimmerman with the No. 4 pick in the 2005 draft. He retires as the Nationals' career leader in games (1,799), runs (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs (1,061).