List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades
Playing Major League Baseball in four decades has been attained by only 31 players in the league's history, dating from the 1870s to the present day.
Introduction[]
Several qualities are virtually essential. Outstanding skill and durability are paramount, and a player must also have some "generational luck" to have started his career in the later years of a decade, so that if he is still playing 21–24 years later, he is playing in the early years of a fourth decade.[1] For example, Pete Rose started his career in 1963, so he would have had to play 28 seasons to make the list. Whereas Bill Buckner, whose career started in the last year of the 1960s, finished his career in the first year of the 1990s, requiring only 22 seasons to make the list. Most of the players on the list started their careers in the final or second-to-last year of their first decade and finished their careers in the first or second year of their fourth decade (a notable exception is Nolan Ryan, whose 27 seasons played is a major league record).
Nick Altrock, Minnie Miñoso and Satchel Paige are the only three players to have appeared in major league baseball games in five different decades. None were full-time players at the end of their careers; Altrock was a coach on the Washington Senators and appeared sparingly over just seventeen games in a twenty-two season span from 1912-1933. Miñoso was also a coach for his former team, the White Sox, and made cameo appearances in two seasons (having not played in the majors in over a decade) at the ages of 50 and 54 as part of a publicity stunt organized by owners Bill and Mike Veeck.[2] Satchel Paige played in professional baseball for over 40 years not all of them in the major leagues but his first major league season was 1926 and his last was 1965.
Candy Jim Taylor better known for being the winningest manager in Negro league baseball history also played at the highest level possible to him for five decades.
Since 1900 (the first year that a player could play in a "fourth decade"), every decade except the 1940s and 2020s has added at least one player to the list.
Due to the Majors not being established until 1876, the following three players do not qualify as four decade players although they played four decades at the highest level of play available to them at the time: Joe Start (1859-1886) Candy Nelson (1867-1890) and Deacon White HOF (1868-1890)
African Americans have played professionally since 1878 when Bud Fowler first played professionally, although he had been playing since at least 1877 and possibly as early as 1872. Major League Baseball does not consider any players or leagues prior to 1920 to be Major League players. The following players played four decades at the highest level of play possible to them at the time: Bud Fowler HOF (1878-1904) Clarence Williams (1886-1913) Candy Jim Taylor (1904-1942) Smokey Joe Williams HOF (1905-1932) John Henry Lloyd HOF (1906-1932) Pelayo Chacón (1908-1931) Oscar Charleston HOF (1915-1941) José Fernández (1915-1947) Chippy Britt (1917-1942) Bill Holland (1919-1941)
List of players[]
The players are listed by primary position played and years spanning their careers. Fifteen players from the group have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Of the 31 players, 12 were primarily pitchers, 6 were primarily catchers, 7 were primarily outfielders, and 6 were primarily infielders; the group covers virtually the complete range of baseball positions, missing only a third baseman.
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Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame |
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References[]
- ^ DiComo, Anthony (January 20, 2010). "Four-decade players a rare breed: Griffey, Vizquel, Moyer set to join exclusive company". MLB.com.
- ^ "White Sox legend Minnie Miñoso dies at age 90". SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
External links[]
- Hunt, Ryan (February 17, 2000). "Been a long time: Three more enter baseball's four-decade club". Sports Illustrated.
- Lists of Major League Baseball players