List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
The following is a list of former Major League Baseball (MLB) players who played in at least 10 MLB seasons and spent their entire MLB playing careers exclusively with one franchise. In most cases, this means the player only appeared with one team; there are also players whose team was relocated (e.g. the Athletics) or had a name change (e.g. the Angels) during their career. Some listed players subsequently went on to coach or manage with other teams, or may have had minor league or foreign league appearances with other franchises. Some listed players had their careers ended by accidents, such as Roberto Clemente, who died in a 1972 airplane crash, and Roy Campanella, who was paralyzed in a 1958 automobile accident.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Carl_Yastrzemski_at_Fenway_Park_2.jpg/220px-Carl_Yastrzemski_at_Fenway_Park_2.jpg)
As of August 2024[update], 191 players have completed the feat, of which the New York Yankees have had the most, with 26. The San Francisco Giants have had the most in the National League, with 15. Bid McPhee and Mike Tiernan, both of whom played exclusively in the 19th century, were the first two players to do so. Brooks Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski share the distinction of the longest tenure with a single team, 23 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox, respectively.[1][a] Mel Ott and Stan Musial share the distinction of the longest tenure with a single team in the National League, having played 22 seasons with the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. Joey Votto, who played 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, announced his retirement in August 2024, is the most recent player to complete a career of at least 10 seasons with one team.[2]
Players
editOnly players who are no longer active are listed here. This list does not include active players, or free agents who have not yet retired (such players are listed below). A player is considered "inactive" if he has not played baseball for one year or has announced his retirement.
Seasons | Total seasons played |
---|---|
Years | Years played |
† | Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame |
Honorable mentions
edit- Bug Holliday played 10 seasons for the Cincinnati Reds franchise, from 1889 to 1898, appearing in 930 games.[156] During the 1885 World Series, one of several pre-modern World Series held from 1884 to 1890, Holliday played in one game for the Chicago White Stockings of the National League (today's Chicago Cubs). This was Holliday's only major-league appearance for a franchise other than Cincinnati. As MLB considers the first World Series to have been the 1903 edition, some baseball sites list Holliday as having only played for a single franchise.[157]
The following players died during their careers, after playing nine seasons with the same franchise:
- Ray Chapman played his entire career with the Cleveland Naps/Indians, from 1912 to 1920, appearing in 1051 games.[158] He died in August 1920, late in his ninth major-league season, after being struck by a pitch in a game against the New York Yankees.[159]
- Addie Joss played his entire career with the Cleveland Broncos/Naps, from 1902 until 1910, appearing in 296 games while pitching in 286 games with 260 starts and 234 complete games.[160] He died in April 1911, just before what would have been his 10th season in the major leagues.[161] Joss was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.[160]
- Don Wilson played his entire career with the Houston Astros, from 1966 to 1974, appearing in 268 games while pitching in 266 games with 245 starts at 78 complete games.[162] He died in January 1975, prior to the start of spring training of what would have been his 10th season in the major leagues.[163]
Negro league baseball
edit- While Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson each only played for a single team within Major League Baseball (hence their inclusion in the above list), each also played for other teams now considered major-league within Negro league baseball:[164] Campanella with the Baltimore Elite Giants and Robinson with the Kansas City Monarchs.
- Within Negro league baseball, Buck Leonard and Bullet Rogan each had careers in excess of a decade with a single major-league team, the Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs, respectively.[165][166]
Late-career moves
editPlayers who spend 20 or more seasons with a single franchise before ending their career playing for another team (thus disqualifying them from inclusion in the above list) include:
- Hank Aaron: 21 seasons with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves before finishing his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975 and 1976[167]
- Phil Cavarretta: 20 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, before ending his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1954 and 1955[168]
- Ty Cobb: 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, before ending his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1927 and 1928[169]
- Harmon Killebrew: 21 seasons with the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins before being released by the Twins and finishing his career with the Kansas City Royals in 1975[170]
- Willie Mays: 21 seasons with the New York / San Francisco Giants before being traded to the New York Mets in 1972 and ending his career there in 1973[171]
- Phil Niekro: 20 seasons with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves before playing for three other teams during his final four seasons and ending his career with a game for Atlanta in 1987[172]
- John Smoltz: 20 seasons with the Atlanta Braves before ending his career with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in 2009.
- Warren Spahn: 20 seasons with the Boston / Milwaukee Braves before finishing his career with both the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets in 1965.[173]
Other examples of long-tenured players who made late-career appearances with a different franchise include:
- Dwight Evans: 19 seasons with the Boston Red Sox (1972–1990) before ending his career with the 1991 Baltimore Orioles.[174]
- Yogi Berra: 18 seasons with the New York Yankees (1946–1963) before appearing in four games while a player-coach with the 1965 New York Mets.[175]
- Christy Mathewson: 16+1⁄2 seasons with the New York Giants (1900–1916) before making a single appearance with the 1916 Cincinnati Reds.[176]
- Lefty Gomez: 13 seasons with the New York Yankees (1930–1942) before ending his career with a single appearance for the 1943 Washington Senators.[177]
- Hank Greenberg: 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (while also missing three seasons due to military service during World War II) before ending his career with the 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates.[178]
Counts by franchise
editTable last updated August 21, 2024.
Active players
editThe following active players have played at least 10 seasons with only a single MLB franchise, making them potential future additions to the main list above.
Debut year | Player | Team | Seasons with listed team |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2008–present |
2011 | José Altuve | Houston Astros | 2011–present |
Charlie Blackmon | Colorado Rockies | 2011–present | |
Danny Duffy | Kansas City Royals | 2011–2021† | |
Salvador Pérez | Kansas City Royals | 2011–2018, 2020–present | |
Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | 2011–present | |
2013 | José Ramírez | Cleveland Indians / Guardians | 2013–present |
2014 | Kyle Hendricks | Chicago Cubs | 2014–present |
2015 | Austin Barnes | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2015–present |
Byron Buxton | Minnesota Twins | 2015–present | |
Max Kepler | Minnesota Twins | 2015–present | |
Aaron Nola | Philadelphia Phillies | 2015–present |
Players are removed from this list (and this article) when they make an appearance with a different MLB team. Players who retire or are inactive for over a year (have not played professional baseball at any level) are moved from this list to the main list.
- † Denotes a player who is currently a free agent.
See also
edit- List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
- List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise
- List of National Football League players who spent their entire career with one franchise
- List of one-club men in association football
- List of one-club men in rugby league
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an "Most Seasons Played". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023. Sort by Franchises column.
- ^ "Joey Votto, former MVP and face of Reds, officially retires". mlb.com. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ "Gene Alley".
- ^ "Bob Allison".
- ^ "Joe Astroth".
- ^ "Jerry Augustine".
- ^ "Jeff Bagwell".
- ^ "Johnny Bench".
- ^ "Bruce Benedict".
- ^ "Carson Bigbee".
- ^ "Ray Blades".
- ^ "Steve Blass".
- ^ "Ryan Braun Stats".
- ^ "Al Brazle".
- ^ "Tommy Bridges".
- ^ "Gates Brown".
- ^ "Randy Bush".
- ^ "Matt Cain".
- ^ "Roy Campanella".
- ^ "Bill Carrigan".
- ^ "Spud Chandler".
- ^ "Larry Christenson".
- ^ "Joe Collins".
- ^ "Earle Combs".
- ^ "Frankie Crosetti".
- ^ "John Danks".
- ^ "Harry Danning".
- ^ "Rich Dauer".
- ^ "Hooks Dauss".
- ^ "Jim Davenport".
- ^ "Bill Dickey".
- ^ "Dom DiMaggio".
- ^ "Joe DiMaggio".
- ^ "Gary Disarcina".
- ^ "Bobby Doerr".
- ^ "Don Drysdale".
- ^ "Carl Erskine".
- ^ "Andre Ethier".
- ^ "Tim Flannery".
- ^ "Whitey Ford".
- ^ "Dick Fowler".
- ^ "Bill Freehan".
- ^ "Carl Furillo".
- ^ "Jim Gantner".
- ^ "Brett Gardner".
- ^ "Scott Garrelts".
- ^ "Lou Gehrig".
- ^ "Patsy Gharrity".
- ^ "Jake Gibbs".
- ^ "Bob Gibson".
- ^ "Jim Gilliam".
- ^ "Alex Gordon".
- ^ "Jack Graney".
- ^ "Dick Green".
- ^ "Mike Greenwell".
- ^ "Orval Grove".
- ^ "Ron Guidry".
- ^ "Stan Hack".
- ^ "Terry Harmon".
- ^ "Todd Helton".
- ^ "Tommy Henrich".
- ^ "Félix Hernández".
- ^ "Bobby Higginson".
- ^ "John Hiller".
- ^ "Ron Hodges".
- ^ "Chris Hoiles".
- ^ "Ryan Howard".
- ^ "Kent Hrbek".
- ^ "Carl Hubbell".
- ^ "Fred Hutchinson".
- ^ "Travis Jackson".
- ^ "Arndt Jorgens".
- ^ "Ron Karkovice".
- ^ "Sandy Koufax".
- ^ "Ray Kremer".
- ^ "Vern Law".
- ^ "Sam Leever".
- ^ "Bob Lemon".
- ^ "Dennis Leonard".
- ^ "Buddy Lewis".
- ^ "Pepper Martin".
- ^ "Don Mattingly".
- ^ "Twins' Joe Mauer on retirement: 'Risk of concussion is always there'". ESPN. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- ^ "Bill Mazeroski".
- ^ "Gil McDougald".
- ^ "Scott McGregor".
- ^ "Clyde Milan".
- ^ "Bob Miller".
- ^ "Otto Miller".
- ^ "Yadier Molina".
- ^ "Bob Montgomery".
- ^ "Jo-Jo Moore".
- ^ "Terry Moore".
- ^ "Bob Moose".
- ^ "Guy Morton".
- ^ "Johnny Mostil".
- ^ "Pat Mullin".
- ^ "Thurman Munson".
- ^ "Mike Norris".
- ^ "Ron Oester".
- ^ "Tony Oliva".
- ^ "Tom Pagnozzi".
- ^ "Mel Parnell".
- ^ "Dustin Pedroia Stats".
- ^ "Glen Perkins".
- ^ "Rico Petrocelli".
- ^ "Biff Pocoroba".
- ^ "Jorge Posada".
- ^ "Buster Posey".
- ^ "Kirby Puckett".
- ^ "Brad Radke".
- ^ "Pee Wee Reese".
- ^ "Jim Rice".
- ^ "J.R. Richard".
- ^ "Bobby Richardson".
- ^ "Phil Rizzuto".
- ^ "Jackie Robinson".
- ^ "Steve Rogers".
- ^ "Red Rolfe".
- ^ "Eddie Rommel".
- ^ "Al Rosen".
- ^ "Nap Rucker".
- ^ "Tim Salmon".
- ^ "Hal Schumacher".
- ^ "Mike Scioscia".
- ^ "Kyle Seager".
- ^ "Scot Shields".
- ^ "Sibby Sisti".
- ^ "Vic Sorrell".
- ^ "Mario Soto".
- ^ "Paul Splittorff".
- ^ "Mike Squires".
- ^ "Bob Stanley".
- ^ "Mickey Stanley".
- ^ "Mel Stottlemyre".
- ^ "Stephen Strasburg".
- ^ "Pete Suder".
- ^ "Lee Tannehill".
- ^ "Bill Terry".
- ^ "Robby Thompson".
- ^ "Mike Tiernan".
- ^ "Chris Tillman".
- ^ "Cecil Travis".
- ^ "Pie Traynor".
- ^ "Jason Varitek".
- ^ "Joey Votto".
- ^ "John Wathan".
- ^ "Bill Wegman".
- ^ "Wes Westrum".
- ^ "Roy White".
- ^ "Bernie Williams".
- ^ "Larry Woodall".
- ^ "David Wright".
- ^ "Ross Youngs".
- ^ "Ryan Zimmerman, long the face of the Washington Nationals, announces his retirement". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ "Bug Holliday Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Bug Holliday". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
- ^ "Ray Chapman". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Beaned by a Pitch, Ray Chapman Dies". The New York Times. August 17, 1920. Retrieved March 31, 2024 – via nytimes.com.
- ^ a b "Addie Joss". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Addie Joss Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Don Wilson". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Clifford, Matthew. "Don Wilson". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "Buck Leonard Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "Bullet Rogan Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "Hank Aaron". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Phil Cavarretta". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Ty Cobb". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Harmon Killebrew". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Willie Mays". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Phil Niekro". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "Warren Spahn". Retrosheet. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Dwight Evans". Retrosheet. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
- ^ "Yogi Berra". Retrosheet. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Christy Mathewson". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "Lefty Gomez". Retrosheet. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Hank Greenberg". Retrosheet. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Appel, Marty (2012). Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees From Before the Babe to After the Boss. New York City: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-60819-492-6.
Further reading
edit- Leitch, Will (August 12, 2015). "Chase Utley and One-Team Wonders". sportsonearth.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- Mearns, Andrew (February 22, 2018). "Who were the best players to spend their careers with one team?". MLB.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- Newman, Mark (December 23, 2017). "10 active players with longest tenure with 1 club". MLB.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- Simon, Andrew (March 11, 2019). "The longest-tenured player on each MLB team". MLB.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- Smiley, Brett (October 20, 2016). "For Life: The greatest MLB players who spent their entire careers with one team". Fox Sports. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- "Current MLB Lifers". ESPN. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
A lifer is a player who has played with only one team for at least ten years.
(Note: ESPN's list is missing several players)