List of oldest Major League Baseball players
This is a list of Baseball players. Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization in North America. The oldest person ever to play MLB was Satchel Paige, who, at the age of 59, made a major league appearance twelve years after his Major League career had ended. The oldest player to appear regularly was Jack Quinn, who ended his last season at age 50, having made 14 appearances as a relief pitcher in that final season. The oldest active player is Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who is currently 41 years old.
Key
Pos | P | C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | OF | DH |
Position | Pitcher | Catcher | First baseman | Second baseman | Third baseman | Shortstop | Left fielder | Center fielder | Right fielder | Outfielder | Designated hitter |
Oldest players
All-time
^ | Denotes player who is still active in the MLB as of the 2024 season[a] |
* | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
† | Denotes player who is not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[b] |
§ | Eligible for Hall of Fame in 2025[1] |
Player | Pos | Birth date | Last game | Age | Team(s) played (years) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Satchel Paige* | P | July 7, 1906 | September 25, 1965 | 59 years, 80 days | 9 teams
|
[2] |
Charley O'Leary | SS/2B/3B | October 15, 1875 | September 30, 1934 | 58 years, 350 days | 3 teams |
[3] |
Nick Altrock | P | September 15, 1876 | October 1, 1933 | 57 years, 16 days | [4] | |
Minnie Miñoso* | LF/3B | November 29, 1923 | October 5, 1980 | 56 years, 311 days | 5 teams
|
[5] |
Jim O'Rourke* | OF/C/1B | September 1, 1850 | September 22, 1904 | 54 years, 21 days | 7 teams
|
[6] |
String Bean Williams | P | 1873 | 1925 | 51 or 52 years | 4 teams
|
[7] |
Jack Quinn[c] | P | July 1, 1883 | July 7, 1933 | 50 years, 6 days | 8 teams
|
[8] |
Hoyt Wilhelm* | P | July 26, 1922 | July 10, 1972 | 49 years, 350 days | 9 teams
|
[9] |
Jimmy Austin | 3B/SS | December 8, 1879 | October 6, 1929 | 49 years, 302 days | 2 teams |
[10] |
Arlie Latham | 3B | March 15, 1860 | September 30, 1909 | 49 years, 199 days | 6 teams
|
[11] |
Jamie Moyer | P | November 18, 1962 | May 27, 2012 | 49 years, 191 days | [12] | |
Hughie Jennings* | SS/1B | April 2, 1869 | September 2, 1918 | 49 years, 153 days | 5 teams
|
[13] |
Julio Franco[d] | SS/2B/1B | August 23, 1958 | September 17, 2007 | 49 years, 25 days | 8 teams
|
[14] |
Gabby Street | C | September 30, 1882 | September 20, 1931 | 48 years, 355 days | 5 teams
|
[15] |
Deacon McGuire | C/1B | November 18, 1863 | May 18, 1912 | 48 years, 182 days | 11 teams
|
[16] |
Phil Niekro* | P | April 1, 1939 | September 27, 1987 | 48 years, 179 days | 4 teams
|
[17] |
Johnny Evers* | 2B | July 21, 1881 | October 6, 1929 | 48 years, 77 days | 4 teams
|
[18] |
Kaiser Wilhelm | P | January 26, 1874 | August 21, 1921 | 47 years, 207 days | [19] | |
Hod Lisenbee | P | September 23, 1898 | September 7, 1945 | 46 years, 349 days | 4 teams |
[20] |
Nolan Ryan* | P | January 31, 1947 | September 22, 1993 | 46 years, 234 days | 4 teams |
[21] |
Charlie Hough | P | January 5, 1948 | July 26, 1994 | 46 years, 202 days | 4 teams |
[22] |
Sam Thompson* | RF | March 5, 1860 | September 10, 1906 | 46 years, 189 days | 3 teams
|
[23] |
Jesse Orosco | P | April 21, 1957 | September 27, 2003 | 46 years, 159 days | 9 teams
|
[24] |
Dan Brouthers* | 1B | May 8, 1858 | October 4, 1904 | 46 years, 149 days | 10 teams
|
[25] |
Grover Hartley | C | July 2, 1888 | September 30, 1934 | 46 years, 90 days | 5 teams
|
[26] |
Bobo Newsom | P | August 11, 1907 | September 17, 1953 | 46 years, 37 days | 9 teams
|
[27] |
Randy Johnson* | P | September 10, 1963 | October 4, 2009 | 46 years, 24 days | 6 teams
|
[28] |
Tommy John | P | May 22, 1943 | May 25, 1989 | 46 years, 3 days | 6 teams
|
[29] |
C. I. Taylor | RF/C | January 20, 1875 | 1921 | 46 years | Indianapolis ABCs (1920–1921) | [30] |
Kid Gleason | 2B/P | October 26, 1866 | August 27, 1912 | 45 years, 306 days | 7 teams
|
[31] |
Carlton Fisk* | C | December 26, 1947 | June 22, 1993 | 45 years, 178 days | 2 teams |
[32] |
Cap Anson* | 1B/3B/C | April 17, 1852 | October 3, 1897 | 45 years, 169 days | 3 teams
|
[33] |
Omar Vizquel | SS/3B | April 24, 1967 | October 3, 2012 | 45 years, 162 days | 6 teams |
[34] |
Ichiro Suzuki§ | RF | October 22, 1973 | March 21, 2019 | 45 years, 150 days | 3 teams
|
[35] |
Ted Lyons* | P | December 28, 1900 | May 19, 1946 | 45 years, 142 days | Chicago White Sox (1923–1942, 1946) | [36] |
Pete Rose | OF/1B/3B | April 14, 1941 | August 17, 1986 | 45 years, 125 days | 3 teams
|
[37] |
Bartolo Colón | P | May 24, 1973 | September 22, 2018 | 45 years, 121 days | 11 teams
|
[38] |
Fred Johnson | P | March 10, 1894 | May 10, 1939 | 45 years, 61 days | 2 teams |
[39] |
Tim Wakefield | P | August 2, 1966 | September 25, 2011 | 45 years, 54 days | 2 teams |
[40] |
Roger Clemens | P | August 4, 1962 | September 16, 2007 | 45 years, 43 days | 4 teams
|
[41] |
Red Faber* | P | September 6, 1888 | September 20, 1933 | 45 years, 14 days | Chicago White Sox (1914–1933) | [42] |
Gaylord Perry* | P | September 15, 1938 | September 21, 1983 | 45 years, 6 days | 8 teams
|
[43] |
Note: Paige, O'Leary, O'Rourke, Jennings, Street, McGuire and Evers each made one token major league appearance years (or even decades) after their careers had otherwise ended. The careers of Altrock, Miñoso, Austin, and Latham had also effectively ended many years before their final major league appearances, though each were brought back for token appearances several times (spanning several seasons) before their final game. Julio Franco is the oldest position player to appear regularly.
Active
Last ten seasons
See also
- List of oldest professional athletes by sport
- List of oldest and youngest NBA players
- List of oldest National Hockey League players
Notes
- ^ A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or has not played for a full season.
- ^ A player is not eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum unless he has ten years of major league experience and has either been fully retired for five full seasons or has been dead for six full months.
- ^ Jack Quinn is the oldest pitcher to appear regularly; made 14 appearances as a reliever in his final season before his career ended on July 7, 1933, 6 days after turning 50
- ^ Julio Franco is the oldest position player to appear regularly; played 55 games in his final season before his career ended on September 9, 2007, 25 days after turning 49
References
- ^ "2024 Hall of Fame Candidates". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Satchel Paige Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Charley O'Leary Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Nick Altrock Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Minnie Miñoso Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ "Jim O'Rourke Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "String Bean Williams Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ "Jack Quinn Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Hoyt Wilhelm Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Jimmy Austin Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Arlie Latham Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Jamie Moyer Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Hughie Jennings Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Julio Franco Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Gabby Street Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Deacon McGuire Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Phil Niekro Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Johnny Evers Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Kaiser Wilhelm Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Hod Lisenbee Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Nolan Ryan Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Charlie Hough Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Sam Thompson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Jesse Orosco Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Dan Brouthers Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Grover Hartley Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bobo Newsom Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Randy Johnson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Tommy John Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "C.I. Taylor Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Kid Gleason Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Carlton Fisk Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Cap Anson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Omar Vizquel Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Ichiro Suzuki Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Ted Lyons Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Pete Rose Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bartolo Colon Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Fred Johnson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Tim Wakefield Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Roger Clemens Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Red Faber Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Gaylord Perry Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Justin Verlander Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Jesse Chavez Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- ^ "Charlie Morton Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Max Scherzer Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ "Justin Turner Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ "David Robertson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ "Daniel Bard Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ "Adam Ottavino Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ "Matt Carpenter Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ^ "Carlos Santana Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Chris Martin Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Charlie Blackmon Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Yu Darvish Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "Martín Maldonado Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "Andrew McCutchen Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "Wade Miley Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "Paolo Espino Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Brandon Crawford Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Jake Diekman Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "José Abreu Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Luis García Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Caleb Thielbar Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Ichiro Suzuki Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Bartolo Colon Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Rich Hill Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Mariano Rivera Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Jason Giambi Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Nelson Cruz Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Darren Oliver Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "R. A. Dickey Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "LaTroy Hawkins Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Albert Pujols Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Fernando Rodney Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Koji Uehara Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Raúl Ibañez Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Adam Wainwright Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Henry Blanco Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Joe Nathan Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "José Contreras Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Andy Pettitte Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Justin Verlander Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.