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.
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] [lower-alpha 1] 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]
Only players who are no longer active are listed here.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 |
The following players died during their careers, after playing nine seasons with the same franchise:
Players 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:
Other examples of long-tenured players who made late-career appearances with a different franchise include:
Table last updated August 21, 2024.
The 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.
Roy Campanella, nicknamed "Campy", was an American professional baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro leagues and Mexican League for nine years before entering the minor leagues in 1946. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom he played until 1957. His playing career ended when he was paralyzed in an automobile accident in January of 1958. He is considered one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game.
Roger Eugene Maris was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 home runs in 1961.
William Malcolm Dickey was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees for 17 seasons. Dickey managed the Yankees as a player-manager in 1946 in his last season as a player.
Lawrence Robert Bowa is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets. Bowa went on to manage the San Diego Padres and Phillies, and is currently a senior advisor to the general manager of the Phillies.
Donald Newcombe, nicknamed "Newk", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten non-consecutive seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He began his career in the Negro National League and ended it in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Robert Lee Johnson, nicknamed "Indian Bob", was an American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for three American League teams from 1933 to 1945, primarily the Philadelphia Athletics. His elder brother Roy was a major league outfielder from 1929 to 1938.
The 1955 World Series was the championship series to conclude the 1955 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The Series matched the National League (NL) pennant winner Brooklyn Dodgers against the American League (AL) pennant winner New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won while based in Brooklyn, as the team relocated to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. This was the fifth time in nine years that the Yankees and the Dodgers met in the World Series, with the Yankees having won in 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953; the Yankees would also win in the 1956 rematch.
Robert José Watson was an American professional baseball player, coach and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from 1966 to 1984, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he was a two-time All-Star player. Watson had a .295 batting average over a career that also saw him play for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Atlanta Braves.
Matthew Thomas Holliday is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees. A World Series champion in 2011 with the Cardinals, Holliday played a key role in seven postseasons, including the Rockies' first-ever World Series appearance in 2007 and Cardinals' playoff success in the 2010s. His distinctions include a National League (NL) batting championship, the 2007 NL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award, seven All-Star selections, and four Silver Slugger Awards. Other career accomplishments include 300 home runs, more than 2,000 hits, and batting over .300 eight times.
Delmar Wesley Crandall was an American professional baseball player and manager. Crandall played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1966, most prominently as a member of the Boston / Milwaukee Braves where, he was an eleven-time All-Star player and was a member of the 1957 World Series winning team.
Pedro Ramos Guerra is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and the expansion Washington Senators, all of the American League (AL), and the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds, all of the National League (NL), over the course of a 15-year career. Ramos was elected to the AL All-Star team in 1959. He led the league in losses four times, in 1958 (18), 1959 (19), 1960 (18), and 1961 (20). On April 11, 1961, in the Twins’ first game ever, Ramos was the winning pitcher, when the team defeated the Yankees, 6–0, at Yankee Stadium.
José Rosario Domec Cardenal is a Cuban American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1963 to 1980, most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs, with whom he established himself as a fan favorite for his powerful hitting and his strong throwing arm. He had the best seasons of his career in Chicago, posting career highs in home runs and batting average as a member of the Cubs.
James Michael Hegan was an American professional baseball player, who later worked as a sports commentator. In Major League Baseball (MLB) he was a first baseman and outfielder, and played for three different American League (AL) franchises between 1964 and 1977. He was the son of longtime Cleveland Indians catcher Jim Hegan.
Joseph Daniel Votto is a Canadian former professional baseball first baseman who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Cincinnati Reds. He made his MLB debut in 2007. He was the first Canadian MLB player since Larry Walker to have 2,000 hits, 300 home runs and 1,000 career runs batted in (RBI).
In 1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers finally fulfilled the promise of many previous Dodger teams. Although the club had won several pennants in the past, and had won as many as 105 games in 1953, it had never won a World Series. This team finished 13.5 games ahead in the National League pennant race, leading the league in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed. In the World Series, they finally beat their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. It was the Dodgers' first and only World Series championship won while located in Brooklyn.
Carlos Eduardo González, nicknamed "CarGo", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a outfielder from 2008 to 2019, most prominently as a member of the Colorado Rockies where, he was a three-time All-Star player and the 2010 National League (NL) batting champion. González also won three Gold Glove Awards and a two Silver Slugger Awards during his tenure with the Rockies.
The 1951 Major League Baseball season opened on April 16 and finished on October 12, 1951. Teams from both leagues played a 154-game regular season schedule. At the end of the regular season, the National League pennant was still undecided, resulting in a three-game playoff between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. After splitting the first two games, the stage was set for a decisive third game, won in dramatic fashion on a walk-off home run from the bat of Giant Bobby Thomson, one of the most famous moments in the history of baseball, commemorated as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and "The Miracle at Coogan's Bluff". The Giants lost the World Series to defending champion New York Yankees, who were in the midst of a 5-year World Series winning streak.
The 1960 Major League Baseball season was played from April 12 to October 13, 1960. It was the final season contested by 16 clubs and the final season that a 154-game schedule was played in both the American League and the National League. The AL began using the 162-game schedule the following season, with the NL following suit in 1962.
Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton, formerly known as Mike Stanton, is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Florida/Miami Marlins. Stanton stands 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) tall and weighs 245 pounds (111 kg). He bats and throws right-handed.
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)