List of oldest Major League Baseball players

Last updated
Justin Verlander is the oldest active MLB player. Justin Verlander in the dugout, March 26, 2023 (1) (cropped).jpg
Justin Verlander is the oldest active MLB player.

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 San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander, who is currently 42 years old.

Contents

Legend

PosPC1B2B3BSSLFCFRFOFDH
Position Pitcher Catcher First baseman Second baseman Third baseman Shortstop Left fielder Center fielder Right fielder Outfielder Designated hitter

All-time

Satchel Paige is the oldest player ever to play in MLB. Satchel Paige.jpg
Satchel Paige is the oldest player ever to play in MLB.
Jack Quinn is the oldest player to appear regularly. 1921 Jack Quinn.jpeg
Jack Quinn is the oldest player to appear regularly.
Julio Franco is the oldest position player to appear regularly. Julio Franco (cropped).jpg
Julio Franco is the oldest position player to appear regularly.
^Denotes player who is still active in the MLB as of the 2025 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 2026 [1]
PlayerPosBirth dateLast gameAgeTeam(s) played (years)Ref.
Satchel Paige *PJuly 7, 1906September 25, 196559 years, 80 days [2]
Charley O'Leary SS/2B/3BOctober 15, 1875September 30, 193458 years, 350 days [3]
Nick Altrock PSeptember 15, 1876October 1, 193357 years, 16 days [4]
Minnie Miñoso *LF/3BNovember 29, 1923October 5, 198056 years, 311 days
5 teams
 [5]
Jim O'Rourke *OF/C/1BSeptember 1, 1850September 22, 190454 years, 21 days [6]
String Bean Williams P1873192551 or 52 years [7]
Jack Quinn [c] PJuly 1, 1883July 7, 193350 years, 6 days [8]
Hoyt Wilhelm *PJuly 26, 1922July 10, 197249 years, 350 days [9]
Jimmy Austin 3B/SSDecember 8, 1879October 6, 192949 years, 302 days [10]
Arlie Latham 3BMarch 15, 1860September 30, 190949 years, 199 days [11]
Jamie Moyer PNovember 18, 1962May 27, 201249 years, 191 days [12]
Hughie Jennings *SS/1BApril 2, 1869September 2, 191849 years, 153 days [13]
Julio Franco [d] SS/2B/1BAugust 23, 1958September 17, 200749 years, 25 days [14]
Gabby Street CSeptember 30, 1882September 20, 193148 years, 355 days [15]
Deacon McGuire C/1BNovember 18, 1863May 18, 191248 years, 182 days [16]
Phil Niekro *PApril 1, 1939September 27, 198748 years, 179 days [17]
Johnny Evers *2BJuly 21, 1881October 6, 192948 years, 77 days [18]
Kaiser Wilhelm PJanuary 26, 1874August 21, 192147 years, 207 days [19]
Hod Lisenbee PSeptember 23, 1898September 7, 194546 years, 349 days [20]
Nolan Ryan *PJanuary 31, 1947September 22, 199346 years, 234 days [21]
Charlie Hough PJanuary 5, 1948July 26, 199446 years, 202 days [22]
Sam Thompson *RFMarch 5, 1860September 10, 190646 years, 189 days [23]
Jesse Orosco PApril 21, 1957September 27, 200346 years, 159 days [24]
Dan Brouthers *1BMay 8, 1858October 4, 190446 years, 149 days [25]
Grover Hartley CJuly 2, 1888September 30, 193446 years, 90 days [26]
Bobo Newsom PAugust 11, 1907September 17, 195346 years, 37 days
9 teams
 [27]
Randy Johnson *PSeptember 10, 1963October 4, 200946 years, 24 days [28]
Tommy John PMay 22, 1943May 25, 198946 years, 3 days [29]
C. I. Taylor RF/CJanuary 20, 1875192146 years Indianapolis ABCs (1920–1921) [30]
Kid Gleason 2B/POctober 26, 1866August 27, 191245 years, 306 days [31]
Carlton Fisk *CDecember 26, 1947June 22, 199345 years, 178 days [32]
Cap Anson *1B/3B/CApril 17, 1852October 3, 189745 years, 169 days [33]
Omar Vizquel SS/3BApril 24, 1967October 3, 201245 years, 162 days [34]
Ichiro Suzuki *RFOctober 22, 1973March 21, 201945 years, 150 days [35]
Ted Lyons *PDecember 28, 1900May 19, 194645 years, 142 days Chicago White Sox (1923–1942, 1946) [36]
Rich Hill †PMarch 11, 1980July 28, 202545 years, 139 days [37]
Pete Rose OF/1B/3BApril 14, 1941August 17, 198645 years, 125 days [38]
Bartolo Colón PMay 24, 1973September 22, 201845 years, 121 days [39]
Fred Johnson PMarch 10, 1894May 10, 193945 years, 61 days [40]
Tim Wakefield PAugust 2, 1966September 25, 201145 years, 54 days [41]
Roger Clemens PAugust 4, 1962September 16, 200745 years, 43 days [42]
Red Faber *PSeptember 6, 1888September 20, 193345 years, 14 days Chicago White Sox (1914–1933) [43]
Gaylord Perry *PSeptember 15, 1938September 21, 198345 years, 6 days [44]

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

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.
PlayerPosBirth dateAgeTeam(s) played (years)Ref.
Justin Verlander PFebruary 20, 198342 years, 197 days [45]
Charlie Morton PNovember 12, 198341 years, 297 days [46]
Max Scherzer PJuly 27, 198441 years, 40 days [47]
Justin Turner 1B/DH/3BNovember 23, 198440 years, 286 days [48]
David Robertson PApril 9, 198540 years, 149 days
8 teams
 [49]
Carlos Santana 1B/DHApril 8, 198639 years, 150 days [50]
Chris Martin PJune 2, 198639 years, 95 days [51]
Yu Darvish PAugust 16, 198639 years, 20 days [52]
Andrew McCutchen DH/RFOctober 10, 198638 years, 330 days [53]
Wade Miley PNovember 13, 198638 years, 296 days [54]
Luis García PJanuary 30, 198738 years, 218 days [55]
Caleb Thielbar PJanuary 31, 198738 years, 217 days
2 teams
 [56]
Kirby Yates PMarch 25, 198738 years, 164 days [57]
Justin Wilson PAugust 18, 198738 years, 18 days [58]
Ryan Brasier PAugust 26, 198738 years, 10 days [59]
Paul Goldschmidt 1BSeptember 10, 198737 years, 360 days [60]
Kenley Jansen PSeptember 30, 198737 years, 340 days [61]
Alex Cobb POctober 7, 198737 years, 333 days [62]
Aroldis Chapman PFebruary 28, 198837 years, 189 days [63]
Tommy Pham LFMarch 8, 198837 years, 181 days [64]

Last ten seasons

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.
PlayerPosBirth dateLast gameAgeTeam(s) played (years)Ref.
Ichiro Suzuki *RFOctober 22, 1973March 21, 201945 years, 150 days [65]
Rich Hill †PMarch 11, 1980July 28, 202545 years, 139 days [66]
Bartolo Colón PMay 24, 1973September 22, 201845 years, 121 days [67]
Nelson Cruz †DH/RFJuly 1, 1980July 3, 202343 years, 2 days [68]
R. A. Dickey POctober 29, 1974September 26, 201742 years, 332 days [69]
Albert Pujols †1B/LF/3BJanuary 16, 1980October 4, 202242 years, 261 days [70]
Justin Verlander ^PFebruary 20, 1983Present42 years, 197 days [71]
Fernando Rodney PMarch 18, 1977September 28, 201942 years, 194 days [72]
Koji Uehara PApril 3, 1975September 2, 201742 years, 152 days [73]
Adam Wainwright †PAugust 30, 1981October 1, 202342 years, 32 days St. Louis Cardinals (2005–2010, 2012–2023) [74]
Jesse Chavez †PAugust 21, 1983July 13, 202541 years, 326 days
9 teams
 [75]
Joe Nathan PNovember 22, 1974September 27, 201641 years, 310 days [76]
Charlie Morton ^PNovember 12, 1983Present41 years, 297 days [77]
Max Scherzer ^PJuly 27, 1984Present41 years, 40 days [78]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or has not played for a full season.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ 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

  1. ↑ "2026 Hall of Fame Candidates". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Satchel Paige Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Charley O'Leary Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Nick Altrock Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Minnie Miñoso Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Jim O'Rourke Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ "String Bean Williams Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Jack Quinn Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Hoyt Wilhelm Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Jimmy Austin Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Arlie Latham Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Jamie Moyer Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Hughie Jennings Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Julio Franco Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Gabby Street Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Deacon McGuire Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Phil Niekro Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Johnny Evers Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Kaiser Wilhelm Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Hod Lisenbee Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Nolan Ryan Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Charlie Hough Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Sam Thompson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Jesse Orosco Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Dan Brouthers Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Grover Hartley Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Bobo Newsom Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Randy Johnson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Tommy John Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  30. ↑ "C.I. Taylor Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Kid Gleason Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Carlton Fisk Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Cap Anson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Omar Vizquel Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Ichiro Suzuki Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Ted Lyons Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Rich Hill Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Pete Rose Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Bartolo Colon Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  40. ↑ "Fred Johnson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Tim Wakefield Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Roger Clemens Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  43. ↑ "Red Faber Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Gaylord Perry Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Justin Verlander Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Charlie Morton Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  47. ↑ "Max Scherzer Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Justin Turner Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  49. ↑ "David Robertson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Carlos Santana Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Chris Martin Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Yu Darvish Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  53. ↑ "Andrew McCutchen Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  54. ↑ "Wade Miley Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  55. ↑ "Luis García Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  56. ↑ "Caleb Thielbar Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  57. ↑ "Kirby Yates Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  58. ↑ "Justin Wilson Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  59. ↑ "Ryan Brasier Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  60. ↑ "Paul Goldschmidt Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  61. ↑ "Kenley Jansen Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  62. ↑ "Alex Cobb Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  63. ↑ "Aroldis Chapman Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  64. ↑ "Aroldis Chapman Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Ichiro Suzuki Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  66. ↑ "Rich Hill Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  67. ↑ "Bartolo Colon Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  68. ↑ "Nelson Cruz Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  69. ↑ "R. A. Dickey Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  70. ↑ "Albert Pujols Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  71. ↑ "Justin Verlander Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  72. ↑ "Fernando Rodney Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  73. ↑ "Koji Uehara Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  74. ↑ "Adam Wainwright Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  75. ↑ "Jesse Chavez Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  76. ↑ "Joe Nathan Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  77. ↑ "Charlie Morton Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  78. ↑ "Max Scherzer Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

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