Dozens of father-and-son combinations have played or managed in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The first was Jack Doscher, son of Herm Doscher, who made his debut in 1903.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-and-son duo to play in MLB at the same time, in 1989 when Ken Jr. was called up by the Seattle Mariners while Ken Sr. was playing with the Cincinnati Reds. They became Mariner teammates in 1990. In Ken Sr.'s first game as a Mariner, on August 31, 1990, the pair hit back-to-back singles in the first inning and both scored. [1] On September 14, in the top of the first off California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, the pair hit back-to-back home runs, the only father-son duo to do so. [2] They played 51 games together before Ken Sr. retired in June 1991.
In 2001, Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. played as teammates with the Baltimore Orioles.
At the 2023 Home Run Derby, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. became the first father-son duo to win the trophy.
Cecil and Prince Fielder are the only father-son combination each to hit 50 or more home runs in any season. Cecil Fielder hit 51 homers in 1990; 17 years later, his son Prince, hit 50. Both Prince and Cecil hit exactly 319 home runs in their careers.
Six families have had a father and son serve as managers:
In 1992, Bret Boone became the first third-generation MLB player.
There are six third-generation MLB-player families:
In addition to the pairs listed above, there have been 21 other pairs of grandfathers and grandsons who played Major League Baseball. Two of the grandsons are well-known current players: Rick Porcello's maternal grandfather was Sam Dente, and Mike Yastrzemski's paternal grandfather is Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.
There are third-generation families affiliated with MLB in roles otherthan team player:
As of 2023 [update] , there has never been a fourth-generation major league player. However, two potential fourth-generation players have been drafted and/or signed to minor-league contracts.
In 2017, Jake Boone was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 38th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, but did not sign. [4] Jake's father is Bret Boone; his grandfather is Bob Boone; and his great-grandfather was the late Ray Boone. (Also, Aaron Boone is his uncle.) Jake played college baseball at Princeton University for three seasons before signing a free-agent contract with the Nationals in July 2020. He was unable to play professional ball immediately after signing his contract because Minor League Baseball canceled its 2020 season. [5] [6] In 2021, he spent the entire season with Washington's Low-A East affiliate, the Fredericksburg Nationals. Heading into the 2022 season, Jake was reassigned to the National's Rookie-level affiliate, but was released on May 4, 2022. [7]
Luke Bell was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 34th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. His father Mike Bell was a 13-season minor leaguer who played briefly for the Cincinnati Reds in 2000 and was the vice president of player development for the Diamondbacks before his death in March 2021. [8] Luke Bell's uncle is David Bell; his grandfather is Buddy Bell; and his great-grandfather was the late Gus Bell. Luke Bell opted not to play Minor League Baseball in 2019 after he was drafted, In 2020 he made 5 appearances as a pitcher for Chandler-Gilbert Community College before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. He transferred to Xavier University in 2021.
There are three known cases of a great-grandson following in his great-grandfather's footsteps to play Major League Baseball. Bill Wilkinson played for the Seattle Mariners from 1985 to 1988; his great-grandfather, Jim Bluejacket played for Brooklyn in the Federal League in 1914-15 and for the Cincinnati Reds in 1916. More recently, Drew Pomeranz and his brother Stu Pomeranz, who played briefly in 2012, both followed in the footsteps of their great-grandfather Garland Buckeye who was a regular starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians for three years in the mid-1920s and also appeared in one game each with two other teams.
The MacPhail family is the first family known to have four generations affiliated with Major League Baseball in roles other than as players. Larry was the general manager of the Reds and Dodgers as well as the president, general manager, and co-owner of the Yankees. Larry's son, Lee, was president and general manager of the Orioles, executive vice president and general manager of the Yankees, and president of the American League. Larry and Lee are also the only father-and-son duo to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The MacPhails became baseball's first three-generation family when Lee MacPhail III became an executive with the Reading Phillies of the Eastern League. Lee II's other son, Andy, is the president of the Phillies and was previously general manager of the Twins, president and chief executive officer of the Cubs, and president of baseball operations for the Orioles. The family became baseball's first four-generation family with Lee MacPhail III's son, Lee MacPhail IV, who has served as director of scouting for the Indians, Expos, Nationals, and Orioles.
As of the 2024 Major League Baseball season, the Caray family will also have four generations of MLB broadcasters when Harry Christopher Caray IV (Chris) broadcasts his first game with the Oakland Athletics, joining his father, Harry Christopher III (Chip), grandfather Harry Christopher, Jr. (Skip), and great-grandfather Harry Christopher Caray, Sr. in the booth.
Italic | Managed his son(s) |
† | Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame |
* | Player is active |
Grandfather | Position | Son(s) | Position | Grandson(s) | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Coleman | Pitcher | Joe Coleman | Pitcher | Casey Coleman * | Pitcher |
Gus Bell | Outfielder | Buddy Bell | Third baseman / Manager | David Bell | Infielder / Manager |
Mike Bell | Infielder | ||||
Ray Boone | Infielder | Bob Boone | Catcher / Manager | Aaron Boone | Third baseman / Manager |
Bret Boone | Second baseman | ||||
Sam Hairston | Catcher | Jerry Hairston Sr. | Outfielder | Jerry Hairston Jr. | Outfielder |
Scott Hairston | |||||
Johnny Hairston | Catcher / Outfielder |
The following families had a parent play top-level professional baseball in a league other than MLB and a child who played in MLB.
Parent | Position | League | Son(s) | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
Luis Aparicio, Sr. | SS | Venezuelan Professional Baseball League | Luis Aparicio † | SS |
Helen Callaghan | CF | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League | Casey Candaele | UTL |
Pedro Cepeda | SS/1B | Puerto Rico Baseball League | Orlando Cepeda † | 1B |
Lourdes Gurriel | LF, 1B | Cuba national baseball team | Yuli Gurriel * | |
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. * | LF | |||
Kazuhiro Kuroda | CF | Nippon Professional Baseball | Hiroki Kuroda | P |
Leon Lee | 1B | Nippon Professional Baseball | Derrek Lee | 1B |
Lázaro Vargas | 3B/1B | Cuba national baseball team | Miguel Vargas * | 2B |
* | Umpire is active |
Father | League | Son | League 1 |
---|---|---|---|
Shag Crawford | NL | Jerry Crawford 2 | NL/MLB |
Lou DiMuro | AL | Mike DiMuro | AL/MLB, CL (Japan) |
Ray DiMuro | AL | ||
Tom Gorman | NL | Brian Gorman | NL/MLB |
Ed Runge | AL | Paul Runge | NL |
Paul Runge | NL | Brian Runge | NL/MLB |
Harry Wendelstedt | Hunter Wendelstedt | ||
^1 The National and American Leagues consolidated umpiring crews beginning in the 2000 season; umpires who worked after the consolidation are denoted with "MLB".
^2 Joe Crawford, another son of Shag Crawford and brother of Jerry Crawford, is an official in the National Basketball Association.
George Kenneth Griffey Jr., nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first overall pick in the 1987 draft, and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.
Harry Christopher "Chip" Caray III is an American television broadcaster for Bally Sports Midwest coverage of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. He joined the Cardinals' broadcast team after leaving the Atlanta Braves, where he had served as the television play-by-play voice from 2005 to 2022. Chip is also known from his time as a broadcaster for the Fox Saturday Game of the Week and as the television play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs from 1998 to 2004. He is the son of broadcaster Skip Caray, the grandson of broadcaster Harry Caray, and the father of broadcaster Chris Caray.
George Kenneth Griffey Sr. is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1973 through 1991, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three division titles and two World Series championships between 1973 and 1976. He also played for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, and Seattle Mariners.
Robert Raymond Boone is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star.
William Louis Veeck Jr., also known as "Sport Shirt Bill" and "Wild Bill", was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Browns, and the Chicago White Sox. As owner and team president of the Indians in 1947, Veeck signed Larry Doby, thus beginning the integration of the American League, and the following year won a World Series title.
Bret Robert Boone is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman. During his career, Boone was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He is a third-generation professional athlete. His brother is Aaron Boone, manager of the New York Yankees.
David Gus "Buddy" Bell is an American former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) currently serving as vice president and senior advisor to the general manager for the Cincinnati Reds.
Leland Stanford MacPhail Jr. was an American front-office executive in Major League Baseball. MacPhail was a baseball executive for 45 years, serving as the director of player personnel for the New York Yankees, the president and general manager of the Baltimore Orioles, chief aide to Commissioner of Baseball William Eckert, executive vice president and general manager of the Yankees, and president of the American League.
David Michael Bell is an American former professional baseball third baseman, who is currently the manager for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). Over the course of his 12-year MLB playing career, Bell appeared at all four infield positions while playing for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers. He made his MLB debut for the Indians in 1995.
William Orville DeWitt Sr. was an American professional baseball executive and club owner whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned more than 60 years. DeWitt held multiple ownership and upper management positions in the major leagues, including general manager and owner of both the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds, chairman of the board of the Chicago White Sox, and president of the Detroit Tigers.
William Alfred Shea was an American lawyer and a name partner of the prominent law firm of Shea & Gould. He is better known as the founder of the Continental League, which was instrumental in bringing National League baseball back to New York City with the New York Mets, and for being the namesake of the stadium where that team played for 45 years, and paving the way for all of the MLB expansion teams that have followed.
Richard Craig Schofield is an American former professional baseball shortstop and coach. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 1996 for the California Angels, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Schofield was with the 1993 World Series champion Blue Jays, although did not play in the postseason after missing the bulk of the regular season when he suffered a bad break to his upper right arm.
Samuel Harding Hairston was a Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball player. He played for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro leagues and played part of one season (1951) with the Chicago White Sox as a catcher. He is buried in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery.
John Louis Hairston is a former catcher/left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1969 season. Hairston batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on September 6, 1969, and played his final major league game on October 2, 1969.
The 1990 Seattle Mariners season was the 14th for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball. Under second-year manager Jim Lefebvre, they finished fifth in the American League West at 77–85 (.475). It was the second-best record in the M's history up to that point in time; the win total was one behind the club record set in 1987. The Mariners hit six grand slams, the most in MLB in 1990.
Clarence Edward Heise, was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1934 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they played for 52 years as the St. Louis Browns.