I recently came across a list that intrigued me.
The list was of ALL current Major League Baseball Players that have been with the same team for ten years or more (thanks to ESPN).
Here are the only eleven players currently that fit that category.
Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves 16
Mariano Rivera New York Yankees15
Derek Jeter New York Yankees 15
Jorge Posada New York Yankees 15
Todd Helton Colorado Rockies 13
Jason Varitek Boston Red Sox 13
Eric Chavez Oakland Athletics 12
Vernon Wells Toronto Blue Jays 11
Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies 10
Mark Buehrle Chicago White Sox 10
Michael Young Texas Rangers 10
Not sure how that number compares to other years but it seemed rather small to me.
With my heart still being stuck in the era of the sixties and seventies I do wonder how this compares to other years ? Anyone out there able to calculate this for the year 1970 ?
Three quarters (Santo, Kessinger, Banks) of the Chicago Cub infield were "lifer's" (that is from a long time ago)! It is a shame no Chicago Cub made this list this year ! Who will be the next Cub to play for Chicago for ten years ?
While I understand that baseball has changed drastically over (in so many ways, both for the good and bad) the commitment and loyalty of the game (from the players and owners) is one thing I wish would change back to the days of yester-year.
Yes, he was the best
15 hours ago
Here you are, the players in 1970 who had played for the same team for at least 10 years (I might have missed 1 or 2 as I did this quickly):
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Willie Mays, Giants, 19 years
Ernie Banks, Cubs, 18 years
Hank Aaron, Braves, 17 years
Roberto Clemente, Pirates, 16 years
Bill Mazeroski, Pirates, 15 years
Bob Gibson, Cardinals, 12 years
Willie McCovey, Giants, 12 years
Ron Santo, Cubs, 11 years
Jim Maloney, Reds, 11 years
Willie Davis, Dodgers, 11 years
Juan Marichal, Giants 11 years
AL
Al Kaline, Tigers, 18 years
Brooks Robinson, Orioles, 16 years
Boog Powell, Orioles, 10 years
Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox, 10 years
Sam McDowell, Indians, 10 years
Ed Brinkman, Senators, 10 years
That's 17 names. I thought there would have been a lot more. I think expansion had a lot to do with that (the Expos, Royals, Padres, Brewers, Angels, Mets, Astros and Twins were all relatively new in 1970).
You can add Billy Williams to the list; he broke in with the Cubs in 1959.
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