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 April 2024[update], 190 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][a] 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. Stephen Strasburg, who played 13 seasons with the Washington Nationals and announced his retirement in April 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Only players who are no longer active are listed here.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 April 6, 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 |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds | 2007–2023‡ |
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.
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)