List of centenarians (Major League Baseball players)

The following contains a list of Major League Baseball players who lived to the age of 100. For other baseball players and others associated with baseball who also were centenarians, see List of centenarians (sportspeople). For other lists of centenarians, see lists of centenarians.

Actuarial considerations

No major league player reached the age of 100 until 1973. Although that might seem anomalous because more than 10,000 players had appeared in the major leagues by then, it also has to be considered that Harry Wright was the oldest player during the first season of the National League in 1876, at age 41,[1] so he could not have reached age 100 until 1935. The majority of ballplayers in 1876 could not have lived to age 100 until after 1950, and there had not been enough players for a reasonable statistical expectation of one becoming a centenarian until the 1970s.

Actuarial data

A study by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company that assessed the vital statistics of more than 10,000 baseball players and general mortality rates in the United States concluded that players whose careers began between 1876 and 1900 experienced only 97% expected mortality, those who debuted between 1901 and 1930 had only 64% expected mortality, and those who debuted between 1931 and 1973 experienced only 55% of expected deaths. As early as the 1930s, big league players were exhibiting either a healthy worker effect or the health benefits of the rigorous fitness regimens of professional athletes, or both. However, in this study, vital data on baseball players were limited to those available in the 1974 Baseball Encyclopedia.[2] Other smaller studies have shown similar results for players who debuted between 1911 and 1915[3] and between 1900 and 1939.[4]

One large study examining major league ballplayers with debuts from 1902 and 2004 found that their expected lifespan was almost five years longer than average 20-year-old American males, and that career length was inversely associated with the risk of death, probably because those who play ball longer gained additional income, physical fitness, and training.[5]

The ballplayers

Name Born Died Teams
Ralph Miller[6][7] March 15, 1873 Cincinnati, Ohio May 8, 1973 Cincinnati, Ohio Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1898)
Baltimore Orioles (1899)
Charlie Emig[8] April 5, 1875 Cincinnati, Ohio October 2, 1975 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Louisville Colonels (1896)
John Daley[9] May 25, 1887 Du Bois, Pennsylvania August 31, 1988 Mansfield, Ohio St. Louis Browns (1912)
Bill Otis[10][11] December 24, 1889 Scituate, Massachusetts December 15, 1990 Duluth, Minnesota New York Highlanders (1912)
Red Hoff[12][13][14] May 8, 1891 Ossining, New York September 17, 1998 Daytona Beach, Florida New York Highlanders (1911–1913)
St. Louis Browns (1915)
Bob Wright[15] December 13, 1891 Decatur County, Indiana July 30, 1993 Carmichael, California Chicago Cubs (1915)
Ed Gill[16] August 7, 1895 Somerville, Massachusetts October 10, 1995 Brockton, Massachusetts Washington Senators (1919)
Milt Gaston[17][18][19] January 27, 1896 Ridgefield Park, New Jersey April 26, 1996 Barnstable, Massachusetts New York Yankees (1924)
St. Louis Browns (1925–1927)
Washington Senators (1928)
Boston Red Sox (1929–1931)
Chicago White Sox (1932–1934)
Karl Swanson[20] December 17, 1900 North Henderson, Illinois April 3, 2002 Rock Island, Illinois Chicago White Sox (1928–1929)
Ralph Erickson[21] June 25, 1902 Dubois, Idaho June 27, 2002 Chandler, Arizona Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–1930)
Ray Cunningham[22] January 17, 1905 Mesquite, Texas July 30, 2005 Pearland, Texas St. Louis Cardinals (1931–1932)
Howdy Groskloss[23][24] April 10, 1906 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July 15, 2006 Vero Beach, Florida Pittsburgh Pirates (1930–1932)
Rollie Stiles[25] November 17, 1906 Ratcliff, Arkansas July 22, 2007 St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis Browns (1930–1931, 1933)
Billy Werber[26][27][28] June 20, 1908 Berwyn Heights, Maryland January 22, 2009 Charlotte, North Carolina New York Yankees (1930–1933)
Boston Red Sox (1933–1936)
Philadelphia Athletics (1937–1938)
Cincinnati Reds (1939–1941)
New York Giants (1942)
Tony Malinosky[29] October 7, 1909 Collinsville, Illinois February 8, 2011 Oxnard, California Brooklyn Dodgers (1937)
Connie Marrero[30][31] April 25, 1911 Sagua La Grande, Cuba April 23, 2014 Havana, Cuba Washington Senators (1950–1954)
Ace Parker[32][33] May 17, 1912 Portsmouth, Virginia November 6, 2013 Portsmouth, Virginia Philadelphia Athletics (1937–1938)
Mike Sandlock[34][35] October 17, 1915 Greenwich, Connecticut April 4, 2016 Cos Cob, Connecticut Boston Braves (1942–1944)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1945–1946)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1953)
Eddie Carnett [36][37] October 21, 1916 Springfield, Missouri November 4, 2016 Ringling, Oklahoma Boston Braves (1941)
Chicago White Sox (1944)
Cleveland Indians (1945)

References

  1. ↑ "Yearly League Leaders & Records for Oldest". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Longevity of Major League Baseball Players". Statistical Bulletin, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. 56: 2–4. 1975. PMID 1129825.
  3. ↑ Waterbor, John; Cole, Philip; Delzell, Elizabeth; Andjelkovitz, Dragana (1988). "The Mortality Experience of Major League Baseball Players". New England Journal of Medicine. 318 (19): 1278–1280. doi:10.1056/nejm198805123181917. PMID 3362185. Retrieved 8 May 2016. (subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ Abel, E.L.; Kruger, M.L. (2006). "The Healthy Worker Effect in Major League Baseball Revisited". Research in Sports Medicine. 14 (1): 83–87. doi:10.1080/15438620500528406. PMID 16700406. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Saint Onge, Jarron M.; Rogers, Richard G.; Krueger, Patrick M. (July 17, 2008). "Major League Baseball Players' Life Expectancies". Social Science Quarterly. 89 (3): 817–830. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2008.00562.x. PMC 2743321Freely accessible. PMID 19756205.
  6. ↑ "Ralph Miller". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ralph Miller, 100, Is Dead". New York Times. Associated Press. May 9, 1973. p. 50. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Charlie Emig". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "John Daley". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Bill Otis". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Costello, Rory. "Bill Otis biography at the Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Red Hoff". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "Sidelines: Et Cetera - From Contest to Final Test". New York Times. May 27, 1991. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (September 24, 1998). "Chet Hoff, 107, Oldest Former Major Leaguer". New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Bob Wright". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ed Gill". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "Milt Gaston". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Nowlin, Bill. "Milt Gaston biography at the Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Sports People: Baseball - Hitting 100-Year Mark". New York Times. Associated Press. January 27, 1996. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  20. ↑ "Karl Swanson". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  21. ↑ "Ralph Erickson". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  22. ↑ "Ray Cunningham". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "Howdy Groskloss". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  24. ↑ Chass, Murray (April 9, 2006). "Oldest Ex-Player Nears 100". New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  25. ↑ "Rollie Stiles". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "Bill Werber". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  27. ↑ Rogers III, C. Paul. "Billy Werber biography at the Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  28. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (January 24, 2009). "Bill Werber, Infielder Who Played With Ruth, Is Dead at 100". New York Times. p. A14.
  29. ↑ "Tony Malinosky". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  30. ↑ "Connie Marrero". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  31. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (April 24, 2014). "Connie Marrero, 102, Dies; Pitcher Starred in Cuba and the Majors". New York Times. p. A29. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  32. ↑ "Ace Parker". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  33. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (November 7, 2013). "Ace Parker, Pro Football Hall of Famer From Leather-Helmet Days, Dies at 101". New York Times. p. B18. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  34. ↑ "Mike Sandlock". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  35. ↑ Weber, Bruce (April 6, 2016). "Mike Sandlock Dies at 100; Was Oldest Living Big Leaguer". New York Times. p. B17. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Mike Sandlock". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  37. ↑ Adler, David (November 4, 2016). "Oldest Ex-MLB Player Carnett Dies at 100". MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
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