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 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 Age Team(s)
Ralph Miller[6][7]March 15, 1873
Cincinnati, Ohio		May 7, 1973
Cincinnati, Ohio		100 years, 53 daysBrooklyn Bridegrooms (1898)
Baltimore Orioles (1899)
Charlie Emig[8]April 5, 1875
Cincinnati, Ohio		October 2, 1975
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma		100 years, 180 daysLouisville Colonels (1896)
John Daley[9]May 25, 1887
Du Bois, Pennsylvania		August 31, 1988
Mansfield, Ohio		101 years, 98 daysSt. Louis Browns (1912)
Bill Otis[10][11]December 24, 1889
Scituate, Massachusetts		December 15, 1990
Duluth, Minnesota		100 years, 356 daysNew York Highlanders (1912)
Bob Wright[12]December 13, 1891
Decatur County, Indiana		July 30, 1993
Carmichael, California		101 years, 229 daysChicago Cubs (1915)
Ed Gill[13]August 7, 1895
Somerville, Massachusetts		October 10, 1995
Brockton, Massachusetts		100 years, 64 daysWashington Senators (1919)
Milt Gaston[14][15][16]January 27, 1896
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey		April 26, 1996
Barnstable, Massachusetts		100 years, 90 daysNew York Yankees (1924)
St. Louis Browns (1925–1927)
Washington Senators (1928)
Boston Red Sox (1929–1931)
Chicago White Sox (1932–1934)
Red Hoff[17][18][19]May 8, 1891
Ossining, New York		September 17, 1998
Daytona Beach, Florida		107 years, 132 daysNew York Highlanders (1911–1913)
St. Louis Browns (1915)
Karl Swanson[20]December 17, 1900
North Henderson, Illinois		April 3, 2002
Rock Island, Illinois		101 years, 107 daysChicago White Sox (1928–1929)
Ralph Erickson[21]June 25, 1902
Dubois, Idaho		June 27, 2002
Chandler, Arizona		100 years, 2 daysPittsburgh Pirates (1929–1930)
Ray Cunningham[22]January 17, 1905
Mesquite, Texas		July 30, 2005
Pearland, Texas		100 years, 194 daysSt. Louis Cardinals (1931–1932)
Howdy Groskloss[23][24]April 10, 1906
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania		July 15, 2006
Vero Beach, Florida		100 years, 96 daysPittsburgh Pirates (1930–1932)
Rollie Stiles[25]November 17, 1906
Ratcliff, Arkansas		July 22, 2007
St. Louis, Missouri		100 years, 247 daysSt. Louis Browns (1930–1931, 1933)
Billy Werber[26][27][28]June 20, 1908
Berwyn Heights, Maryland		January 22, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina		100 years, 216 daysNew 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		101 years, 124 daysBrooklyn Dodgers (1937)
Ace Parker[30][31]May 17, 1912
Portsmouth, Virginia		November 6, 2013
Portsmouth, Virginia		101 years, 173 daysPhiladelphia Athletics (1937–1938)
Connie Marrero[32][33]April 25, 1911
Sagua La Grande, Cuba		April 23, 2014
Havana, Cuba		102 years, 363 daysWashington Senators (1950–1954)
Mike Sandlock[34][35]October 17, 1915
Old Greenwich, Connecticut		April 4, 2016
Cos Cob, Connecticut		100 years, 170 daysBoston Braves (1942–1944)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1945–1946)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1953)
Eddie Carnett[36][37]October 21, 1916
Springfield, Missouri		November 4, 2016
Ringling, Oklahoma		100 years, 14 daysBoston Braves (1941)
Chicago White Sox (1944)
Cleveland Indians (1945)
Fred Caligiuri[38][39]October 22, 1918
West Hickory, Pennsylvania		November 30, 2018
Charlotte, North Carolina		100 years, 39 daysPhiladelphia Athletics (1941–1942)
Eddie Robinson[40][41]December 15, 2020
Paris, Texas		living100 years, 28 daysCleveland Indians (1942, 1946–1948, 1957)
Washington Senators (1949–1950)
Chicago White Sox (1950–1952)
Philadelphia Athletics (1953)
New York Yankees (1954–1956)
Kansas City Athletics (1956)
Detroit Tigers (1957)
Baltimore Orioles (1957)

In the on-deck circle

The next oldest living former major leaguer is George Elder (born March 10, 1921), currently aged 99 years, 308 days.[42]

See also


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.
  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.
  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 2743321. 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. "Bob Wright". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  13. "Ed Gill". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  14. "Milt Gaston". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  15. Nowlin, Bill. "Milt Gaston biography at the Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  16. "Sports People: Baseball - Hitting 100-Year Mark". New York Times. Associated Press. January 27, 1996. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  17. "Red Hoff". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  18. "Sidelines: Et Cetera - From Contest to Final Test". New York Times. May 27, 1991. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  19. Goldstein, Richard (September 24, 1998). "Chet Hoff, 107, Oldest Former Major Leaguer". New York Times. 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. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  29. "Tony Malinosky". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  30. "Ace Parker". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  31. 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.
  32. "Connie Marrero". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  33. 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.
  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. "Eddie Carnett". 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.
  38. "Fred Caligiuri". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  39. "Fred J. Calgiiuri". The Derrick and The News Herald (Oil City, Pa.). December 3, 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  40. "Eddie Robinson". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  41. Bailey, Analis (December 15, 2020). "Eddie Robinson, MLB's oldest living player, turns 100 years old". USA Today. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  42. "Oldest Living MLB Player". baseball-reference.com. Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
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