There are a few players in Major League Baseball who have hit the big 40. These players have played in the league for an entire generation, and they have such a passion for the game that they are continuing to defy the odds and make their team’s roster every year. Fans love it when these golden oldies get on the park and show the youngsters how it’s done (at least, the older fans love it anyway!), and in this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the four oldest MLB players in the league today.
4. Matt Stairs – 43 years
He currently plays for the Washington Nationals and is the only Canadian to play in the league for so long, and currently he holds the record for playing for the most baseball organizations. He was nicknamed ”the Professional Hitter” because of his pinch hitting ability. As a Canadian the baseball scoreboards show that he holds a number of records such as the most home runs in a single season, and this was all after a slow start to his career – he only made his 500th plate appearance when he was 29.
3. Omar Vizquel – 44 years
Omar, nicknamed ‘Little O’ is a shortstop and third baseman for the Chicago White Sox. He is in his 23rd season and holds the record for playing more baseball games than any other player currently playing. In his four decades in the league, he has received four gold gloves and is the second shortstop to play without an error for consecutives games between September 1999 and July 2000.
2. Tim Wakefield – 44 years
In 1995, he started pitching for the Boston Red Sox and is the oldest player currently in the team. He is a knuckleball pitcher, which is a slower type of pitch, and which is less wearing on the pitching arm. He has been a part of the winning squad of the World Series twice, in 2004 and 2007, and he was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award eight times and finally won one in 2010. He is the only Red Sox player to win this award.
1. Jamie Moyer – 48 years
The oldest guy in the league, Jamie Moyer was recently playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, but is now a free agent. He has pitched for 7 franchises (including the Phillies) and holds the record for the most number of wins and losses than any other current player in the league. He started his career way back in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs and the fact that he is playing to date shows just how much talent he has. He has played in the league for four decades and in this long span of time, apart from his numerous game related awards, he has won a large number of awards for his service to the community.
For more information on Jamie Moyer, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Moyer