LIFERS: Current Status
 

There are only 11 active Major Leaguers who have played at least a decade all with the same team.

Alphabetically:

Homer Bailey, RHSP, Age-32, Reds, 11 years, WAR=4.3 67W-70L, 4.54 ERA

Ryan Braun, OF, Age-34, Brewers, 11 years, WAR=45.4 .300/.363/.538/.900 ROY-1; MVP-1; PED SUSPENSION-1

Brett Gardner, OF, AGE-34, Yankees, 10 years, WAR=37.7 .264/.348/.394/.742 GG-1; WSC-1

Alex Gordon, 3B-LF, AGE-34, Royals, 11 years, WAR=33.7 .259/.340/.418/.757 GG-5; WSC-1

Felix Hernandez, RHSP, AGE-32, Mariners, 13 years WAR=51.5 166-119, 3.28 ERA CY-1 ; CY top five- 4

Clayton Kershaw, LHSP, AGE-30, Dodgers, 10 years WAR=61.9 145-68, 2.37 ERA MVP-1; GG-1; ERA-5; CY-3; CY top 5- 7

Joe Mauer, C-1B, AGE-35, Twins, 14 years WAR=54.9 .308/.391/.441/.832 MVP-1; GG-3; BA-3

Yadier Molina, C, AGE 35, Cardinals, 14 years WAR=37.3 .284/.335/.404/.739 GG-8; WSC-2

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, AGE-34, Red Sox, 12 years WAR=52.1 .300/.366/.440/.806 ROY-1; MVP-1; GG-4; WSC-2

Joey Votto, 1B, AGE-34, Reds, 11 years WAR=57.4 .313/.428/.536/.964 MVP-1; GG-1

Ryan Zimmerman, 3B-1B, AGE-33, Nationals, 13 years WAR=36.7 .279/.343/.475/.818 GG-1

Miguel Cabrera is in his 11th year with the Tigers.
Age 35, Two MVP's, Triple Crown, 7 time all star

And he'll be in a Tiger uniform into the early 2020s at least. One of the worst contracts in baseball.

I think Ray meant that all these players had *only* played for one team.

Some of them are likely to be in the discussion of worst contract ever, at least among their teams. Ya...im talking about HR Bailey.

Mauer is talked about as a terrible contract. With his injuries, I agree. If he stays healthy, it is a fair number.

I'm a bit curious why you composed your list the way you did, Raymond. You included Gold Gloves, but not Silver Sluggers. You listed top 5 Cy Young voting, but not top 5 for MVP.

And technically, Ryan Braun was banned for using an illegal substance. The headlines many sports sites posted erroneously stated he was being punished because of PEDs. Ryan Braun used an unapproved substance to heal a calf injury during the 2011 playoffs. He still broke the rules, and deserved the suspension, but I hate the insinuation by many that Braun had to resort to performance enhancers to be a great player. Nothing is further from the truth. He was tested left and right in 2012, and all his tests were clean while he led the NL in home runs, and finished second in the MVP. A reoccurring nerve issue in his thumb that greatly affected his ability to hit in 2013 and '14 will likely cost him a chance at the Hall of Fame, not a suspension.

Synthetic testosterone treats calf injuries? I did not know that.

It was leaked that Braun had levels of synthetic testosterone in his system when tested in 2011, and that the testosterone levels demonstrated were the highest ever recorded by a Biolab in either the United States or in Canada, several times higher, in fact (per Braun's legal defense team-I take that with a grain of salt, as I don't recall the statement ever being corroborated by the lab, or MLB). He won that appeal, but the specifics were never released because of the confidentiality clause of the MLB drug testing program. Independent Arbitrator Shyam Das saw all the evidence, and ruled in Braun's favor. But his ruling opinion was never disseminated to the press. Was the synthetic testosterone finding in Braun's sample disproven somehow?

Ultimately, he was banned in 2013 for his connection with Biogenesis. I don't know how much overlap there was between MLB's original case in 2011, and what they presented to Braun in 2013. Braun voluntarily accepted his 65 game ban-50 for the substance violation, and 15 for how he carried himself during the proceedings. With incomplete information, it's hard to know what was real, and what was a fabrication by the media. If it was proven that there was synthetic testosterone in Braun's system in 2011, and that chain of custody was sound, how could Das have ruled in his favor?

I'm certainly not an expert on hormone usage, but I take testosterone cypionate, in part, to help offset bone density issues. I've also had several steroid injections to help heal damaged tissue in my knee and spine. Obviously, those are two different animals, but if Braun says he used a banned substance to heal an injury, I find his statement at least plausible. Unfortunately, we'll never know exactly what happened. We're left with part truth, part conjecture. Ultimately, my view is he screwed up--big time--and served his sentence.

I believe Adam Wainwright merits inclusion to this elite group.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...ainwad01.shtml

You're correct, Randy. However, my source, ESPS. Com, has 'Lifers' defined as 'This lists the rare players in MLB who have been with only one team throughout their careers with at least 10 years in the pros.'

Technically, Wainwright would not meet the criteria since he started as a Braves' prospect.

However, if you click on 'lifers', the next screen has 'lifers' more loosely defined...

A lifer is a player who has played with only one team for at least ten years.


But, I agree with you, that 'the spirit' of the list would include Wainwright...they need an editor like you...or me.

Thank for your note

-Raymond

-

Nice flippant response, Clyde. I'm so very sorry to have taken up some of your valuable time.

Saying I have a life, in self, is a joke, but implying that my time is more valuable than anyone else...was never intended or considered.

I'm always going for laughs, but frequently fall short. :)

It's ok, Raymond. Pain meds had worn off, and I was in a really pissy mood. You're aces in my book. :p