Where did they go? Pre-war players who reappeared

[RUKen]

Originally Posted by G1911

It seems like there are 2 types of players here. Coaches and Managers that stepped in when injuries, strikes or other problems struck and the team needed a warm body, and then players who came back as entertainment stunts.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the coaches' boxes were manned by players who were not in the game that day, or sometimes by the manager. When John McGraw hired Arlie Latham and Wilbert Robinson to be non-playing coaches in 1909, he had to add them to the team roster along with the players; there was not a separate roster for the manager and coaches. This situation persisted for years as more teams hired coaches who were generally not expected to play. All of these coaches could enter a game when needed, or as a lark at the end of the season.

[abothebear]

Raphael Palmeiro made a comeback attempt a few years ago (2019). He had a .919 OPS in independent ball in 31 games.