Hall of Famers’ most random teams
Any journey to the Baseball Hall of Fame entails a cease within the plaque room, the place you browse the accomplishments of each Hall of Famer. On most gamers’ plaques, the brand on every cap represents the membership they’re most related to.
Yet the plaques additionally will checklist every of the stops they made throughout their distinguished enjoying careers. That means Ken Griffey Jr.’s bears a “Chicago, A.L.,” and Mike Piazza’s a “Florida, N.L.,” despite the fact that the previous spent solely a few months with the White Sox and the latter a lot lower than that with the Marlins.
Another instance is the most recent Hall of Famer, Fred McGriff, lately elected to the Class of 2023 by way of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee. You could bear in mind the Crime Dog from his exploits with the Blue Jays, Braves or Padres, or presumably even the Devil Rays or Cubs. But do you do not forget that he logged 86 video games with the 2003 Dodgers, in his second-to-last season?
Many Hall of Famers have made these kinds of transient detours, even when the recollections of them in these uniforms do not appear fairly proper years later. With that in thoughts, here’s a have a look at a notable Hall of Famer cameo for (practically) each membership, with assist from Baseball-Reference and the SABR BioProject.
Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns: Dizzy Dean
The 1934 NL MVP for the Cardinals, Dean noticed accidents put a untimely cease to his profession after he threw one inning for the Cubs in ’41. Six years later, whereas working as a Browns broadcaster, Dean claimed he might pitch as effectively or higher than the membership’s beleaguered employees. With nothing to lose, the Browns signed him to a one-game contract and began him within the season’s remaining recreation, on Sept. 28, 1947, in opposition to the White Sox at Sportsman’s Park. Amazingly, Dean pitched 4 scoreless innings and in addition went 1-for-1 on the plate.
Honorable point out: Tim Raines
Boston Red Sox: Tom Seaver
The Sox really had three different Hall of Fame pitchers — Jack Chesbro, Juan Marichal and John Smoltz — make fewer appearances for them than Seaver’s 16. Seaver, who made his title with the Mets, completed his profession with Boston after a June 1986 commerce from the White Sox. At age 41, he nonetheless managed a 111 ERA+ in 104 1/3 innings however did not seem within the workforce’s postseason run to the World Series attributable to a knee damage.
Honorable point out: Chesbro
Chicago White Sox: Ken Griffey Jr.
Two years earlier than his retirement, the Reds despatched Griffey to the White Sox on the 2008 Trade Deadline. Over 41 regular-season video games, he hit simply three of his 630 profession homers, however the Sox took a tiebreaker recreation from the Twins to say the AL Central title. In his third and remaining journey to the playoffs, Junior went 2-for-10 with 5 strikeouts in an AL Division Series loss to the Rays.
Honorable point out: Chief Bender
Cleveland Guardians: Dave Winfield
Over a 22-year profession, Winfield collected 3,110 hits and 465 residence runs, however by 1995 he was MLB’s oldest participant by two years, at 43. A full-time DH at this level, he hit .191/.285/.287 and did not make the AL champions’ postseason roster.
Honorable point out: Harold Baines
Detroit Tigers: Larry Doby
An amazing participant along with breaking the AL’s shade barrier in 1947, Doby stayed with Cleveland by way of ’55. After just a few years with the White Sox, he returned there in ’58, however a 12 months later, Cleveland dealt him to Detroit for Tito Francona (Terry’s father). After a grand complete of 18 video games and 12 hits with the Tigers, Doby was bought by the White Sox, for whom he performed his remaining 21 contests.
Honorable point out: Eddie Mathews
Houston Astros: Randy Johnson
This was no swan-song state of affairs. Between his glorious stint with the Mariners and streak of 4 straight NL Cy Young Awards for the D-backs, Johnson was a 1998 Trade Deadline pickup by a Houston membership that received 102 video games and the NL Central (its residence on the time). In 11 begins down the stretch, Big Unit threw 4 shutouts, posted a 1.28 ERA and struck out 12.4 batters per 9 innings, however he took two hard-luck losses because the Astros fell to the Padres within the NLDS.
Honorable point out: Robin Roberts
Kansas City Royals: Gaylord Perry
The first to win a Cy Young Award in each leagues, Perry pitched for eight groups, together with 10 video games for the 1980 Yankees. In June ’83, a 12 months after he picked up his three hundredth win, the 44-year-old was launched by the Mariners and signed with the Royals, in time to play a task within the well-known George Brett pine tar incident. Perry completed up his profession with a 96 ERA+ over 14 begins with Okay.C.
Honorable point out: Orlando Cepeda
Los Angeles Angels: Rickey Henderson
MLB’s all-time stolen-base king performed for 9 groups, tied for probably the most amongst Hall of Famers — and that does not rely the repeat stints he had with a number of golf equipment. In August 1997, the Padres traded the 38-year-old to the Halos, and he hit a mere .183 over 32 video games, although he nonetheless posted a .343 OBP and swiped 16 luggage. That was hardly the top for Henderson, who suited up in six extra seasons.
Honorable point out: Eddie Murray
Minnesota Twins/Washington Senators: Lefty Gomez
All 189 of Grove’s wins got here for the Yankees. New York launched him after the 1942 season, and so did the Boston Braves earlier than he threw a pitch for the membership. Grove acquired another shot, with the Senators, however he lasted a single begin, giving up 4 runs over 4 2/3 innings in opposition to the White Sox on May 30, 1943.
Honorable point out: Steve Carlton
New York Yankees: Lee Smith
Smith’s 478 profession saves rank third on the all-time checklist, however solely three of these got here in pinstripes. By that time, Smith was 35 years outdated and already had starred for the Cubs, Red Sox and Cardinals. With a month left to go earlier than he reached free company, St. Louis dealt him to the Yankees, who had been trailing a decent division race to the Blue Jays. New York could not shut the hole, however Smith made eight scoreless appearances earlier than signing with Baltimore.
Honorable point out: Iván Rodríguez
Oakland Athletics: Orlando Cepeda
Though he was an NL MVP Award winner with St. Louis and went into the Hall with a San Francisco cap, Cepeda appeared very briefly throughout the Bay. In June 1972, the Braves traded him to the A’s for pitcher Denny McLain. Cepeda, then 34 and battling knee issues, made three appearances as a pinch-hitter, went 0-for-3 and was finished for the 12 months. Fortunately for Cepeda, the addition of the DH in ’73 gave him another productive season — with the Red Sox.
Honorable point out: Willie McCovey
Seattle Mariners: Goose Gossage
Like Henderson, Gossage performed for 9 groups, and he additionally had a 28-game stint with the Fukuoka Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League in 1990. He returned to the Majors the following 12 months, bouncing from Texas to Oakland to Seattle, the place he made 36 appearances earlier than the strike arrived and his profession ended. In the final of these, the 43-year-old tossed three good innings for his 310th save.
Honorable point out: Henderson
Tampa Bay Rays: Wade Boggs
Thus far, Boggs is the one Hall of Famer to have performed for the then-Devil Rays. His remaining two seasons coincided with the franchise’s first two, and regardless of being his his 40s, Boggs nonetheless managed to bat .289/.360/.391 (94 OPS+) over 213 video games, notching his 3,000th hit with a homer on Aug. 7, 1999.
Honorable point out: none
Texas Rangers: Vladimir Guerrero
After eight seasons in Montreal and 6 extra in Anaheim, Vladdy moved throughout the AL West to Texas by way of free company. Then 35, Guerrero wasn’t fairly the terrifying drive he as soon as was, however nonetheless hit .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs and made the final of his 9 All-Star groups. After going 1-for-14 within the Rangers’ World Series loss to the Giants, Guerrero departed for Baltimore, the place he performed his remaining season.
Honorable point out: Gossage
Toronto Blue Jays: Phil Niekro
Niekro debuted with 1964 Milwaukee Braves as a teammate of Warren Spahn and completed with one recreation for the ’87 Atlanta Braves, who had a rookie named Tom Glavine. Over these 24 seasons, the knuckleball artist threw 5,404 innings, greater than another pitcher who began his profession after 1907. Twelve of these innings got here for the Jays in ’87, in between stints with Cleveland and Atlanta. By that point, Niekro was 48. Since then, solely Jamie Moyer has pitched at an older age.
Honorable point out: Frank Thomas
Arizona Diamondbacks: Roberto Alomar
The 12-time All-Star second baseman signed with Arizona in 2004, at age 36, and performed solely 38 video games, thanks largely to an errant pitch that broke his proper hand in April. On Aug. 4, Alomar went 4-for-5, lifting his D-backs line to .309/.382/.473 earlier than he was traded again to the White Sox for his remaining 18 contests.
Honorable point out: none
Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves: Cy Young
The man for whom the award is called was 44 when the Cleveland Naps launched him in August 1911. He rapidly signed with Boston, which lately modified its title from Beaneaters to Doves to Rustlers, which lasted simply that season earlier than giving strategy to Braves. The Rustlers went a horrific 44-107, but Young managed to go 4-5 with a 102 ERA+ over 11 begins, bringing his remaining win complete to an unapproachable 511.
Honorable point out: Babe Ruth
Chicago Cubs: Hoyt Wilhelm
It wasn’t till 1952, when he was 29, that Wilhelm debuted with the New York Giants. The knuckleballer made up for misplaced time, pitching 21 seasons for 9 groups. At age 47 in 1970, Wilhelm made his fifth and remaining All-Star workforce, however shortly earlier than season’s finish, the Braves bought him to the Cubs, for whom he made three reduction appearances. Chicago traded him again to Atlanta after the season, and Wilhelm lastly pitched his final recreation in July 1972 with the Dodgers, 16 days shy of his fiftieth birthday.
Honorable point out: Jimmie Foxx
Cincinnati Reds: Christy Mathewson
In July 1916, the Giants traded Mathewson — beset by age and damage — to the Reds so he might take over as Cincy’s supervisor. That’s what he did, however close to the top of a 93-loss marketing campaign, Mathewson stepped to the mound one final time, dealing with fellow future Hall of Famer Mordecai Brown, who additionally was making his final begin. On a day honoring Brown in Chicago, Mathewson surrendered eight runs on 15 hits in an entire recreation — however earned his 373rd victory as Brown gave up 10 runs on 19 hits.
Honorable point out: Al Simmons
Colorado Rockies: N/A
In 2020, Larry Walker grew to become the primary Rockies participant to be voted into the Hall, however with 1,170 profession video games in Colorado, he hardly qualifies for this checklist.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Juan Marichal
Yes, the best pitcher in San Francisco Giants historical past was, briefly, a member of the hated Dodgers. Mired in a late-career decline, Marichal was bought to the Red Sox after the 1973 season. He pitched 11 video games for them in ’74 and was launched. He signed with L.A., however lasted two begins, six innings and 9 runs.
Honorable point out: Jim Thome
Miami Marlins: Mike Piazza
It’s weird {that a} Hall of Fame catcher, within the thick of his prime at age 29, might be traded twice in an eight-day span, however that is precisely what occurred in 1998. Piazza and the Dodgers could not work out an extension to maintain him in L.A., which despatched him to the Marlins in a blockbuster deal. The defending champs had been conducting a fireplace sale, nonetheless, and rapidly flipped Piazza to the Mets. His remaining tally with the Fish: 5 video games, 4 begins, 5 hits, no homers and two video games in his “home” ballpark.
Honorable point out: Trevor Hoffman
Milwaukee Brewers: Hank Aaron
After the 1974 season, Aaron was traded by the one franchise he had recognized (the Braves) however returned to the town the place he spent his first 12 years within the Majors (Milwaukee). By that time already baseball’s all-time residence run king, Aaron additionally handed Babe Ruth for the RBI document in ’75. He hit his remaining 22 homers for the Brew Crew (then an AL membership) over two seasons and 222 video games, smacking No. 755 on July 20, 1976, at County Stadium.
Honorable point out: Trevor Hoffman
New York Mets: Yogi Berra
A 3-time MVP catcher for the Yankees, Berra switched to managing the membership in 1964. Despite taking it to Game 7 of the World Series, Berra was fired, main him to to hitch Casey Stengel’s Mets — then of their fourth season — as a player-coach. The participant half of the equation finally consisted of 4 video games and two begins in May 1965. In the final of these, he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and hung up his spikes, telling his spouse, “I didn’t go out there to be embarrassed.” Berra stayed with the Mets as a coach, nonetheless, and later skippered them to the 1973 World Series.
Honorable point out: Willie Mays
Philadelphia Phillies: Ryne Sandberg
In an eerie coincidence, Sandberg is one among two Hall Famers to start his profession with a brief stint in Philadelphia earlier than getting traded to the Cubs. Fergie Jenkins made eight reduction appearances with Philly and was dealt in April 1966, 16 years earlier than Sandberg went to Chicago in a disastrous swap. The season earlier than, Sandberg went 1-for-6 for the Phillies. Over 15 years as a Cub, he picked up one other 2,385 hits and have become a 10-time All-Star second baseman.
Honorable point out: Jenkins
Pittsburgh Pirates: Joe Cronin
From 1900-27, Cronin was one among 4 males to play in 50 video games or fewer with the Pirates previous to the age of 25 earlier than happening to Hall of Fame careers elsewhere, becoming a member of High Pockets Kelly, Dazzy Vance and Rube Waddell. In the case of Cronin, Pittsburgh was a robust workforce within the Nineteen Twenties and could not discover room for Cronin, who acquired into 50 video games at ages 19-20. He was bought to an American Association membership however quickly was bought once more, by the Washington Senators. Cronin then blossomed as a seven-time All-Star shortstop with a profession 119 OPS+.
Honorable point out: Hank Greenberg
San Diego Padres: Greg Maddux
Maddux signed with the membership as a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2007 and made 60 begins in a Padres uniform over the following two years, reaching the 350-win mark alongside the way in which. He was traded to the Dodgers in August 2008, for the ultimate few months of his profession, retiring at age 42.
Honorable point out: Mike Piazza
San Francisco Giants: Steve Carlton
“Lefty” was a four-time Cy Young Award winner when the Phillies launched him in June 1986. He quickly signed with the Giants, and in his sixth outing for them, whiffed the Reds’ Eric Davis to develop into the second pitcher, after Nolan Ryan, to document 4,000 strikeouts. Afterward, Carlton introduced his retirement, however he returned with the White Sox every week later after which pitched elements of two extra seasons with the Indians and Twins.
Honorable point out: Duke Snider
St. Louis Cardinals: John Smoltz
The All-Star starter and nearer pitched in 708 video games for the Braves from 1988-2008, then cut up 15 video games between two different golf equipment in his remaining season. Smoltz, recovering from shoulder surgical procedure, initially signed with the Red Sox, debuted in late June and posted an 8.33 ERA over eight begins. After his launch, the Cardinals picked him up and acquired higher outcomes (4.26 ERA) over seven outings. Smoltz’s remaining look got here in Game 3 of the NLDS, when the Cards had been eradicated by the Dodgers.
Honorable point out: Minnie Miñoso
Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos: Randy Johnson
Ten years earlier than he was a prize Deadline acquisition by the Astros, the Big Unit was a rookie who made 4 promising begins with the 1988 Expos. He pitched seven walk-filled video games for Montreal the following season, then was traded that May to Seattle in a deal for fellow lefty Mark Langston.
Honorable point out: LeeSmith
