Best players to only play for one team

Only a choose group of gamers can spend their total Major League careers with a single franchise. And even fewer can accomplish that feat whereas additionally producing at an elite stage.

Here is a have a look at the highest 10 gamers to build up essentially the most wins above alternative (WAR), per Baseball-Reference, whereas solely ever suiting up in a single uniform. The one lively participant who’s threatening to affix this checklist is Mike Trout, who at present ranks sixteenth and whose contract with the Angels runs via 2030, his age-38 season. This is an inventory to recollect for Aaron Judge, who could also be a “Yankee for life” over the course of his profession.

1) Walter Johnson, Senators: 164.9 WAR
Johnson ranks second all time in WAR, trailing solely Babe Ruth, and leads the way in which for gamers who performed their total careers with one workforce. Johnson spent every of his 21 seasons with the Washington Senators, amassing a 417-279 document in 802 profession video games, 666 of which had been begins. He threw 531 full video games, together with 110 shutouts, which is 20 greater than every other participant all time. Through his age-26 season, Johnson compiled 71.1 WAR, essentially the most of any participant via that time, no matter place.

2) Stan Musial, Cardinals: 128.6
Stan the Man performed his total 3,026-game profession with the Cardinals over 23 seasons (one in every of which he missed for World War II service). A 3-time MVP Award winner, Musial was a member of the three,000-hit membership and captured seven batting titles and three World Series championships.

3) Ted Williams, Red Sox: 122.0
Williams missed three seasons resulting from World War II however nonetheless managed to build up 34.2 WAR via his age-23 season. He returned in 1946 — his age-27 season — and promptly received the primary of two MVP Awards. Williams is the all-time AL/NL chief in on-base proportion (.482) and continues to be the final participant to hit .400 for a professional season, when he hit .406 in 1941. He performed his nineteenth and ultimate season with the Red Sox in 1960.

4) Lou Gehrig, Yankees: 113.6
Gehrig performed his total 17-year profession — which was lower brief by ALS — with the Yankees. He received two MVP Awards and amassed a .340 batting common, in addition to a consecutive-games-played streak that will stand till Cal Ripken Jr. confirmed up. He performed his ultimate recreation at age 35 in 1939 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame through particular election later that yr.

5) Mel Ott, Giants: 110.8
Ott debuted as a 17-year-old for the Giants in 1926 and performed till he was 38 — a span of twenty-two seasons. He received the 1933 World Series with the Giants, and whereas the All-Star Game didn’t come into existence till Ott’s eighth yr within the Majors, he was nonetheless a 12-time All-Star. Ott completed with 511 dwelling runs, 342 of which got here earlier than his age-30 season.

6) Mickey Mantle, Yankees: 110.2
Through his age-26 season, Mantle had 61.4 WAR and already had received two MVP Awards. Mantle went on to win a 3rd MVP Award, hit 536 dwelling runs and play for 18 years, all with the Yankees. Mantle received the batting Triple Crown in 1956. He retired within the spring of 1969 at 37 years outdated after coping with leg and knee accidents all through his profession.

7) Mike Schmidt, Phillies: 106.8
Schmidt performed his total 18-year profession in Philadelphia, successful three MVP Awards and 10 Gold Glove Awards at third base, whereas making 12 All-Star groups and slamming 548 homers. The first MVP got here in 1980, when Schmidt additionally captured one in every of his eight NL dwelling run titles and led the Phillies to a championship, with Schmidt additionally taking World Series MVP honors.

8) Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox: 96.5
The 18-time All-Star spent his total 23-year profession with the Red Sox, enjoying in two World Series however by no means successful all of it. Yaz lasted till he was 44, giving him loads of time to build up WAR. He had 12.5 WAR in 1967, when he received his solely MVP Award, in his age-27 season. That’s the third-highest single-season WAR mark by a place participant, and the one place participant with a better single-season WAR was Ruth, who did it twice.

9) Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles: 95.9
Ripken received the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1982 and the AL MVP Award a yr later — the primary of two in his profession. He made 19 consecutive All-Star Games from 1983-2001, which was the final of his 21 MLB seasons. Ripken owns the all-time consecutive-games-played document (2,632) and is a member of the three,000-hit membership. And he did all of it for the Orioles, who drafted him out of highschool in Aberdeen, Md., in 1978.

10) Roberto Clemente, Pirates: 94.8
Clemente’s total 18-year profession got here with the Pirates, and it might’ve been longer if not for his tragic loss of life whereas delivering provides to earthquake victims in Nicaragua in 1972. In the ultimate 11 seasons of his profession, Clemente hit .329 with a .502 slugging proportion, and that’s to say nothing of his protection, which was spectacular.

Honorable mentions: Al Kaline (92.9 WAR with Tigers), Bob Gibson (89.2 with Cardinals), George Brett (88.6 with Royals), Chipper Jones (85.3 with Braves), Charlie Gehringer (84.8 with Tigers), Trout (82.4 with Angels), Jeff Bagwell (79.9 with Astros), Joe DiMaggio (79.2 with Yankees), Brooks Robinson (78.5 with Orioles), Luke Appling (77.6 with White Sox), Robin Yount (77.4 with Brewers), Clayton Kershaw (75.9 with Dodgers)