10 players with longest current tenure with 1 club
Staying with one workforce for a complete profession is extremely troublesome, although this offseason has already seen franchise icons Adam Wainwright and Clayton Kershaw decide to pitching at the very least another season for his or her respective golf equipment.
Remaining a one-team participant has grown more and more troublesome on this trendy period of free company, arbitration and trade motion towards youthful expertise. So with that in thoughts, beneath is a listing of the ten longest-tenured energetic gamers who’ve spent their whole Major League careers with only one workforce. Players are listed in descending order of seniority, and we’re solely trying from a participant’s MLB debut date onward — no matter whether or not they had been traded earlier than coming into the Majors.
It’s value noting, nevertheless, {that a} participant like Caleb Thielbar, who debuted for the Twins in 2013 and has solely pitched on the massive league degree for Minnesota — however bounced round Minor League associates in different organizations from 2016-19 — doesn’t qualify for this listing. Meanwhile, free agent Brandon Belt would be part of this listing if he re-signs with the Giants.
For now, listed here are the ten energetic gamers who’ve spent the longest time with one franchise:
1. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
Debut: Sept. 11, 2005
Wainwright takes excessive spot with the retirement of Yadier Molina, his longtime batterymate. Wainwright debuted for St. Louis only one 12 months after Molina, and inside 13 months he had thrown one of many franchise’s most well-known pitches: the signature curveball that froze Mets slugger Carlos Beltrán and sealed the Cardinals’ 2006 NL pennant. Wainwright morphed from a shutdown reliever to a workhorse ace, incomes 4 top-three finishes in NL Cy Young Award voting in a six-year span from 2009-14.
Wainwright has additionally defied the percentages on a number of events, bouncing again from the Tommy John surgical procedure he underwent in 2011 and returning once more after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in ’15. He turned again the clock in 2019 and ’20, successful 19 complete video games with a 3.91 ERA and pitching admirably in October. Waino will return for another season in 2023, trying to notch 5 extra wins to hitch the 200-win membership.
2. Joey Votto, Reds
Debut: Sept. 4, 2007
One of the perfect on-base machines of his technology, Votto had 9 .400-plus OBP seasons in a 10-year span starting in 2009, the 12 months earlier than he captured the NL MVP Award and led the Reds into the postseason. Votto returned to the playoffs for the primary time in seven years in 2020, then earned a share of down-ballot NL MVP votes with a 36-homer season in ’21. Following a uncommon injury-plagued marketing campaign in ’22, Votto can be trying to bounce again in ’23, his seventeenth season for the Reds.
3. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Debut: May 25, 2008
Kershaw started because the consensus high highschool pitcher in America and debuted within the Majors with a curveball that shortly earned the nickname “Public Enemy No. 1” from legendary broadcaster Vin Scully. What adopted was a résumé that made Kershaw probably the most adorned pitcher of his period: 5 NL ERA titles, three Cy Young Awards, a pitching Triple Crown in 2011 and the ‘14 NL MVP Award. But the perfect half? After 13 years in a Dodgers uniform, Kershaw lastly gained that elusive World Series title in 2020.
Kershaw struggled a bit whereas coping with numerous accidents in ’21, however he regarded like his classic self in ’22 when he went 12-3 with a 2.28 ERA whereas incomes his ninth profession All-Star choice. Following the season, Kershaw signed a one-year deal — which pays him a $15 million wage in 2023, plus a $5 million signing bonus — to return to the Dodgers for his sixteenth season.
4. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
Debut: June 8, 2010
Strasburg’s debut was one of the vital hyped and memorable in current historical past — and since that day greater than 10 years in the past, when he struck out 14 in entrance of an electrical crowd at Nationals Park, the 2009 No. 1 general Draft choose hasn’t pitched a recreation for another franchise. Stras is ready as much as be in a Nationals uniform for a very long time, too, after re-signing with Washington on a seven-year, $245 million deal earlier than the 2020 season. Unfortunately, accidents have restricted Strasburg to only eight begins and 31 1/3 innings in three seasons since signing that deal.
5. Brandon Crawford, Giants
Debut: May 27, 2011
The Giants chosen Crawford within the fourth spherical of the 2008 MLB Draft — the identical 12 months they picked Buster Posey (who was on this similar listing till his retirement following the 2021 season) with the No. 5 general choose. Crawford made his debut three years later, and he is been a continuing in San Francisco’s lineup ever since.
Crawford performed at the very least 143 video games every season from 2012-19 earlier than the COVID-shortened ’20 marketing campaign halted that run. Still, his 1,561 video games since his massive league debut are the eighth most by any participant throughout that span. And all he is finished throughout that point is win two World Series titles, 4 Gold Glove Awards, a Silver Slugger and make three All-Star appearances. Crawford is ready to grow to be a free agent following the ’23 season.
6. Charlie Blackmon, Rockies
Debut: June 27, 2011
Blackmon ended his 2022 season by present process surgical procedure to restore a torn left meniscus, however he plans to be totally wholesome for Spring Training after exercising his participant choice to return to the Rockies for a thirteenth season. Blackmon has established himself as a fan favourite in Colorado, all whereas incomes 4 All-Star picks and successful the 2017 NL batting title. The solely participant to look in additional video games for the Rockies than Blackmon (1,404 coming into the 2023 season) is Todd Helton (2,247).
7. Mike Trout, Angels
Debut: July 8, 2011
The solely factor lacking from Trout’s outstanding tenure with the Angels is a postseason win. The generational expertise made his debut in 2011, however he returned to the Majors for good on April 28, 2012 — the identical day fellow extremely touted prospect Bryce Harper made his MLB debut. Trout not solely went on to win the ’12 AL Rookie of the Year Award, however he completed second to Miguel Cabrera in AL MVP voting.
Trout has gone on to win three MVP Awards of his personal, together with incomes two All-Star Game MVP Awards, 9 Silver Sluggers and 10 All-Star picks. He figures to proceed climbing this listing in years to return, as he is underneath contract via 2030 after signing a 12-year deal value $426.5 million previous to the ’19 season.
8. Jose Altuve, Astros
Debut: July 20, 2011
Altuve has grow to be a face of the Astros’ franchise throughout his 12 seasons with the membership. An eight-time All-Star, Altuve has gained three batting titles and two World Series titles with Houston, whereas additionally claiming the 2017 AL MVP Award and ’19 ALCS MVP Award. He’s additionally taken dwelling six Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove.
Prior to the 2018 season, Altuve signed a five-year, $151 million extension that retains him underneath contract with the Astros via the ’24 marketing campaign.
9. Salvador Perez, Royals
Debut: Aug. 10, 2011
Perez, who made his MLB debut in 2011 on the age of 21, has undoubtedly grow to be the face of the Royals’ franchise. He’s made seven All-Star appearances whereas successful 5 Gold Glove Awards and 4 Silver Sluggers. But the spotlight of his profession got here in 2015, when he not solely led the Royals to a World Series title, however earned World Series MVP honors within the course of.
More lately, Perez earned the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2020 by hitting .333 with a .986 OPS after lacking the complete ’19 season as a consequence of Tommy John surgical procedure. He continued that success into the ’21 marketing campaign, when he led the Majors with 48 dwelling runs and 121 RBIs — every of which was simply a profession excessive. Perez is underneath contract with the Royals via 2025, with a $13.5 million membership possibility for ’26.
10. José Ramírez, Guardians
Debut: Sept. 1, 2013
Ramírez has established himself as one of many high all-around skills within the Majors throughout his 10 seasons with the Guardians — and he figures to climb this listing within the years to return. After all, Ramírez signed a seven-year contract previous to the 2022 season that can hold him in Cleveland via the ’28 season. Ramírez has acquired a share of AL MVP votes in six of the previous seven seasons. He completed third in AL MVP voting in each 2017 and ’18, then completed second in ’20, sixth in ’21 and fourth in ’22. Ramírez is already the one participant in franchise historical past with at the very least 150 dwelling runs and 150 stolen bases for the membership.
