Legendary MLB superstar Willie Mays will turn 90 years old in May, and while he is the sport’s oldest living Hall of Famer, he is far from its oldest living MLB player.
With a rich history that dates back to the turn of the 20th century, there is no shortage of baseball history to pull from when digging back to shine some light on the oldest living players in the sport.
From World Series winners to All-Stars and even an MVP winner, ahead is a closer look at the 10 oldest living MLB players.
1. 1B Eddie Robinson
Born: Dec. 15, 1920 (100 years old)
Robinson had a productive 13-year career while suiting up for seven different teams along the way. He was a four-time All-Star and the starting first baseman for the Cleveland squad that won the 1948 World Series.
During a six-year peak that stretched from 1948 through the 1953 season, he hit .278/.361/.449 while averaging 21 home runs and 95 RBI.
Following his lone World Series win, he was part of the trade package that brought future Hall of Famer Early Wynn to Cleveland.
2. LF George Elder
Born: March 10, 1921 (99 years old)
Elder played 41 games with the St. Louis Browns during the 1949 season.
He hit .250/.313/.318 with three doubles in 52 plate appearances, starting seven games in left field while being used primarily as a pinch-hitter.
His career concluded in 1950 after one more season in the minors.
3. 2B/SS Eddie Basinski
Born: Nov. 4, 1922 (98 years old)
The starting shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, Basinski helped bridge the gap at the position while Pee Wee Reese was serving in World War ll.
He hit .262/.293/.313 with 13 extra-base hits in 108 games in what would be his only season as an MLB regular before giving way to Reese when he returned for the 1946 season.
He was traded to Pittsburgh following the 1946 season and spent one more year in the big leagues, hitting .199/.279/.335 in 56 games as a backup. That marked the end of his MLB career at the age of 24.
4. C Tim Thompson
Born: March 1, 1924 (97 years old)
Thompson made his MLB debut shortly after his 30th birthday in 1954.
He spent parts of four seasons in the majors, and saw semi-regular playing time with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1956 and 1957 when he played in 173 games and hit .241/.293/.343 with eight home runs and 46 RBI.
He threw out 33 of 70 base stealers during his time with the A’s, and nabbed 47 percent of runners for his career.
5. LHP Art Schallock
Born: April 25, 1924 (96 years old)
Schallock made 14 starts and 44 relief appearances with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles over a five-year career.
He threw two innings of relief in Game 4 of the 1953 World Series, allowing two hits and one earned run on his way to winning a ring that year.
The O’s claimed him off waivers early in the 1955 season and he pitched a career-high 83.1 innings that year, posting a 4.15 ERA in six starts and 24 relief appearances.
6. RHP Bill Greason
Born: Sept. 3, 1924 (96 years old)
A teammate of Willie Mays in the Negro Leagues, Greason saw brief MLB action with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954.
He made three appearances in the majors before he was sent back to the minors, and he went on to play six seasons in the upper levels of the St. Louis farm system.
Prior to his time in the Negro Leagues, he served in the Marine Corps in World War ll where he took part in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
7. 3B Bobby Brown
Born: Oct. 25, 1924 (96 years old)
Brown made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees at the age of 21 in 1946.
He went on to win four World Series titles in pinstripes, hitting .279/.367/.376 over 1,863 plate appearances in an eight-year career spent entirely with the Yankees. In 17 games in the World Series, he batted .439/.500/.707 with five doubles, three triples and nine RBI.
After his playing career was over, he served as an executive in the league’s front office and he was president of the American League for 10 years.
8. LF Larry Miggins
Born: Aug. 20, 1925 (95 years old)
Miggins was a high school teammate of legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully at Fordham Prep in Bronx, New York.
He played one game during the 1948 season and saw sporadic playing time in 1952 when he hit .229/.253/.365 with five doubles, one triple and two home runs in 99 plate appearances.
He hit his first career home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 13, 1952 off Preacher Roe. The announcer for that game? Vin Scully.
9. RHP Paul Hinrichs
Born: Aug. 31, 1925 (95 years old)
Hinrichs made four appearances for the Boston Red Sox in 1951.
He allowed seven hits, four walks and eight earned runs in 3.1 innings of work in what would be the final season of a brief professional baseball career.
His nickname was Herky.
10. LHP Bobby Shantz
Born: Sept. 26, 1925 (95 years old)
The most decorated player on this list, Shantz was a three-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner and he took home AL MVP honors with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952.
His award-winning season included a 24-7 record to go along with a 2.48 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 279.2 innings. He completed 27 of his 33 starts and threw five shutouts, edging out New York Yankees ace Allie Reynolds for the hardware.
He later pitched for the Yankees, winning the AL ERA title in 1957 when he posted a 2.45 ERA in 173 innings. He reached the World Series in 1957 and 1960 with the Yankees, but didn’t win a ring.
The left-hander finished up his career at 119-99 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 32.1 WAR in 1,935.2 innings. He spent five years on the Hall of Fame ballot, earning a smattering of support along the way.
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