The fleeting nature of a baseball career

[Frobby]

OK, Koji, Wieters, Tillman and Hernandez are four of them.   That leaves one more.    

[SteveA]

Justin Turner?

[Frobby]

Hint: he was acquired in a trade the season before his debut, wasn’t in our organization very long, and was a late bloomer who is very good now.  

Edit: SteveA bringing his A game!   Correct!

[backwardsk]

13 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Matusz didn’t pitch in the majors last year.   

I thought that Cubs start was 17, but it was '16.

[atomic]

Playing 15 years is pretty tough.    Most likely you didn't play college ball and you have to be a star player so that you play in the big leagues both before and after your prime.  Plus be healthy.   

Or be on steroids to extend your career.

 Looks like Jones will make it.   Albeit with his first two seasons not being in the big leagues full time. 

Then there is Jamie Meyer.   Not sure how he made it as long as he did. 

[Moose Milligan]

 

[weams]

15 hours ago, Frobby said:

Here’s the number of players who debuted in 2016 or earlier who never got into a major league game in 2017.

2016: 63/257

2015: 103/255

2014: 106/234

2013: 122/230

2012: 109/206

2011: 144/239

2010: 132/203

2009: 145/204

2008: 194/238

2007: 178/211

2006: 178/220

2005: 174/206

2004: 192/208

2003: 174/182

2002: 197/204

2001: 194/199

2000: 202/204

1999: 210/210

1998: 206/208

1997: 179/180

It’s just interesting to think that of all the guys who make a major league roster in a year, maybe 25% will be one and done, more than 50% won’t make it five years, about 80% won’t make it ten years, and 95% won’t make it 15 years.    It doesn’t last long.

And of course, then there’s all the guys who toil in the minors who never make the majors at all.

Last year, 1,469 players got into a major league game.    Of those, 25 had been playing for 15+ years, 192 had been playing for 10+ years, and  632 had been playing for 5+ years.   

Just something to think about when you watch a veteran major league player.     

Excellent thread. I’ll make it HHP when I get back from the holiday. 

[Frobby]

Bumping this thread for some info I saw today on Fangraphs in an article discussing players like Gunnar who had 130+ plate appearances but still qualified as rookies because the criterion to lose rookie status is more than 130 at bats, not PA (referred to in the article as the Rolen Zone).

“Since 1995, 3,268 position players have appeared in at least one major league game. Of those, 29% didn’t manage to register 131 plate appearances or more in their entire careers. (Or their careers so far.) Two of those players pulled a Moonlight Graham and appeared in one inning of a major league game without batting. 

“The median figure for plate appearances since 1995 is 557.”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/gunnar-henderson-explores-the-rolen-zone/

[OriolesMagic83]

On 2/10/2018 at 4:01 PM, PaulFolk said:

Not Matusz. Didn't play in the majors in 2017.

So we've got Wieters, Hernandez, Koji, and Tillman. Struggling on the fifth.

Britton?

[SemperFi]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:27 PM, Frobby said:

Bumping this thread for some info I saw today on Fangraphs in an article discussing players like Gunnar who had 130+ plate appearances but still qualified as rookies because the criterion to lose rookie status is more than 130 at bats, not PA (referred to in the article as the Rolen Zone).

“Since 1995, 3,268 position players have appeared in at least one major league game. Of those, 29% didn’t manage to register 131 plate appearances or more in their entire careers. (Or their careers so far.) Two of those players pulled a Moonlight Graham and appeared in one inning of a major league game without batting. 

“The median figure for plate appearances since 1995 is 557.”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/gunnar-henderson-explores-the-rolen-zone/

I always thought of Keith Reed-first rounder who got into one game and went 1/5 as the Oriole's Moonlight Graham.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/reedke01.shtml

[scarey1999]

Ouch. That 1999 draft was rough. Matter of fact from 1998-2001 we had 14 1st rounders and only Brian Roberts to show for it - though he was a great pick of course.  He contributed 29.5 career bWAR. Fontenot and Bigbie accumulated almost 7 bWAR in their careers between them, but man, what could have been.