Tuesday Trivia: HRs from their teens into their 40s

[cgjackson222]

Name the 7 players who hit home runs as teenagers and after they turned 40 (per Baseball Reference Major League standards)?

As always, please guess rather than look up the answer.

[bk400]

Rickey Henderson?

[bk400]

Martin Dihigo?

[bk400]

Probably too obvious of a guess, but Hank Aaron?

[guy3050]

Rusty Staub

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by bk400

Rickey Henderson?

Excellent guess, as Rickey was still hitting Home Runs when he was 44, but Rickey was 20 years old when he hit is first Big League Home Run.

Originally Posted by bk400

Martin Dihigo?

Whoops, I totally forgot about some of the Negro League starpower, so I've revised the number of answers accordingly. Martin Dihigo is indeed correct, as he hit 2 Home Runs for the Cuban Stars East of the Eastern Colored League, which is recognized as a Major League when he was 19, and hit 2 Home Runs with the New York Cubans when he was 40. Well done!

Originally Posted by bk400

Probably too obvious of a guess, but Hank Aaron?

Excellent guess, but the Indianapolis Clowns, with whom Hank Aaron played when he was 18, are not recognized as a Major League team. Aaron was 20 when he started with the Braves, but he did hit 10 Home Runs in his final season at age 42.

Originally Posted by guy3050

Rusty Staub

I thought Rusty Staub might be one of the harder answers, but you got it! Staub hit 6 Home Runs as a 19 year old with the Houston Colts and was still hitting Home Runs in his early 40s with the Mets. Great job!


5 more names to go (unless someone else thinks of another one I overlooked).

[Cliff Bowman]

This was discussed maybe ten years and all I can remember is Ken Griffey Jr was NOT one of them, he didn’t hit any after he turned 40. I think Alex Rodriguez is on the list.

[Cliff Bowman]

Willie Mays?

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

This was discussed maybe ten years and all I can remember is Ken Griffey Jr was NOT one of them, he didn’t hit any after he turned 40. I think Alex Rodriguez is on the list.

Correct about Alex Rodriguez as he hit 5 HRs as a 19 year old with the Mariners and 9 HRs as 40 year old with the Yankees.

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

Willie Mays?

Somewhat surprisingly, Willie Mays did not hit any Home Runs with the Birmingham Black Barons when he was 17 (he only had 43 recognized at bats) and he wasn't called up to the Giants until he was 20. But yeah, he was hitting Home Runs with the Mets when he was 42.

4 more to go.

[Beercan collector]

Al Kaline ?
Harmon Killebrew ?

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Beercan collector

Al Kaline ?
Harmon Killebrew ?

Those are both fantastic guesses, but although both Kaline and Killebrew started in the Majors at age 18, both also retired at age 39.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Great question!

Adrian Beltre?

[jayshum]

Brooks Robinson

[clydepepper]

Mel Ott is probably one.


perhaps Strawberry?

[Cliff Bowman]

Ty Cobb?

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

Great question!

Adrian Beltre?

Another excellent guess, Beltre started with the Dodgers at 19, but retired with Texas at 39.

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Mel Ott is probably one.
perhaps Strawberry?

Mel Ott is an excellent guess, as he started hitting HRs for the Giants when he was 18, but he retired at 18.

Darryl Strawberry is a fine guess as well, but was 21 as a Rookie, and retired at age 37,

Originally Posted by jayshum

Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson is correct. I somehow missed him, as he only hit 1 Home Run in his teens and 1 Home Run in his 40s. Well done!

Still 4 to go though (that I am aware of).

[judsonhamlin]

Brooks Robinson?
Tris Speaker?

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

Ty Cobb?

Yes, Ty Cobb is correct! Great job! Cobb hit his 1st Home Run at 18 and his last at 41. Not sure if either was hit over a fence. I doubt it.

3 more to go.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Brooks Robinson?
Tris Speaker?

As previously mentioned, Brooks Robinson is (barely) correct by the thinnest of margins. Well done!

Tris Speaker is a great guess, but although he started with the Red Sox at age 19, he didn't hit any HRs that year. He did have 3 HRs with the Athletics when he was 40 though.

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

As previously mentioned, Brooks Robinson is (barely) correct by the thinnest of margins. Well done!

I don’t think Brooks Robinson qualifies, just like Willie Mays who missed by three weeks from hitting a homer as a teenager, Robinson was about a month short of hitting one at 40, he was born May 19 1937 and hit his last one on April 18 1977. ETA it was a glorious home run though, a pinch hit walk off in the 10th inning off of Dave LaRoche.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

I don’t think Brooks Robinson qualifies, just like Willie Mays who missed by three weeks from hitting a homer as a teenager , Robinson was about a month short of hitting one at 40, he was born May 19 1937 and hit his last one on April 18 1977.

Great investigative work!

[D. Bergin]

I'm gonna try Gary Sheffield. I remember he was a High School phenom coming up around the same time as Craig Jeffries, and he had a pretty long career.

Struggled quite a bit when he first came up (especially fielding if I remember correctly), but might have hit some HR's while still a teenager.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I'm gonna try Gary Sheffield. I remember he was a High School phenom coming up around the same time as Craig Jeffries, and he had a pretty long career.

Struggled quite a bit when he first came up (especially fielding if I remember correctly), but might have hit some HR's while still a teenager.

Yes, Gary Sheffield hit 4 HRs as a teenager, and 10 as 40 year old.
Well done!

The last 2 (that I am aware of) only played in the Negro Leagues. Both are Hall of Famers. One has an alliterative name.

[clydepepper]

Willie Wells?

Buck Leonard?


By the way, I'm sure it was a mistype, but Ott did not retire at 18.


I found the other one, but since I 'researched', I'll let someone else tell.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Willie Wells?

Buck Leonard?


By the way, I'm sure it was a mistype, but Ott did not retire at 18.

Willie Wells is correct! Great job! Willie Wells hit 1 HR at age 19 with the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League and continued until he was 43 with teams like the Memphis Red Sox and New York Black Yankees.

Buck Leonard isn't recognized as playing for a Major League team until age 27, with the Homestead Grays, but he did play with them until he was 40.

Sorry, I meant Ott retired at age 38, not 18....

One left. The last player played for three of the greatest teams in Negro League history, the St. Louis Stars of 1928-1931, the Pittsburgh Crawfords of 1932-1936, and the Homestead Grays of 1943-1945. He led the League in virtually every category except Home Runs. He was elected to the HOF in Cooperstown back in '74.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Tyrus Raymond Cobb.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Tyrus Raymond Cobb.

Yes, Cliff got Ty Cobb correctly in post 15.

Just looking for the last Negro Leagues player (that I am aware of)

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Yes, Cliff got Ty Cobb correctly in post 15.

Just looking for the last Negro Leagues player (that I am aware of)

Sorry, gotta read these on a bigger screen.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

One left. The last player played for three of the greatest teams in Negro League history, the St. Louis Stars of 1928-1931, the Pittsburgh Crawfords of 1932-1936, and the Homestead Grays of 1943-1945. He led the League in virtually every category except Home Runs. He was elected to the HOF in Cooperstown back in '74.

That sounds like Cool Papa Bell.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by rats60

That sounds like Cool Papa Bell.

Correct! Cool Papa Bell had 1 HR when he was 19 and 2 HRs in his 40s.

So we had Cobb, Staub, Sheffield, ARod, Martin Dihigo, Cool Papa Bell, and Wille Wells. There may be some more Negro Leagues players I don’t know of.

Well done everyone!