6 degrees

[BobbyStrawberry]

Going backward, this could be start of a chain...

Pujols
Chuck Finley (2002 Cards)
Don Sutton (1986 Angels)

[EGreenwood]

It will be interesting to see if this is possible. I hit a dead end at the combo below, and would still be stuck at 10.

(22 STL) Albert Pujols
(01 STL) Mark McGwire
(86 OAK) Dusty Baker
(68 ATL) Hank Aaron
(54 MIL)Warren Spahn
(42 BOS N) Paul Waner
(26 PIT) Stuffy McInnis
(09 PHI A) ???
???
(71 ROK NA) Cap Anson

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by EGreenwood

It will be interesting to see if this is possible. I hit a dead end at the combo below, and would still be stuck at 10.

(22 STL) Albert Pujols
(01 STL) Mark McGwire
(86 OAK) Dusty Baker
(68 ATL) Hank Aaron
(54 MIL)Warren Spahn
(42 BOS N) Paul Waner
(26 PIT) Stuffy McInnis
(09 PHI A) ???
???
(71 ROK NA) Cap Anson

Harry Davis played with McInnis and overlapped, but didn't team with Anson.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Bonilla was on the 2001 Cardinals, I think he overlapped with end of career Carlton, so that gets you back to what 1965 Cardinals. From there Curt Simmons maybe? He goes back to the late 40s.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

Going backward, this could be start of a chain...

Pujols
Chuck Finley (2002 Cards)
Don Sutton (1986 Angels)

well you can go Sutton to Osteen and then your on my chain but that's wasting about 6 or 7 years of Sutton.

Could go Sutton to Gilliam
Gilliam to Roe
Roe to Guy Bush
Bush to Pete Alexander
Alexander to a bunch of guys who come up just short of 1897 and obviously weren't teammates of Anson. Best I could do in that direction

[EGreenwood]

Worked from Anson and still got to 10 through the Dodgers:

(71 ROK NA) Cap Anson
(97 Chi NL) Clark Griffith
(14 WAS) Irish Meusel
(27 BRO) Babe Herman
(45 BRO) Ralph Branca
(56 BRO) Don Drysdale
(69 LA N) Bill Russell
(86 LA N) Tom Niedenfuer
(90 STL) Ray Lankford
(01 STL) Albert Pujols
(22 STL)

[Peter_Spaeth]

I would start with Pujols Bonilla Carlton Simmons, you're back to 1947 in just four players, but my knowledge of that era is not good.

[Steve D]

Pujols & Bobby Bonilla - 2001 Cardinals
Bonilla & Steve Carlton - 1986 White Sox
Carlton & Curt Simmons - 1965 Cardinals
Simmons & Rollie Hemsley - 1947 Phillies
Hemsley & Joe Harris - 1928 Pirates
Harris & Frank Chance - 1914 Yankees

Problem is, Chance missed Anson by one year (Chance started with Chicago in 1898.

Steve

[terjung]

Maybe Joe Nuxhall could help if you count his playing days (starting in 1944) through his announcing days (which started immediately after playing and gets you to Pujols)... but I figure that is against the rules.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

well you can go Sutton to Osteen and then your on my chain but that's wasting about 6 or 7 years of Sutton.

Could go Sutton to Gilliam
Gilliam to Roe
Roe to Guy Bush
Bush to Pete Alexander
Alexander to a bunch of guys who come up just short of 1897 and obviously weren't teammates of Anson. Best I could do in that direction

I got stuck on Pete Alexander, too...

There has to be a more efficient route, but I think this works at 10 players

Pujols
Finley (02 Cards)
Sutton (86 Angels)
Dick Schofield (66 Dodgers)
Stan Musial (53 Cards)
Gus Mancuso (41 Cards)
Rabbit Maranville (28 Cards)
Johnny Kling (1912 Boston NL)
Clark Griffith (1900 Chicago NL)
Anson (1897 Chicago NL)

[Peter_Spaeth]

Cheating a bit now, the oldest player on the 1947 Phillies was Rollie Helmsley who goes all the way back to the 1928 Pirates, so that's back to 1928 with 5 players.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Burleigh Grimes wsa on the 1928 Pirates. He started in 1916. And three guesses who was still on the Pirates in 1916, the first two are wrong. Take it home from here.

[Kawika]

BB Ref.com has a feature called "Oracle of Baseball" which will do all the figuring of linked teammates for you. https://www.baseball-reference.com/oracle/

It provides any number of "solutions" but I couldn't get the number down to six.

[Peter_Spaeth]

There must be a way to get from Anson to Wagner with one intermediary so going Hamsley/Grimes should get there in nine as well.

We've done variations of this before and I remember coming up with a ridiculous (if you allow for war years) 66 years for three players, Spahn to Niekro to Glavine.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by Kawika

BB Ref.com has a feature called "Oracle of Baseball" which will do all the figuring of linked teammates for you.

Never knew about this, thanks! I struck out in my first attempt...