Earliest MLB Debuts

Quick question: Which active MLB player had the earliest debut game? Mariano Rivera? Derek Jeter? Jason Giambi?  They're close, but the player who beats them out by a matter of weeks is LaTroy Hawkins, presently of the Mets and formerly of the Angels, Brewers, Astros, Yankees, Rockies, Orioles, Giants, Cubs, and Twins.  He made his MLB debut on April 29, 1995, a mere 9 days before the runner-up, Mariano Rivera.

Now, 1995 seems like it wasn't all that long ago, especially when considering that last year's leader, Jamie Moyer, first started playing in the majors in 1986.  So, I decided to take a look at, historically, who among active layers in each season had the earliest debuts.  As my discoveries showed, it is in fact unusual to have no active players from 20 years ago or earlier - in fact, unless someone like Jamie Moyer or Omar Vizquel makes another appearance before the end of this year, it will be the first time since 1969 that the longest-active player debuted 18 years prior.  The leader in that season? Willie Mays, who debuted in 1951.

So, I have included the list, showing which player in each season had the earliest debut, going back to 1894. Note that I am not counting the National Association (1871-1875) as a major league, so players such as Jim O'Rourke and Cap Anson are listed here as having their MLB debuts in 1876, rather than basing it on their first year in the NA.

Year	Player	Debut Year
2013	LaTroy Hawkins	1995
2012	Jamie Moyer	1986
2011	Omar Vizquel	1989
2010	Jamie Moyer	1986
2009	Jamie Moyer	1986
2008	Jamie Moyer	1986
2007	Julio Franco	1982
2006	Julio Franco	1982
2005	Julio Franco	1982
2004	Julio Franco	1982
2003	Jesse Orosco	1979
2002	Mike Morgan	1978
2001	Mike Morgan	1978
2000	Mike Morgan	1978
1999	Mike Morgan	1978
1998	Dennis Eckersley	1975
1997	Dennis Eckersley	1975
1996	Dennis Eckersley	1975
1995	Dave Winfield	1973
1994	Charlie Hough	1970
1993	Nolan Ryan	1966
1992	Nolan Ryan	1966
1991	Nolan Ryan	1966
1990	Nolan Ryan	1966
1989	Tommy John	1963
1988	Tommy John	1963
1987	Tommy John	1963
1986	Pete Rose	1963
1985	Pete Rose	1963
1984	Pete Rose	1963
1983	Jim Kaat	1959
1982	Jim Kaat	1959
1981	Jim Kaat	1959
1980	Minnie Minoso	1949
1979	Willie McCovey	1959
1978	Ron Fairly	1958
1977	Brooks Robinson	1955
1976	Minnie Minoso	1949
1975	Hank Aaron	1954
1974	Hank Aaron	1954
1973	Willie Mays	1951
1972	Willie Mays	1951
1971	Willie Mays	1951
1970	Willie Mays	1951
1969	Willie Mays	1951
1968	Mickey Mantle	1951
1967	Curt Simmons	1947
1966	Joe Nuxhall	1944
1965	Warren Spahn	1942
1964	Warren Spahn	1942
1963	Early Wynn	1939
1962	Early Wynn	1939
1961	Early Wynn	1939
1960	Ted Williams	1939
1959	Ted Williams	1939
1958	Ted Williams	1939
1957	Enos Slaughter	1938
1956	Bob Feller	1936
1955	Phil Cavarretta	1934
1954	Phil Cavarretta	1934
1953	Phil Cavarretta	1934
1952	Bobo Newsom	1929
1951	Dutch Leonard	1933
1950	Dutch Leonard	1933
1949	Luke Appling	1930
1948	Earl Caldwell	1928
1947	Red Ruffing	1924
1946	Ted Lyons	1923
1945	Paul Schreiber	1922
1944	Johnny Cooney	1921
1943	Johnny Cooney	1921
1942	Johnny Cooney	1921
1941	Johnny Cooney	1921
1940	Johnny Cooney	1921
1939	Jimmie Dykes	1918
1938	Jimmie Dykes	1918
1937	Rogers Hornsby	1915
1936	Rogers Hornsby	1915
1935	Rabbit Maranville	1912
1934	Charley O'Leary	1904
1933	Nick Altrock	1898
1932	Jack Quinn	1909
1931	Nick Altrock	1898
1930	Eddie Collins	1906
1929	Nick Altrock	1898
1928	Ty Cobb	1905
1927	Ty Cobb	1905
1926	Ty Cobb	1905
1925	Chief Bender	1903
1924	Nick Altrock	1898
1923	Fred Carisch	1903
1922	Johnny Evers	1902
1921	Kaiser Wilhelm	1903
1920	George McBride	1901
1919	Nick Altrock	1898
1918	Hughie Jennings	1891
1917	Bobby Wallace	1894
1916	Bobby Wallace	1894
1915	Fred Clarke	1894
1914	Clark Griffith	1891
1913	Jack Ryan	1889
1912	Deacon McGuire	1884
1911	Cy Young	1890
1910	Deacon McGuire	1884
1909	Arlie Latham	1880
1908	Deacon McGuire	1884
1907	Deacon McGuire	1884
1906	Deacon McGuire	1884
1905	Deacon McGuire	1884
1904	Jim O'Rourke	1876
1903	Deacon McGuire	1884
1902	Frank Foreman	1884
1901	Joe Quinn	1884
1900	Jack Clements	1884
1899	Arlie Latham	1880
1898	Bid McPhee	1882
1897	Cap Anson	1876
1896	Cap Anson	1876
1895	Cap Anson	1876
1894	Cap Anson	1876

The Ancient Mariner, Revisited

Back in June 2010, I looked at the season that Jamie Moyer, then 47, was having.  A month later, he suffered a season-ending (and seemingly career-ending) injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery.  He missed the entire 2011 season, but managed to make the Rockies rotation this year.  Six starts into the season, I would say that he's not bad for his age, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate; he hasn't been bad for any MLB pitcher of any age.

Granted, he is only 1-2, and he's averaging only 5.2 innings per start, but his ERA is 4.01, and his ERA+ is a respectable 111, putting him safely above the league average.  To put that in perspective, that's better than any member of the 2012 Red Sox rotation so far.

At the age of 49, Moyer is now the fourth oldest pitcher in MLB history, behind Satchel Paige (59), Jack Quinn (50), and Hoyt Wilhelm (49).  Each of the three of them only pitched one season at an age older than what Moyer is right now, and here's how it adds up for the three of them.  In MLB history, pitchers older than Moyer have pitched a total of:

31 games
1 start
44 innings
0 wins
2 losses

Moyer was already the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout, and this year became the oldest ever to win a game, and the second oldest ever to start a game (a record set by Satchel Paige that is unlikely to be broken), the oldest to pitch more than three innings in a start, the oldest to start multiple games in a season, and the oldest to pitch more than 30 innings in a season (he's currently at 33.2 innings).  He's also the oldest MLB player at any position in the majors since 1980, surpassing Julio Franco, who played less than a month past his 49th birthday in 2007.

I would say that this is probably Moyer's last season, but I'm sure people were saying the same thing 21 years ago, when he was released by the Cardinals.  Not that I can blame them; he has a lower ERA+ so far this year than he had in any season in his 20's. 

The Rime of the Ancient (former) Mariner

So far this year, Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer has made a very good case for winning the Phil Niekro Award for Best Season by a Starting Pitcher at Age 47 or Older, an award that I just made up on the spot but one that very few people would be eligible for. In fact, prior to this year, Phil Niekro was the only one who even qualified for it. The Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher is still the oldest regular starting pitcher in MLB history, when he started 26 games in 1987 for the Indians, Blue Jays, and Braves, compiling a 7-13 record with a 6.30 ERA at age 48. The year before, when he was 47, he was 11-11, 4.32 for the Indians. Other than him, only Jack Quinn (4), Nick Altrock, and Satchel Paige (1 each) have started any MLB games at age 47 or older.

Until this year, of course. So far Moyer, formerly of the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Red Sox, and Mariners, has gone 9-6 with a 4.30 ERA in 15 starts, but he's actually pitched even better than his record suggests. On June 11, the Red Sox lit him up for 9 runs in one inning. Subtract that from his record and he has a 3.50 ERA in his other 14 starts. On May 7, he became the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout, giving up just two hits to the Braves and walking none. On June 5, he pitched a complete game win against the Padres, needing only 98 pitches to do so. Most recently, yesterday, he won 11-2 against the Blue Jays, defeating Brett Cecil, who was born two weeks after Moyer made his Major League Debut.

So far, Moyer has 267 wins, 103 of which he won in his 40s. He is 36th all time in wins, ahead of many Hall of Famers, and has recently broken Robin Roberts' record for most home runs allowed by a pitcher (506 as of yesterday). He is the 6th oldest pitcher in MLB history (and 4th oldest among players who pitched regularly), and the 14th oldest player overall. However, despite his longevity records, he's never had any particularly spectacular individual seasons; he only won 20 or more games twice, finished in the top ten for the Cy Young Award three times, and was an All-Star just once, in 2003 at age 40. Incidentally, his first game ever was a win for the Cubs, against his current team, the Phillies, on June 16, 1986. The losing pitcher in that game? Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, who started playing in the majors in 1965.