MLB History: Players to homer in four different decades
As we approach the end of the 2010s, let us take a walk through MLB history and reflect on those players to homer in four different decades.
The ending of any decade is an interesting time for MLB history to be made. It is a chance to watch those players looking to get a fourth decade in the majors, joining an elite fraternity of those to reach that accomplishment. Right now, Bartolo Colon is our last hope, although it is questionable as to whether or not he will get that chance.
It is also a year where some of the younger players in the league get to stake their claim as a player to potentially appear in four different decades. Of course, trying to extrapolate which players will achieve that milestone is a pointless task, as only 29 players have appeared in the majors four different decades. Only two, Nick Altrock and Minnie Minoso, appeared in five different decades, but their presence was more of a publicity stunt than a viable baseball move.
As rare as playing in four different decades may be, there is a rarer feat still. Only four players in MLB history have managed to hit a home run in four different decades, an accomplishment reserved for the best of the best. Of those four players, three are in the Hall of Fame, and the fourth may find his way there in the near future.
Who are those four players? Let’s take a walk through MLB history and find out.
Ted Williams – 1939-1960
Of all the players in MLB history to appear in four different decades, Ted Williams may have played the fewest years. He is credited with appearing in 19 major league seasons, but he lost three years to World War Two, and most of another two seasons due to the Korean War.
When he was not in the military, Williams was one of the best players in the history of the game. His prowess with the bat is legendary, as the Red Sox legend is remembered for being the last player to hit .400 in a season. However, Williams was also a formidable power hitter, leading the league in homers four times, and belting 521 home runs in his career.
It did not matter which decade Williams played in – he would power the ball over the fence. During his rookie campaign in 1939, Williams hit 31 homers, the third most in the American League. In his final season in 1960, Williams belted another 29 home runs, including one in his final major league at bat.
One has to wonder what Williams career numbers would have looked like had he not lost those five seasons. He finished with 2654 hits, so he would likely have joined the 3000 hit club. He would have also been the first player in major league history with 3000 hits and 500 homers, making him the member of another exclusive club.
The first player in MLB history to homer in four different decades, Ted Williams was one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Yet, one still has to wonder what could have been.
Willie McCovey – 1959-1980
Unlike Ted Williams, Willie McCovey barely became the second player in MLB history to join that club.
McCovey was one of the more fearsome players in the game, an intimidating force at the plate. He was considered the one player that even the legendary Don Drysdale was afraid of, an accomplishment all its own given Drysdale’s reputation on the mound. That presence certainly helped McCovey at the plate, where he hammered 521 homers in his career, matching Williams’ career total.
A three time home run leader, McCovey announced his presence in his rookie campaign. He produced a .354/.429/.656 batting line with 13 homers in only 52 games, winning the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year award. He continued to be a force throughout the 1960s and 1970s, a six time All Star and the 1969 NL MVP.
By the time 1980 came around, the Giants legend was a shadow of his former self. He appeared in only 48 games that year, playing his final game on July 6th. He hit only one home run that year, a fourth inning home run against Scott Sanderson in Montreal. However, that one home run was enough, as McCovey became the second player in MLB history to homer in four different decades.
Sometimes, the greats hang on for a year or two too long. While Willie McCovey did just that, he managed to have enough left in the tank to make history.
Rickey Henderson – 1979-2003
Considering that Rickey Henderson redefined the leadoff position in the lineup, it may not be a surprise that he is on this list.
Henderson is remembered for his tremendous speed and basestealing ability, swiping a record 1406 bases over his 25 year career. However, he was different than the other speedsters of his time, possessing power that was not seen in leadoff hitters of his time. By the time his career came to an end, Henderson had belted 81 career leadoff homers, the most in MLB history.
However, his career did not start off with the expectation that he would be a respectable power hitter. Henderson hit just one home run in 398 plate appearances in his rookie campaign, a blast that came in his 78th career game. Fittingly, that homer against Steve Comer was also his first career leadoff home run.
Henderson did pick up a few more home runs in the 2000s, hitting a total of 19 homers in his 1290 plate appearances in the decade. One of those home runs, hit in 2001 with the Padres, also gave Henderson for the most runs scored in MLB history. Fittingly, he slid into home to celebrate his accomplishment.
Rickey Henderson may not seem like the type of player that would be on this sort of a list. However, considering that he redefined the game by showing impressive power for a leadoff option, it really is not much of a surprise.
Omar Vizquel – 1989-2012
If any player who began their career in 1989 was expected to make this list, it would have been Ken Griffey Jr. However, the Hall of Famer did not hit any homers in his final stint with the Mariners in 2010.
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Instead, in a surprising turn of events, one of Griffey’s former Mariner teammates managed to achieve this feat. Light hitting Omar Vizquel, who hit a total of 80 home runs in his 24 years in the majors, became the fourth player in MLB history to homer in four different decades.
Not surprisingly, he barely made this list. Vizquel hit one home run in 431 plate appearances during his rookie campaign in 1989, taking Jimmy Key deep in the seventh inning during the Mariners July 23 contest against the Blue Jays. Vizquel would hit 33 homers in the 1990s, before a relative power surge led to another 44 home runs in the 2000s.
Although Vizquel played until 2012, his final two career homers came in 2010. The milestone blow happened on June 10, his first inning shot against Max Scherzer proving to be the winning run. Vizquel would hit his final homer on September 8 that year, his fourth inning homer against Jeremy Bonderman the White Sox only run in their 5-1 loss.
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The least likely member of this list, Omar Vizquel’s glove may lead him to the Hall of Fame as well. Until then, he will have to be content to join this list of immortals as the only players to homer in four different decades in MLB history.