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MLB History: Best careers after age of 35

By Adam Taylor McKillop

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 28: A baseball with MLB logo is seen at Citizens Bank Park before a game between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies on June 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 28: A baseball with MLB logo is seen at Citizens Bank Park before a game between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies on June 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Sam Rice
Sam Rice is third from right. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) /

The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 15. Sam Rice, 1925-34 (35-44)

  • .325/.376/.428
  • 848 runs
  • 1574 hits
  • 538 RBI
  • 132 stolen bases 

Sam Rice made his MLB debut in 1915 at the age of 25. Ironically, Rice began his career as a pitcher. He only made nine appearances on the mound before moving to the outfield full-time. This was a career-changing decision for this Hall of Famer.

Rice spent ten seasons in the MLB after his 35th birthday. The speedy outfielder was remarkable at setting the tone for his Washington Senators’ lineup by hitting for average and scoring a ton of runs. His .325 batting average ranks top-10 amongst MLB players over the age of 35 and 848 runs is second on this list.

After an impressive 10-year run in his late 30s and 40s, Rice added up over 1,500 hits. That ranks second amongst all players over the age of 35. Rice ended his 20-year career with 2,987 hits. According to the Hall of Fame website, this is the closest any player has ever come to the 3000-hit mark without reaching it.

Rice hit better than .300 at the plate in all but three of his final ten seasons. He also averaged more than 150 hits and 80 runs scored in the last half of his career. Rice was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1963.

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