10 Retired MLB Players Who Hung on Too Long

With thousands of adoring fans and huge contracts in the MLB, it’s understandable for any player to want to play as long as possible.

With that in mind, there are some players who overstayed their welcome and may have even become burdens on the MLB.

Certain players just could not give up the game, even when their bodies (and everyone who knew them) were telling them they had to.

Some players have lengthened their careers so much that their age exceeded those of coaches, and that is when it is definitely time to go.

The following 10 players are close to “Brett Favre status” in terms of not giving up the game when it was time to or returning from retirement.

So, with that, let’s see the top 10 players in the MLB who hung on too long (in no particular order).

Not-so-Honorable Mention: Randy Johnson

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SEATTLE - APRIL 12: Former Mariners star Randy Johnson waves to the crowd prior to throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mariners' home opener against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field on April 12, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by

Randy Johnson pitched 22 seasons in the Majors with Montreal (Washington), Seattle, Houston, Arizona (twice), The New York Yankees and San Francisco.  The Big Unit pitched in the MLB until he was 45.

Johnson had a career ERA of 3.29, and he did not reach that number for the last five years of his career.  The five-time Cy Young winner may not have had his best stuff for the last years of his career, but since he was trying to reach 300 wins (and did so) in his final year, he is not in the top 10.

Nolan Ryan 1966-93

Nolan Ryan is one of the best pitchers of all time, but he stuck around a bit too long.  Ryan pitched 27 seasons in the MLB with Houston, Texas, the California Angels and New York Mets.

Ryan had a career ERA of 3.19, but his ERA was under this number only once in his last six seasons.  Ryan did not have anything close to his best stuff at the end of his career.

Some may argue that Ryan just wanted to reach 300 wins, but after that he still pitched over three more seasons.  Ryan was known for his strikeouts, complete games, shutouts and innings pitched, but each of these numbers took huge dips near the end of his career.

Ryan pitched until he was 46, and his aging led to his serious decline.

Tommy John 1963-89

Tommy John was a great pitcher, but he could not give up the game.  John pitched 26 seasons in the MLB with the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics.

John posted a career ERA of 3.34, but this number was inflated because of his last few seasons.  Over his last eight seasons, John posted and ERA below this number only once.  That one time was in 1986, when John made only 13 starts.

John’s pitches lost their edge as he aged and reached his forties, and no one would have blamed him for retiring then, but he stuck around and ended up still pitching.  More famous for his surgery than his career, John should have retired a few years earlier.

Gaylord Perry 1962-83

Gaylord Perry pitched 22 seasons in the Majors with San Francisco, Texas, Cleveland, San Diego, Seattle, Kansas City, Atlanta and the New York Yankees.

Perry finished his career with over 300 wins, and an ERA of 3.11.  Perry did not reach his 3.11 ERA or lower in any of his last four seasons, however.

Perry did not have a winning record in any of his last four seasons either, going a combined 35-48 in those seasons.

While many will argue that Perry was only pitching for 300 wins, he did not need to pitch in 1983 to reach that milestone, and he went 7-14 that season, with an ERA of 4.64.  Perry did not need to pitch as long as he did, and his reputation took a minor hit because his pitches lost their bite.

Pete Rose 1963-86

The infamous Pete Rose is known for being banned from baseball for life due to his gambling on his Cincinnati team.

Rose played 24 seasons in the Big Leagues with Philadelphia, Montreal and Cincinnati.  Rose finished his career as the all-time hits leader at 4,256, and he hit .303, but his batting average could have been higher.  During his last five seasons, Rose did not come anywhere near his .303 average.

Rose’s numbers plummeted, and while it was nice to see him break the all-time hits record, he need not have played in the 1986 season because he already had the record going in.

After his playing days, Rose came back as a manager, and ruined his reputation by gambling on his Reds.  Rose just could not give the game up, and he suffered the consequences of trying to be a gambling fan and a manager.

Minnie Minoso 1949-80

Minnie Minoso’s exact birthday is unknown, but reports have him listed as either tied for the second oldest player to play in the Majors, or outright second.

Minoso played 17 seasons with Cleveland, St. Louis, the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox.  Minoso was known for his defensive prowess and his ability to hit for average, hitting .298 for his career.  Minoso also hit about 16 home runs per 162 games.

Minoso’s final season hitting above .298 was in 1960.  He then went on to play four more seasons before retiring.  Minoso also had comebacks in 1976 at age 50 or 53, and then again in 1980 at age 54 or 57.  He also did not hit five or more home runs in a season since 1961.

Minoso had two comebacks, and neither went off spectacularly, which is why he landed on this list.

Julio Franco 1982-2007

Julio Franco played 23 seasons in the Bigs with Cleveland, Atlanta, Texas, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets.

Franco was known for his .298 career batting average, and his ability to still hit for double-digit home runs.  During the last handful of years he played, however, Franco did not hit double-digit home runs once since 1996 when he was 37.  He also hit over .298 only once since 2001.

Franco’s durability began to fade in 1993 at age 34, which was the last season he played over 125 games.

When Franco retired in 2007, he was older than a few coaches in the MLB at the time at age 48.

Jim O’Rourke 1872-1904

Jim O‘Rourke is either the third oldest player to play in the MLB, or he is tied for second with Minnie Minoso, whose birthday is unclear.

O’Rourke played 23 seasons in professional baseball with the New York Giants, Middletown Mansfields, Boston Red Stockings, Providence Grays, Boston Red Caps, Buffalo Bisons and Washington Senators.

O’Rourke hit for contact well, hitting .310 for his career, and he hit more home runs than most with about five per 162 games.

O’Rourke had a steeper than average decline in his final years before retiring in 1893 at age 42.  However, after 11 years off, O’Rourke came back to Major League Baseball for one game in 1904 at the age of 54.

O’Rourke just couldn’t walk away and had an 11-year break before coming back, landing him on this list.

Sammy Sosa 1989-2007

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ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 14: Sammy Sosa #21 of the Texas Rangers is congratulated by his teammates after scoring in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angels Stadium on July 14, 2007 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfel

Sammy Sosa was a prolific home run hitter in his day, hitting over 60 home runs three times in four years from 1998-2001.  Sosa is now famous for taking steroids and corking his bat, allowing him to hit more home runs and tarnishing his reputation in the process.

Sosa played 17 seasons in the Majors, with Texas, Baltimore, and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.

Sosa played until he was 38, and his numbers went through a predictable decline over the last four seasons.

The reason Sosa is on this list is because he made a comeback after missing the 2006 season.  Sosa came back amid controversy to play in the 2007 season to reach 600 home runs.

While Sosa was not the most famous steroid-user, he was still booed almost everywhere, and many fans would have rather seen him walk away than come back and reach the 600 home run milestone.

Willie Mays 1951-73

Willie Mays was one of the best and most talented players to ever grace the game in his 22 seasons, but he overstayed his welcome.

Mays played for the New York/San Francisco Giants and then played for the New York Mets at the end of his career.  This switch to the Mets hurt his image, as it was a switch that failed miserably.

Mays hit .302 in his career, and he averaged 36 home runs and 18 stolen bases per 162 games.  During his last few seasons, however, Mays did not hit .302 or higher in any of his last eight seasons.  He also reached 18 stolen bases only once in his last nine seasons and did not reach 36 home runs in his last seven seasons.

Mays had superb defense when he played, but his streak of 12 Gold Gloves in a row ended in 1969, and he did not receive any more in his career.

Mays’ decline in numbers and late-career change landed him on this list, and he probably should have retired about five years earlier.

Manny Ramirez 1993-2011

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 03: Designated hitter Manny Ramirez #24 of the Tampa Bay Rays bats against the Baltimore Orioles during the game at Tropicana Field on April 3, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

Why not end this with the most recently retired player on the list?

Manny Ramirez retired in April of 2011.  He finished his career in his 19th season.  Manny played with Cleveland, Boston, Tampa Bay and the LA Dodgers.

Known for his antics on and off the field, Ramirez also tested positive for PEDs.  Ramirez hit .312, and averaged 39 home runs per 162 games in his career.  During his final seasons he went through a through decline, however.

Ramirez did not hit .312 or over since 2008, and that was also his last All-Star appearance.  Ramirez’s power took the biggest hit of his game, however, and he did not reach 39 home runs in a season since 2005.

Ramirez’s contact, power, and of course his speed declined due to age, and he looked awful in the 2011 season with the Rays, hitting .059, without a home run, and with only one RBI.