Third time’s a charm
Posted by Andy on August 12, 2007
Harold Baines is one of my most favorite players of all time. He was quiet, hard-working, and very consistent over his career. But here, let me point out something interesting about his career:
He's the only player I know of who has three legitimate tours of duty with 2 different teams. Check out his main Baseball-Reference.com page. I'm defining separate tours of duty as stints with a team that are separated by a stint in major league games with at least one other team.
He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1977 and played for them until 1989, when he was traded to Texas. After some other stops, in 1995, he signed as a free agent with the White Sox again. Again after some other stops, he was was traded back to the White Sox in 2000. That's three tours of duty with Chicago. (Famously, his third stop in Chicago came after his jersey number had already been retired by that club.)
In 1993 he was traded from Oakland to the Baltimore Orioles. After leaving as a free agent to the White Sox, he was traded from Chicago back to Baltimore in 1997. The Orioles traded him to Cleveland, after which he signed back as a free agent with Baltimore in 1999. That's three tours of duty with Baltimore.
Now, another productive player, Jeff Conine, is in a different sort of "three times" club. He's played for the same team twice, a total of three different times in his career. According to his main B-R page, he played for Kansas City in 1990-1992, and again in 1998. He was also an original Florida Marlin starting in 1993 (staying through 1997), and then also played for them 2003-2005. And finally he played with Baltimore 1999-2003 (eventually getting traded to Florida), and again in 2006 before being traded to Philadelphia. He is continuing his career this year in Cincinnati.
I know for a fact that there are a few other members of what I call "The Jeff Conine Club", that is three different times returning to a former team. I have never found another member of "The Harold Baines Club," that is returning twice to a former team at least two times.
Let's see some comments on members of either club who you can identify!
August 12th, 2007 at 7:35 am
Rickey was in Oakland about 19 different times.
August 12th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Tony Fernadez had four stints with the Blue Jays.
Bobo Newsom is the champion in all categories.
August 12th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Here's Newsoms career:
BRO (1)
CHC
SLB (1)
WSH (1)
BOS
SLB (2)
DET
WSH (2)
BRO (2)
SLB (3)
WSH (4)
PHA (1)
WSH (5)
NYY
NYG
WSH (6)
PHA (2)
Six times with the the Senators and 3 times with the Browns.
August 12th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
You've stumped me. I cannot find anyone else who has three stints with two different teams. The closest I found is Rudy Seanez, who has four stints with the Padres, two with the Dodgers and two with the Braves. He's still active, so there's still a chance.
Other close-but-no-cigars:
*Terry Mulholland had three stints with the Giants, two with the Phillies, and two with the Cubs.
*Rickey Henderson had four tours with the A's and two with the Padres.
*Ruben Sierra had three tours with the Rangers and two with the Yankees.
*Kent Mercker had three stints with the Reds and two with the Braves.
*Luis Polonia had three stints with the Yankees and two with the Braves.
*Shawon Dunston had three stints with the Giants and two with the Cubs.
*Kenny Lofton had three tours with the Indians.
*Rick Cerone had three stints with the Yankees.
*Kenny Rogers had three stints with the Rangers.
*Dick Schofield had three stints with the Cardinals.
*Tony Fernandez had four tours with the Blue Jays.
August 12th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
David Wells is in the Jeff Conine club, having two tours each with Toronto, the Yankees, and San Diego. Unless he retires now, he has a shot to expand the streak if he joins the White Sox, Orioles, Reds, or Tigers, all teams he has been with before.
August 25th, 2007 at 8:13 am
[...] a major league team. That’s 2 each with Toronto, New York, and San Diego (putting him in the Jeff Conine club), and one with Detroit, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Chicago (AL), Boston, and now Los [...]