Baseball allows its players to have a slightly longer career than most other sports in the world. FYI: The oldest MLB player is on average older than the oldest NFL player, not just an NBA player. Now let’s look at the five oldest players to ever play in Major League Basketball history:
Satchel Paige (P) – 59 years, 80 days
Star jug Paige bag holds the record for most experienced MLB player, a record that seems difficult to beat. Paige’s Hall of Fame career spanned from 1926 to 1950 in the Negro Leagues, playing for no fewer than 11 teams, including the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and Kansas City Athletics.
Charley O’Leary (SS) – 58 years, 350 days
Born in Chicago Charley O’Leary‘s story is one of the more bizarre among the veteran names on this list. Between 1904 and 1913, he played shortstop for the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals before beginning the next phase of his career as a player-manager.
Nick Altrock (P) – 57 years and 16 days
It’s crazy to mention that Nick Altrock, of German descent, who played for 21 years, had a record of only 83-75. Altrock posted a career ERA of 2.65 and struck out as many as 425 batters during his playing years with teams such as the Louisville Colonels, Boston Americans, Chicago White Sox and the Washington Senators.
Minnie Miñoso (LF) – 54 years, 311 days
Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta, also known as Minnie Minoso or “The Cuban Comet” was a true Negro League legend. This is one of the main reasons why he is still not in some record books, as Major League Baseball only took these numbers into account in 2021. He had his professional breakthrough with the Cubans of New York.
Jim O’Rourke (OF) – 54 years, 21 days
Popularly known as “Speaker Jim”, Jim O’Rourke quickly became a baseball legend. He had a .310 average and had 2,639 hits during his career, in addition to 62 home runs and 1,208 RBIs during his 23-year career. O’Rourke played for the Middletown Mansfields, Boston Red Stockings/Red Caps, Providence Grays, Buffalo Bisons, New York Giants and Washington Senators before beginning his managerial career.