Quote:
Originally Posted by okcochise
I was just wondering, is there one player who has played on more teams throughout the years than anyone else? What player has the most images in your photo lists? If there is just one, please post them all. I think that would be interesting. Perhaps this could even be done by era. What player from the 50s has the most? 60s? etc. This isnt a big deal so no worries if no one posts. I was just curious and thought it would be fun.
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As I wrap this up I realize it is a very long post without any images attached, so I'll begin by apologizing for taking up so much space...
There are many ways for me to answer this question, so I'll start with a brief explanation of my cataloging technique. I have created a database that includes every player, coach, manager and umpire who has appeared in a Major League game. I track each category separately, so a person who has both played and managed (such as Joe Torre) has two separate entries, one as a player and one as a manager. Sixteen men appear in all four categories (player, coach, manager and umpire). They are:
Ossie Bluege
Johnny Cooney
Bill Donovan
Freddie Fitzsimmons
Kid Gleason
Dan Howley
Hughie Jennings
Arlie Latham
Christy Mathewson
Deacon McGuire
Wilbert Robinson
Bobby Wallace
Ed Walsh Sr.
Bucky Walters
Kaiser Wilhelm
Jimmie Wilson
In each category I also track the team(s) (or in the umpires' case, league[s]) they represented. So as far as "most images," subjects who played for several teams and then coached or managed have an advantage over those who simply played.
Looking at the list comprehensively, the subject with the most total entries is
Bob V. Ferguson with 21. Ferguson played for eight Major League teams, managed nine, and umpired in four Major Leagues. Tied for second on the list with 18 entries each are
Deacon McGuire (played for 12, coached 1, managed 3, umpired 2) and
Don Zimmer (played for 6, coached 8, managed 4).
Pop Snyder (played for 10, managed 2, umpired 4),
John Clapp (played for 8, managed 6, umpired 1) and
Don Baylor (played for 6, coached 7, managed 2) are the only others with at least 15 total entries.
Note that in each of these cases there is at least some overlap. For example, every team that Ferguson played for he also managed. His "unique team" number (11), therefore, is much lower than the total number of entries in my database.
Shifting gears now to look strictly at playing careers, four Major Leaguers have played for 12 different franchises:
McGuire
Mike Morgan
Matt Stairs
Ron Villone
Stairs gets extra credit for having played for the MON/WAS franchise in both cities, so he could be viewed as the only player to have appeared in a game for 13 teams.
Of all of these mentioned above, regardless of role (player/coach/manager), Don Baylor has worn the uniforms of the most different franchises--14. Don Zimmer also has 14 teams, but his 14 only represent 13 different franchises (he played for the Dodgers in Brooklyn and LA).
Just for fun, I'll post uni packs for Baylor (missing only a 1992 Cardinals coaching image), Zimmer, Stairs, Morgan and Villone. Due to the difficulty in obtaining 19th Century uni photos, I only have 6 of McGuire's 12 teams, so a McGuire uni pack would hardly be comprehensive.