Sometimes certain facts about a player can stun, and then spark an idea in you; this happened when looking at the career of feared 90s slugger Albert Belle. When looking at his stat line, one thing stands out very clearly: this man would have been a sure fire Hall of Famer if he had only played longer, perhaps even only another three years. But alas, Belle retired after only his 33-year-old season, lasting just long enough to be eligible for the Hall, but not quite deserve it; and it got me thinking, since his 12 years were so good, who else put up dozen-year careers that are worth mentioning?
I looked through the about 100 or so men who fit the criteria, and have collected what I consider to be the top 10 (in no particular order); starting with the man who sparked it all.
Outfielder Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians. (Photo by Tony Tomsic/WireImage)
ALBERT BELLE
A powerful righty masher for the Indians, White Sox and Orioles, Belle put up quite the stat line between 1989-2000; in those years he batted .295, 381 HR, 1239 RBI, with 1726 hits, 974 R, 389 doubles and an OBP of 369. In terms of individual seasons, he hit 20 HR ten years in a row, 25+ nine years in a row, 30+ eight years, 40+ three times, and 50 HR once (though his other two 40 homer seasons came just shy, at 48 and 49). He was also an RBI machine, driving in 95+ every year from age 24-33, and 100 or more in nine straight. Three times he drove in over 120 in a single season, and drove in a career high 152 in 1998. He also batted in excess of a .300 batting average four times, including an astounding .357 in the 1994 strike season, a year in which he had 36 HR and 101 RBI in only 106 games!
All this, plus the fact he was doing this during the steroid era and against some of the best talent the game has ever seen, is more than enough reason to make him an important member of the extremely obscure “12 Year Club.”
18 Jun 1998: John Wetteland #35 of the Texas Rangers in action during a game against the Oakland Athletics at The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers defeated the Athletics 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport
Now for something completely different, a closer from my childhood. I remember, at least vaguely, Wetteland being the closer on my team – the World Series Champion New York Yankees – but to be fair to me, I was only 6 at the time. Over the course of his 12 years in the majors, the 6’2 righty closed for three teams (out of four), and racked up 330 saves, with a 48-45 record and a 2.93 ERA. Four times he saved 40 or more games, and saved 30+ in eight out of nine straight years, the sole exception being the aforementioned 1994 strike season. Despite being known for causing minor heart attacks in Yankee fans during 1995-1996, one might be surprised that the Bronx Bombers let him go after posting a 2.83 ERA and league leading 43 saves, but then again, it’s not always that you have the best closer in MLB history – Mariano Rivera – waiting to take your place. In two of his seasons as a closer, he posted a sub-2.00 ERA, and as a strikeout pitcher, K’d 804 men in 765 career innings.
A truly underrated closing career, if there ever was one; amazingly, he too retired after his age 33 season.
SANDY KOUFAX
Perhaps the most obvious name on this list, is Hall of Fame Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax; and while I knew his career was short due to injuries, it still is surprising he only lasted 12 seasons, retiring after his age 30 season.
But what seasons they were! In a dozen summers “The Left Arm of God” went 165-87, with a 2.76 ERA and 2396 strikeouts. It took him a hot minute to figure things out early in his career, but from ages 26-30, he was electric; posting league leading ERAs in all those seasons (2.54, 1.88, 1.74, 2.04, and 1.73), and winning 25 or more games in three out of four seasons, and 19 in the one year he didn’t. His strikeout numbers too were amazing, punching out 200 or more in six straight, including three years of over 300 K’s, with a high of 382 in 1965. A three-time CY Young Award winner and one-time MVP, he was rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.
PRINCE FIELDER
Oct 5, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder points towards the bench after being walked in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during game four of the 2011 NLDS at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
Oh, Prince Fielder, the Big Man; one of the best and most fun sluggers of the mid 2000s, and another man on a Hall of Fame track whose career was ended by a serious injury. The 5’11, 275 lb lefty masher put up astounding numbers for the Brewers, Tigers and Rangers in his career, batting .283, 319 HR, 1028 RBI, 1645 H, 321 doubles and an .382 OBP.
The son of Cecil Fielder put up eight consecutive years of 25 or more homers, six of 30+, and put up seasons with 46 and 50 homers as well. In 6 out of 7 years, he drove in over 100. He led the league in RBI in 2009 with 141, and had three seasons of over 100 walks, including a league-leading 114 in 2010. While his career did end due to injury, one of the most valuable things about Prince’s career was his durability, as he played in 162 games in four out of five years, with the one “off” year being only 161 games. Finally, one of the most interesting facts about his career is that, despite playing in one less season than his father did, the duo put up the exact same number of career home runs.
OAKLAND, CA – CIRCA 1993: Chuck Knoblauch #11 of the Minnesota Twins runs the bases against the Oakland Athletics during a Major League Baseball game circa 1993 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California. Knoblauch played for the Twins from 1991-97. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
There are two things that one can think of when they recall the name Chuck Knoblauch; first, his world series victories with the Yankees (1998, 1999, 2000), and second, his sudden onset case of the yips. But Chuck’s career was much more than that. A scrappy little leadoff hitter for the Twins and the Yankees in the 90s, his career line includes a .289 average, 1839 H, 322 doubles, 407 SB, 1132 R, and an OBP of .378.
A man who never struck out more than 95 times in a season, Knoblauch hit over .300 in three straight seasons (with a high of .341), led the league with 45 doubles in 109 games during 1994, and in triples in 1996 with 14. Additionally, he had three straight years of 40+ stolen bases, which included 62 in 1997, though he amazingly did not lead the league (Detroit’s Brian Hunter won that honor, with 74). A Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove winner to boot, Knoblauch may not have had a long career, but his 12 years are certainly worthy of recognition.
RICHIE SEXSON
A 6’7 behemoth of a man with an unfortunate name (if you’re 12), and an awesome nickname (if you’re him), “Big Sexy” made the most of his just over a decade in the Major Leagues. While he may not have reached the stat lines of say Belle or Fielder, Richie Sexson still managed to wallop 306 homers, drive in 943, and have 260 of his 1286 hits go for doubles. He had 6 years of over 100 RBI, 6 years of over 30 Home Runs, and hit 40 twice. Strikingly, those two seasons were almost identical in many ways, with his 2001 season having a .271, 45 and 125 line, and his 2003 campaign registering as .272, 45 and 124. Amazing.
Minnesota Twins pitcher Johan Santana throws against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning Friday, May 7, 2004, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Probably one of the greatest pitchers in Minnesota Twins history, Johan Santana began as a reliever, and turned into a 2-time Cy Young Award winner, whose career should have been much longer. His career stats look pretty decent upon first glance, with a 139-78 record, a 3.20 ERA, and 1988 strikeouts, but it’s his individual seasons that really cement his place on this list.
In eight years as a full-time starter, Santana posted sub-3 ERAs in five of them, and led the league in three of those. Five of his eight starting seasons also featured 200 or more strikeouts, and his leading the league in three straight years. He was also an innings machine, pitching five straight seasons of 200+ IP, and just missing a sixth season at 199 innings pitched. While his retirement makes more sense than others in the light of injuries, Santana is yet another member of the “12 Year Club” to retire after his age-33 season. Wild.
A Hall of Famer whose career ended due to vision loss, Kirby Puckett‘s career was better than most people might assume, despite him being in the Hall. The charismatic Minnesota Twins Centerfielder batted .318, with 207 HR, 1085 RBI, 1071 R, 2304 H, 414 doubles, and won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards 6 times each while helping lead the Twins to Two World Championships.
Five times, Puckett reached the 200 hits plateau for a season, leading the league four times, hit 40+ doubles three times, had batting averages over .300 eight times (leading the league with a .339 in 1989 and never hitting below .288), and could be counted on for RBI totals ranging from 80-121 every year for the final 10 years of his career. One only wonders what his latter years would have looked like had he been allowed to continue to play, especially as he went out on top with an age 35 season where he batted .314, with 23 HR and 99 RBI, 39 doubles and a .379 OBP. Sheesh.
The oldest player on our list, Hack Wilson‘s career spanned from 1923-1934, where he put up a doozy of a career line. Hack (real name, Lewis), batted .307 with 244 HR, 1063 RBI, 1461 H and had a .395 career .OBP! A one-time MVP, Wilson’s individual peak was something to behold, as he led the league in homers four times (21, 30, 31 and 56 – with an additional season of 39 in between), had 6 years of 100+ RBI (including league highs of 159 and 191 in 1929 and 1930), and putt up .400+ OBPs in five straight. What is almost ironic is that Hack also led the league in strikeouts in 5 out of 6 years, though his high was 94, a number that most players today would dream of.
The Giants franchise catcher from 2009-2021, Buster Posey‘s career I would argue is more in the “decent” category, bordering on good overall, but still of high enough quality for our purposes. He batted .302, with 158 HR, 729 RBI, 1500 H, and achieved a .372 OBP. What makes his numbers slightly more impressive is that he was a catcher, and that position isn’t exactly known for their hitting prowess.
A Rookie of the Year and one-time MVP, Buster drove in 80 or more men in four seasons (reaching the century mark once), had 20+ homers twice, and batting averages over .300 six times, including a league high .336 in 2012.
Don Slaught, Catcher for the California Angels sits behind the plate as Mo Vaughn, First Baseman for the Boston Red Sox swings at the ball during the Major League Baseball American League West game against the California Angels on 26 May 1996 at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels won the game 12 – 2. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Allsport/Getty Images)
Last, but certainly not least, another big man from the 90s; Mo Vaughn has got to be one of the most fun players to watch as a kid. At 6’1 and a hefty 225 lbs, Mo’s batting stance was just odd, as he often times seemed too bent over to do much good, before he proved you wrong by putting a hurt on the ball. In his 12 years as a player, he batted .293 with 328 HR, 1064 RBI, 1620 H, 861 R and a .383 OBP. He won the MVP for Boston in 1995, and hit 25+ homers in 9 straight seasons, 30+ in 6 straight, and 40 twice. Big Mo drove in 100+ in 6 out of 8 years, with 82 and 96 being the off numbers, and led the league during his MVP year with 126. In four seasons, he had an over .400 OBP, and batted over .300 in five consecutive campaigns.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There is one final observation about the hitters on this list I’d like to make; and that is how similar so many of their numbers seem to be. Yes, there are striking differences in different areas, but out of the eight hitters on this list, most ranged from 1500-1800 hits (Puckett, Wilson and Sexson being the exceptions), four of the eight had Homers in the 300s, and five had over 1000 RBI (with the highest being Belle’s 1239). Truly interesting stuff, though what it means, I’m not quite sure; but I wouldn’t be surprised if further study discovered a seasons played-to-stat line correlation somewhere along the line.
