In honor of a decade's players dropping off the scene, I thought it would be fun to look at previous decades and who their final representatives at the major league level were. Some of these are pretty interesting.
1900s
| Stuffy McInnis | 8/1/1927 |
| Zack Wheat | 9/21/1927 |
| Walter Johnson | 9/30/1927 |
| Tris Speaker | 8/30/1928 |
| Ty Cobb | 9/11/1928 |
| Jimmy Austin | 10/6/1929 |
| Johnny Evers | 10/6/1929 |
| Eddie Collins | 8/5/1930 |
| Gabby Street | 9/20/1931 |
| Jack Quinn | 7/7/1933 |
| Nick Altrock | 10/1/1933 |
| Charley O'Leary | 9/30/1934 |
We have four Hall of Famers at the ends of their careers, five coaches making publicity stunt appearances, one Hall of Famer who was basically just a coach at that point, and two guys who just played a long time. A nice snapshot of the era. An interesting note is that four of the five Hall of Famers played their final game with the Philadelphia Athletics.
1910s
| Dazzy Vance | 8/14/1935 | ||||
| Bob O'Farrell | 9/23/1935 | ||||
| Sad Sam Jones | 9/28/1935 | ||||
| Rabbit Maranville | 9/29/1935 | ||||
| Tom Zachary | 5/28/1936 | ||||
| George Uhle | 9/22/1936 | ||||
| Charlie Grimm | 9/23/1936 | ||||
| Rogers Hornsby | 7/20/1937 | ||||
| Frankie Frisch | 8/5/1937 | ||||
| Jesse Haines | 9/10/1937 | ||||
| Waite Hoyt | 5/15/1938 | ||||
| Jimmy Dykes | 10/1/1939 |
The legendary Babe Ruth just missed the cut here. Here we see six Hall of Famers (about half of which probably shouldn't be in, and one of which only achieving that status thanks to one of the legitimate Hall of Famers on the list). The last man standing though, like Charley O'Leary the decade before, wasn't primarily a player, but a member of the dugout staff taking the field.
1920s
| Bill Dickey | 9/8/1946 |
| Rollie Hemsley | 4/17/1947 |
| Art Herring | 6/15/1947 |
| Mel Ott | 7/11/1947 |
| Mel Harder | 9/7/1947 |
| Rick Ferrell | 9/14/1947 |
| Red Ruffing | 9/15/1947 |
| Al Lopez | 9/16/1947 |
| Si Johnson | 9/25/1947 |
| Doc Cramer | 5/12/1948 |
| Earl Caldwell | 9/15/1948 |
| Bobo Newsom | 9/17/1953 |
Now here's an odder list. A lot of mediocre players on this one. There are three I'd consider legit Hall of Fame players, one I'd consider a legit Hall of Fame manager, and one who was a fine player but not a deserving Hall of Famer. And none of the Hall of Famers appear in the final four. And the last guy standing wasn't a coach or manager giving the fans a token appearance. How times change.
1930s
| Phil Cavarretta | 5/8/1955 |
| Hank Majeski | 7/26/1955 |
| Eddie Joost | 9/25/1955 |
| Walt Masterson | 9/24/1956 |
| Bob Feller | 9/30/1956 |
| Dizzy Trout | 9/11/1957 |
| Bob Kennedy | 9/29/1957 |
| Murry Dickson | 9/14/1959 |
| Enos Slaughter | 9/29/1959 |
| Mickey Vernon | 9/27/1960 |
| Ted Williams | 9/28/1960 |
| Early Wynn | 9/13/1963 |
Looks like old Early was late to leave the game, hanging on for a full three seasons as the only active player from the 1930s. On this list we have four Hall of Famers, two of which I'd definitely put in my personal Hall, while the others are borderline choices. I'll bet even the most hardcore fans couldn't have named Walt Masterson. I know I almost certainly wouldn't have thought of him.
1940s
| Billy Pierce | 10/3/1964 |
| Duke Snider | 10/3/1964 |
| Yogi Berra | 5/9/1965 |
| Roy Sievers | 5/9/1965 |
| Nellie Fox | 7/25/1965 |
| Satchel Paige | 9/25/1965 |
| Warren Spahn | 10/1/1965 |
| Robin Roberts | 9/3/1966 |
| Del Crandall | 9/25/1966 |
| Joe Nuxhall | 10/2/1966 |
| Smoky Burgess | 10/1/1967 |
| Curt Simmons | 10/1/1967 |
| Minnie Minoso | 10/5/1980 |
This is actually a final 13, since Pierce and Snider played their last game on the same day. Once again, we see six Hall of Famers, though none are in the last five. Minoso has his supporters, though. Paige's appearance was a publicity stunt too, of course.
1950s
| Frank Robinson | 9/18/1976 |
| Tony Taylor | 9/29/1976 |
| Tommy Davis | 10/2/1976 |
| Billy Williams | 10/2/1976 |
| Hank Aaron | 10/3/1976 |
| Mike Cuellar | 5/3/1977 |
| Brooks Robinson | 8/13/1977 |
| Ron Fairly | 9/23/1978 |
| Willie McCovey | 7/6/1980 |
| Tim McCarver | 10/5/1980 |
| Minnie Minoso | 10/5/1980 |
| Jim Kaat | 7/1/1983 |
Like Early Wynn before him, Jim Kaat was the sole player repping the fabulous '50s for three seasons. Five Hall of Famers on this list, and one who, as mentioned before, has his supporters. Minnie Minoso was brilliant for making that cameo in a non-contending season for the White Sox. I've noticed that if you look at the last "serious" players for each of these decades, the guy you come up with has always been a pitcher so far. Will that change?
1960s
| Joe Niekro | 4/29/1988 |
| Gene Garber | 7/1/1988 |
| Don Sutton | 8/9/1988 |
| Graig Nettles | 10/1/1988 |
| Ted Simmons | 10/2/1988 |
| Tommy John | 5/25/1989 |
| Darrell Evans | 10/1/1989 |
| Bill Buckner | 5/30/1990 |
| Jerry Reuss | 10/3/1990 |
| Rick Dempsey | 9/27/1992 |
| Carlton Fisk | 6/22/1993 |
| Nolan Ryan | 9/22/1993 |
Not yet. But interestingly, only three Hall of Famers on this list, two of which were the last two out the door. Nettles and Simmons have supporters, though.
1970s
| Ozzie Smith | 10/17/1996 |
| Rick Honeycutt | 5/2/1997 |
| Eddie Murray | 9/20/1997 |
| Danny Darwin | 9/22/1998 |
| Dave Stieb | 9/25/1998 |
| Paul Molitor | 9/27/1998 |
| Dennis Eckersley | 10/2/1998 |
| Dennis Martinez | 10/14/1998 |
| Mike Morgan | 9/2/2002 |
| Tim Raines | 9/29/2002 |
| Rickey Henderson | 9/19/2003 |
| Jesse Orosco | 9/27/2003 |
Another pitcher closing out the list. Good old lefty specialists like Jesse Orosco who play forever. Six Hall of Famers once again.
1980s
| Kent Mercker | 5/30/2008 |
| Tom Glavine | 8/14/2008 |
| Kenny Rogers | 9/14/2008 |
| Rudy Seanez | 9/28/2008 |
| Greg Maddux | 10/15/2008 |
| Tom Gordon | 5/3/2009 |
| Gary Sheffield | 9/30/2009 |
| Randy Johnson | 10/4/2009 |
| John Smoltz | 10/10/2009 |
| Ken Griffey Jr. | 5/31/2010 |
| Jamie Moyer | 5/27/2012 |
| Omar Vizquel | 10/3/2012 |
Finally! The last guy on the list isn't a pitcher! Five Hall of Famers make the cut here. Kent Mercker and Rudy Seanez seem like the most unlikely guys to pop up here.
Before we know it, we'll be counting down the last guys from the 2000s. Enjoy the players of this era while they're still with us. One day you wake up, see lists this, and find yourself feeling old.
