Dozens of father-and-son combinations have played or managed in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB).
The first was
Jack Doscher, son of
Herm Doscher
John Henry "Herm" Doscher, Sr. (December 20, 1852 – March 20, 1934) was an American third baseman and umpire in the early years of professional baseball, playing for five different teams in the National Association and National League from ...
, who made his debut in 1903.
Ken Griffey Sr.
George Kenneth Griffey (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won ...
and
Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-and-son duo to play in MLB at the same time, in 1989 when Ken Jr. was called up by the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
while Ken Sr. was playing with the
Cincinnati Reds. They became Mariner teammates in 1990. In Ken Sr.'s first game as a Mariner, on August 31, 1990, the pair hit back-to-back singles in the first inning and both scored. On September 14, in the top of the first off
California Angels pitcher
Kirk McCaskill, the pair hit back-to-back home runs, the only father-son duo to do so. They played 51 games together before Ken Sr. retired in June 1991.
In 2001,
Tim Raines
Timothy Raines Sr. (born September 16, 1959), nicknamed "Rock",Raines received this nickname at an Expo rookie camp when he was seventeen, based on his physique. is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played as a left ...
and
Tim Raines Jr.
Timothy Raines Jr. (born August 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He is the son of Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer Tim Raines. Raines played for the Baltimore Orioles organization through , playing for the ...
played as teammates with the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
.
Cecil
Cecil may refer to:
People with the name
* Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name)
* Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Canada
*Cecil, Alberta, ...
and
Prince Fielder
Prince Semien Fielder (born May 9, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He was selected in ...
are the only father-son combination each to hit 50 or more home runs in any season. Cecil Fielder hit 51 homers in 1990; 17 years later, his son Prince, hit 50. Both Prince and Cecil hit exactly 319 home runs in their careers.
Six families have had a father and son serve as
managers
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
:
* the Macks: (
Connie
Connie is a given name. It is often a pet form (hypocorism) of Concetta, Constance, Cornelia, or Cornelius.
Given name or nickname
Women
* Connie Achurra, Chilean chef
* Connie Binsfeld (1924–2014), American politician
* Connie Booth ...
and
Earle)
* the Sislers: (
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
and
Dick
Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to:
Media
* ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia
* Dicks (band), a musical group
* ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film
* "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat
Names
...
)
* the Skinners: (
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
and
Joel Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to:
* Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name.
* Joel (surname), a surname
* Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...
)
* the Boones: (
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
and
Aaron)
* the Bells: (
Buddy
Buddy may refer to:
People
*Buddy (nickname)
*Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present)
*Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992)
*Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...
and
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
).
* the Rojas-Alous:
Felipe Alou
Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12, 1935) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, first baseman, and manager. He managed the Montreal Expos (1992–2001) and the San Francisco Giants (2003–2006). The first Dominican to play regularly in the ...
and
Luis Rojas
Third-generation families
In 1992,
Bret Boone
Bret Robert Boone (born April 6, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During his career Boone was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He is a third generation professio ...
became the first third-generation MLB player.
There are 5 third-generation MLB-player families:
* The Bells (
Gus
Gus is a masculine name, often a diminutive for Angus, August, Augustine, or Augustus, and other names (e.g. Aengus, Argus, Fergus, Ghassan, Gustav, Gustave, Gustafson, Gustavo, Gussie).
It can also be used as the adaptation into English of ...
,
Buddy
Buddy may refer to:
People
*Buddy (nickname)
*Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present)
*Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992)
*Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...
,
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
,
Mike
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
)
* The Boones (
Ray,
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
,
Bret Bret or BRET may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Bret (given name), a personal name, including a list of people and fictional characters
* Bret (surname), a list of people
Other uses
* a regional name for either the brill or the ...
,
Aaron)
* The Colemans (
Joe,
Joe Jr.,
Casey)
* The Hairstons (
Sammy
Sammy is a nickname, frequently for people named Samuel, and also an English spelling of the Arabic name Sami.
People Music
*Sammy Adams (born 1987), American rapper and songwriter
* Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), American songwriter
* Sammy Davis Jr. ...
,
Jerry,
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
,
Jerry Jr.,
Scott)
* The Schofield/Werths (
Ducky Schofield
John Richard "Ducky" Schofield (January 7, 1935 – July 11, 2022) was an American professional baseball infielder who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco ...
,
Dick Schofield, and
Jayson Werth). Werth is the grandson of Ducky Schofield and nephew of Dick Schofield, and also the stepson of
Dennis Werth
Dennis Dean Werth (born December 29, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball catcher, first baseman and outfielder.
Career
Werth is an alumnus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Lincoln College (Illinois), Lincoln College. Drafted ...
.
In addition to the pairs listed above, there have been 21 other pairs of grandfathers and grandsons who played Major League Baseball. Two of the grandsons are well-known current players:
Rick Porcello
Frederick Alfred Porcello III (born December 27, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.
Selected by the Tigers in the 2007 MLB ...
's maternal grandfather was
Sam Dente
Samuel Joseph Dente (April 26, 1922 – April 21, 2002) was a shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1947 and 1955. Listed at , 175 lb., Dente batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Harrison, New ...
, and
Mike Yastrzemski
Michael Andrew Yastrzemski (; born August 23, 1990), nicknamed "Yaz", is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the grandson of Hall of Famer and Triple Crown winner Carl ...
's paternal grandfather is Hall of Famer
Carl Yastrzemski.
There are third-generation families ''affiliated'' with MLB in roles ''other'' ''than'' team player:
* The Bossards (Emil, Marshall, Gene,
Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
) are a family of MLB groundskeepers.
* The Carays (
Harry
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
,
Skip
Skip or Skips may refer to:
Acronyms
* SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene
* Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol
* SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aidi ...
,
Chip Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...
) are a family of MLB Broadcasters.
* The DeWitts (brothers
Bill DeWitt and Charlie: GM/owners of
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
;
William DeWitt Jr.
William Orville DeWitt Jr. (born August 31, 1941) is an American businessman who is currently the managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise which competes in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The C ...
: principal owner/managing partner of St. Louis Cardinals;
Bill DeWitt III
William Orville DeWitt III is an American baseball executive. He has been the president of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball since 2008. He is the son of Cardinals' team owner William DeWitt Jr. and the grandson of Bill DeWitt, wh ...
: St. Louis Cardinals President) are a family of MLB executives.
* The Rickeys (
Branch Rickey,
Branch Rickey Jr.,
Branch Barrett Rickey)
* The Runges (
Ed,
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
,
Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...
) are a family of MLB Umpires.
* The Veecks (
William Veeck Sr. William Louis Veeck Sr. (January 20, 1876 – October 5, 1933) was an American sportswriter and baseball executive. He was president of the Chicago Cubs from 1919 to his death in October, 1933. Under Veeck's leadership, the Cubs won two pennants, ...
: Chicago Cubs President;
Bill Veeck: Cleveland Indians Owner, St. Louis Browns, and Chicago White Sox;
Mike Veeck: owner of independent minor-league
St. Paul Saints) are a family of MLB executives.
Potential four-generation families
As of 2020, there has never been a fourth-generation major league player. However, two potential fourth-generation players have been
drafted and/or signed to minor-league contracts.
In 2017, Jake Boone was selected by the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
in the 38th round of the
2017 MLB Draft
The 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on J ...
, but did not sign.
Jake's father is
Bret Boone
Bret Robert Boone (born April 6, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During his career Boone was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He is a third generation professio ...
; his grandfather is
Bob Boone
Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star.
Born in San Diego, California, he is the son of MLB player Ray Boone, and he is the father o ...
; and his great-grandfather was the late
Ray Boone. (Also,
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. As a player ...
is his uncle.) Jake played college baseball at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
for three seasons before signing a free-agent contract with the Nationals in July 2020. He was unable to play professional ball immediately after signing his contract because Minor League Baseball canceled its 2020 season. In 2021, he spent the entire season with Washington's
Low-A East
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unt ...
affiliate, the
Fredericksburg Nationals
The Fredericksburg Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team that is the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and play their home games at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, with a capacity o ...
. Heading into the 2022 season, Jake was reassigned to the National's
Rookie-level affiliate, but was released on May 4, 2022.
Luke Bell was drafted by the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
in the 34th round of the
2019 MLB Draft
The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...
. His father
Mike Bell was a 13-season minor leaguer who played briefly for the
Cincinnati Reds in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
and was the vice president of player development for the Diamondbacks before his death in March 2021.
Luke Bell's uncle is
David Bell; his grandfather is
Buddy Bell
David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951) is an American former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) currently serving as vice president and senior advisor to the general manager for the Cincinnati Reds.
After an 18-year ...
; and his great-grandfather was the late
Gus Bell
David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr. (November 15, 1928 – May 7, 1995) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1950 through 1964, who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves. He batted lef ...
. Luke Bell opted not to play
Minor League Baseball in 2019 after he was drafted, In 2020 he made 5 appearances as a pitcher for
Chandler-Gilbert Community College before the season was cut short by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. He transferred to
Xavier University
Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...
in 2021.
There are three known cases of a great-grandson following in his great-grandfather's footsteps to play Major League Baseball.
Bill Wilkinson played for the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
from 1985 to 1988; his great-grandfather,
Jim Bluejacket
Jim Bluejacket (born William Lincoln Smith July 8, 1887 – March 26, 1947) was a major league pitcher in the early 20th century. Bluejacket played for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops (–) and Cincinnati Reds ().
Personal life
When he started playing p ...
played for Brooklyn in the
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...
in 1914-15 and for the
Cincinnati Reds in 1916. More recently,
Drew Pomeranz
Thomas Andrew "Drew" Pomeranz (born November 22, 1988), nicknamed Big Smooth, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, ...
and his brother
Stu Pomeranz, who played briefly in 2012, both followed in the footsteps of their great-grandfather
Garland Buckeye
Garland Maiers "Gob" Buckeye (October 16, 1897 – November 14, 1975) was a professional football and baseball player. He debuted as a pitcher in the major leagues in 1918, was a professional football offensive lineman for several years in the ...
who was a regular
starting pitcher for the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
for three years in the mid-1920s and also appeared in one game each with two other teams.
The MacPhail family is the first family known to have four generations affiliated with Major League Baseball in roles other than as players.
Larry
Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names.
Larry may refer to the following:
People Arts and entertainment
* Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer
*Larry Boone ...
was the general manager of the Reds and Dodgers as well as the president, general manager, and co-owner of the Yankees. Larry's son,
Lee, was president and general manager of the Orioles, executive vice president and general manager of the Yankees, and president of the American League.
Larry
Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names.
Larry may refer to the following:
People Arts and entertainment
* Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer
*Larry Boone ...
and
Lee are also the only father-and-son duo to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The MacPhails became baseball's first three-generation family when Lee MacPhail III became an executive with the Reading Phillies of the Eastern League. Lee II's other son,
Andy
Andy may refer to:
People
* Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds
* Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
, is the president of the Phillies and was previously general manager of the Twins, president and chief executive officer of the Cubs, and president of baseball operations for the Orioles. The family became baseball's first four-generation family with Lee MacPhail III's son, Lee MacPhail IV, who has served as director of scouting for the Indians, Expos, Nationals, and Orioles.
Key
List of players
Second–generation
Third–generation
Other second-generation MLB personnel
Parent played in top-level professional baseball
The following families had a parent play top-level professional baseball in a league other than the MLB and a child who played in the MLB.
Umpiring families
The National and American Leagues consolidated umpiring crews beginning in the season; umpires who worked after the consolidation are denoted with "MLB".
Joe Crawford, another son of Shag Crawford and brother of Jerry Crawford, is an official in the National Basketball Association.
See also
*
List of second-generation National Football League players
The following is a partial list of National Football League players whose fathers also played professional football in the NFL or any league that merged with it. The list includes the son's name and position and the father's name and position.
...
*
References
{{reflist
External links
Baseball AlmanacMajor League Umpires All-time Roster MLB.com
Second generation
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...