Pro Baseball Fathers and Sons
The Best Intergenerational Tandems in Major League Baseball History.
In MLB history, there have been 178 players who have had one or more sons also play in the big show. These are the best of baseball fathers and sons combinations.
1. Bobby and Barry Bonds.
As with so many other important statistics in baseball history, this list is topped by a gentlemen named Bonds. Two of them, actually. Although Barry has become the more celebrated of the two -- and with good reason -- the elder Bonds was certainly no slouch as a ballplayer. In 1969, he became the first player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. It was a feat that he would accomplish a total of five times in his career, just like his son. Bobby also hit 332 home runs, picked up over 1,000 RBI and stole 461 bases in his career. Not too bad for the second best player in his own family.
Barry's exploits have been well-documented. He holds the single season records for home runs (73), walks (232), On-Base Percentage (.609), and Slugging Percentage (.863). He has also won 7 MVP Awards, made 13 All-Star teams, and he took home 8 Gold Glove awards during the 1990s. Barry is fast approaching Hank Aaron's all-time home run record and is widely considered the second best player in history, behind only Babe Ruth.
Together, their father and son statistics are pretty staggering. It's a shame they weren't brothers; they probably would have won a couple of World Series if they had played together.
Bobby and Barry Bonds' combined career statistics:
- BA: .286
- Hits: 4,762
- HR: 1,078
- RBI: 2,980
- Runs: 3,440
- Steals: 972
- Walks: 3,396
2. Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr.
Griffey the elder was a key member of the Big Red Machine who won two World Series titles. He also hit .300 or better eight times, stole 200 bases, and made three All-Star games. But the greatest moment of his career came on August 29, 1990 when he played his first game for the Seattle Mariners. Ken the elder played left field, and next to him in center field was his son, Ken Griffey, Jr. It was the first time in 120 years of Major League Baseball that a father and a son played together in the same game, for the same team. Senior would retire the next year, and Junior would go on to one of the great decade-long tears in the game's history. Here are the Griffeys' combined statistics:
- Batting Average: .293
- Hits: 4,606 Hits
- Home Runs: 727
- RBI: 2,499
- Runs: 2,620
- Walks: 1,828
- Steals: 380
- 15 All-Star Games
3. Felipe and Moises Alou.
Today, Felipe Alou is best known as the former manager of the Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants. But in his time, Felipe was a hell of a ballplayer. A three-time All Star, Alou Sr. had his finest season in 1966, when he finished fifth in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player. That season, Felipe hit .327 with a National League best 218 hits, 31 home runs, 74 RBI and 122 runs scored.
His son, Moises Alou, made his MLB debut in 1990, and by 1992, he was playing for the Expos, who were being managed by his father. Like the Bonds and Griffey kids, Moises was an even better player than his All-Star dad. In his career, Moises has batted as high as .355 (in 2000), hit as many as 39 home runs (in 2004) and drove in a career best 124 runs (in 1998). The family's combined statistics, while not in the class of the Bonds or Griffey clans, is still very impressive.
- Batting Average: .294
- Hits: 4,141
- Home Runs: 527
- RBI: 2,094
- Runs: 2,054
- Walks: 1,142
- Steals: 240
4. Gus and Buddy Bell
When Buddy's sons David and Mike are taken into account, there are actually three generations of Bells who have played in the MLB. But Gus and Buddy form a better combination than do Buddy and either of his sons. Here are their career numbers:
- .280 BA
- 4,337 Hits
- 407 Home Runs
- 2,048 RBI
- 2,016 Runs
- 1,306 BB
5. Bob and Bret Boone.
Bob Boone played 19 seasons in the Major Leagues and holds the all-time record for games caught with 2,161. Boone was a seven-time Gold Glove winner who made five All Star teams, and hit .412 to help the Philadelphia Phillies win their lone World Series Championship, in 1980. Two of his sons became major leaguers.
Aaron, who has played for several teams, is best known for hitting a walk-off home run for the Yankees in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. The homer, hit off Boston knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield, sent the Yankees into the World Series, and gave Boone a permanent place in postseason lore.
Depite Aaron's heroics in that game, Bret was a much better Major Leaguer over the long haul. He won four Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards to go along with his three All-Star appearances. He also topped 100 RBI three times and once finished as high as third in AL MVP voting (in 2001). Combined, father and son put up some rather impressive career numbers:
- BA: . 260
- Hits: 3,613
- HR: 357
- RBI: 1,847
- Runs: 1,606
- Walks: 1,215
All very impressive. And very historic. Happy Father's Day to Ken Griffey, Sr., Bob Boone, Buddy Bell and Moises Alou. Rest in peace, Bobby Bonds and Gus Bell.
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