Your Saturday Sporcle: Everyday players

This was somewhat inspired by the second-base candidates I was looking at earlier in the week, with careers which spanned 20+ years. So I thought I’d look at the active players who have appeared in most games. The all-time leader there is, of course, Pete Rose, who played 3,562 time over his 24-year career in the majors. Will that record ever be broken? I imagine it’s possible: someone like Juan Soto, who got his career started off very young, probably has the best shot. But even so, with managers these days more inclined to “force-rest” their players, it’d be a challenge. Basically: you would need to average close to 150 games a season, over those 24 years, to pass Rose. Seasons like 2020 may be fatal.

There are only two active players in the top hundred, and it’s probably not too much of a surprise who they are. The leader comes in at #12, and depending on what happens this year (not least how many games end up being played), could end up as high as the top five. He currently needs 64 more to pass Ty Cobb for sole possession of fifth. The other is #45, with 384 fewer appearances, but is also three years younger than the active leader. Whether he can catch up will depend on avoiding the sort of implosion the leader has suffered over the past few seasons. They both have multiple MVP awards on their mantels, if you need any further hints.

Quiz is below (or linked here), with eight minutes to get as many of the 30 active leaders as you can. Initials have been provided as a further help, and as ever, last names only are fine. Three former Diamondbacks are on the list, including one who was something of a surprise.