MLB players born in 1939
95 MLB players on file were born in 1939. Phil Niekro leads them with 91.6 career WAR. The first born in 1939 to play in the MLB was Jim Derrington, in 1956. Every season since 1876 is on file.
Former MLB players born in 1939 (95)
| Player | Pos | Years | Seasons | Career | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Niekro | SP | 1964–1987 | 24 | 318 W · 3,342 SO · 91.6 WAR | Blaine, OH |
| Carl Yastrzemski | DH | 1961–1983 | 23 | 3,419 H · 452 HR · 90.1 WAR | Southampton, NY |
| Lou Brock | — | 1961–1979 | 19 | 3,023 H · 149 HR · 42.8 WAR | — |
| Milt Pappas | P | 1957–1973 | 17 | 209 W · 1,728 SO · 41.5 WAR | — |
| Johnny Callison | — | 1958–1973 | 16 | 1,757 H · 226 HR · 35.4 WAR | — |
| Dick McAuliffe | — | 1960–1975 | 16 | 1,530 H · 197 HR · 34.3 WAR | — |
| Claude Osteen | P | 1957–1975 | 18 | 196 W · 1,612 SO · 33.3 WAR | — |
| Rico Carty | — | 1963–1979 | 15 | 1,677 H · 204 HR · 29.8 WAR | — |
| Wes Parker | — | 1964–1972 | 9 | 1,110 H · 64 HR · 20.9 WAR | — |
| Jim Northrup | — | 1964–1975 | 12 | 1,254 H · 153 HR · 19.2 WAR | — |
| Pete Ward | — | 1962–1970 | 9 | 776 H · 98 HR · 18.6 WAR | — |
| Denny Lemaster | P | 1962–1972 | 11 | 90 W · 1,305 SO · 17.3 WAR | — |
| Tommy Davis | — | 1959–1976 | 18 | 2,121 H · 153 HR · 16.7 WAR | — |
| Steve Barber | P | 1960–1974 | 15 | 121 W · 1,309 SO · 16.3 WAR | — |
| Dave Giusti | P | 1962–1977 | 15 | 100 W · 1,103 SO · 15.2 WAR | — |
| Bob Miller | P | 1957–1974 | 17 | 69 W · 895 SO · 14.3 WAR | — |
| Pete Richert | P | 1962–1974 | 13 | 80 W · 925 SO · 10.7 WAR | — |
| Zoilo Versalles | — | 1959–1971 | 12 | 1,246 H · 95 HR · 10.4 WAR | — |
| Gates Brown | — | 1963–1975 | 13 | 582 H · 84 HR · 9.2 WAR | — |
| Jim Bouton | P | 1962–1978 | 10 | 62 W · 720 SO · 7.9 WAR | — |
| Bernie Allen | — | 1962–1973 | 12 | 815 H · 73 HR · 7.6 WAR | — |
| Joe Azcue | — | 1960–1972 | 11 | 712 H · 50 HR · 6.8 WAR | — |
| Mike Shannon | — | 1962–1970 | 9 | 710 H · 68 HR · 6.8 WAR | — |
| Cookie Rojas | — | 1962–1977 | 16 | 1,660 H · 54 HR · 6.7 WAR | — |
| Dal Maxvill | — | 1962–1975 | 14 | 748 H · 6 HR · 6.6 WAR | — |
| Dennis Bennett | P | 1962–1968 | 7 | 43 W · 572 SO · 6.4 WAR | — |
| Ty Cline | — | 1960–1971 | 12 | 437 H · 6 HR · 5.3 WAR | — |
| Al Ferrara | — | 1963–1971 | 8 | 358 H · 51 HR · 4.7 WAR | — |
| Jerry Walker | P | 1957–1964 | 8 | 37 W · 326 SO · 3.6 WAR | — |
| Dooley Womack | P | 1966–1970 | 5 | 19 W · 177 SO · 3.6 WAR | — |
| Jack Fisher | P | 1959–1969 | 11 | 86 W · 1,017 SO · 3.2 WAR | — |
| John O'donoghue | P | 1963–1971 | 9 | 39 W · 377 SO · 3.1 WAR | — |
| Bob Hendley | P | 1961–1967 | 7 | 48 W · 522 SO · 2.7 WAR | — |
| Ed Stroud | — | 1966–1971 | 6 | 320 H · 14 HR · 2.4 WAR | — |
| Ted Davidson | P | 1965–1968 | 4 | 11 W · 124 SO · 2.4 WAR | — |
| Johnny Lewis | — | 1964–1967 | 4 | 175 H · 22 HR · 2.2 WAR | — |
| Phil Linz | — | 1962–1968 | 7 | 322 H · 11 HR · 1.9 WAR | — |
| Pete Mikkelsen | P | 1964–1972 | 9 | 45 W · 436 SO · 1.8 WAR | — |
| Dennis Higgins | P | 1966–1972 | 7 | 22 W · 339 SO · 1.7 WAR | — |
| Jack Cullen | P | 1962–1966 | 3 | 4 W · 34 SO · 1.1 WAR | — |
| Paul Doyle | P | 1969–1972 | 3 | 5 W · 65 SO · 1.1 WAR | — |
| Von McDaniel | P | 1957–1958 | 2 | 7 W · 45 SO · 1.0 WAR | — |
| Tim Talton | — | 1966–1967 | 2 | 33 H · 2 HR · 0.6 WAR | — |
| Jim Weaver | P | 1967–1968 | 2 | 3 W · 28 SO · 0.5 WAR | — |
| Mike Hershberger | — | 1961–1971 | 11 | 900 H · 26 HR · 0.4 WAR | — |
| Bill Heath | — | 1965–1969 | 4 | 47 H · 0 HR · 0.4 WAR | — |
| Julio Gotay | — | 1960–1969 | 10 | 257 H · 6 HR · 0.3 WAR | — |
| Bob Priddy | P | 1962–1971 | 9 | 24 W · 294 SO · 0.2 WAR | — |
| Willie Smith | P | 1963–1968 | 3 | 2 W · 39 SO · 0.2 WAR | — |
| Hector Martinez | — | 1962–1963 | 2 | 4 H · 1 HR · 0.2 WAR | — |
| Phil Ortega | P | 1960–1969 | 10 | 46 W · 549 SO · 0.1 WAR | — |
| George Williams | — | 1961–1964 | 3 | 31 H · 0 HR · 0.1 WAR | — |
| Stover McIlwain | P | 1957–1958 | 2 | 0 W · 4 SO · 0.1 WAR | — |
| John Braun | P | 1964 | 1 | 0 W · 1 SO · 0.1 WAR | — |
| Bobby Bolin | — | 1961–1972 | 12 | 69 H · 6 HR | Hickory Grove, SC |
| Dave Nicholson | — | 1960–1967 | 7 | 301 H · 61 HR | — |
| Al Neiger | P | 1960 | 1 | 0 W · 3 SO | — |
| Harvey Branch | P | 1962 | 1 | 0 W · 2 SO | — |
| Santiago Rosario | — | 1965 | 1 | 20 H · 2 HR | — |
| Chico Fernandez | — | 1968 | 1 | 2 H · 0 HR · -0.1 WAR | — |
| Jim Lawrence | — | 1963 | 1 | 0 H · 0 HR · -0.1 WAR | — |
| Frank Zupo | — | 1957–1961 | 3 | 3 H · 0 HR · -0.2 WAR | — |
| Jim Woods | — | 1957–1961 | 3 | 17 H · 3 HR · -0.2 WAR | — |
| Doug Clemens | — | 1961–1968 | 8 | 211 H · 12 HR · -0.3 WAR | — |
| Rick Joseph | — | 1964–1970 | 5 | 154 H · 13 HR · -0.3 WAR | — |
| Bob Meyer | P | 1964–1970 | 3 | 2 W · 92 SO · -0.3 WAR | — |
| Jesse Hickman | P | 1965–1966 | 2 | 0 W · 16 SO · -0.3 WAR | — |
| Ron Stillwell | — | 1961–1962 | 2 | 8 H · 0 HR · -0.3 WAR | — |
| Herb Hippauf | P | 1966 | 1 | 0 W · 1 SO · -0.4 WAR | — |
| Al Luplow | — | 1961–1967 | 7 | 292 H · 33 HR · -0.5 WAR | — |
| Sam Bowens | — | 1963–1969 | 7 | 287 H · 45 HR · -0.5 WAR | — |
| Charlie Shoemaker | — | 1961–1964 | 3 | 23 H · 0 HR · -0.5 WAR | — |
| Tom Parsons | P | 1963–1965 | 3 | 2 W · 70 SO · -0.5 WAR | — |
| Chris Krug | — | 1965–1969 | 3 | 41 H · 5 HR · -0.6 WAR | — |
| Jim Derrington | P | 1956–1957 | 2 | 0 W · 17 SO · -0.6 WAR | — |
| Frank Quilici | — | 1965–1970 | 5 | 146 H · 5 HR · -0.7 WAR | — |
| Dick Smith | — | 1963–1965 | 3 | 31 H · 0 HR · -0.7 WAR | — |
| Norm Bass | P | 1961–1963 | 3 | 13 W · 111 SO · -0.7 WAR | — |
| Frank Kreutzer | P | 1962–1969 | 6 | 8 W · 151 SO · -0.8 WAR | — |
| Ed Keegan | P | 1959–1962 | 3 | 0 W · 11 SO · -0.8 WAR | — |
| Guido Grilli | P | 1966 | 1 | 0 W · 12 SO · -0.8 WAR | — |
| Jackie Moore | — | 1965 | 1 | 5 H · 0 HR · -0.9 WAR | — |
| Dick Nen | — | 1963–1970 | 6 | 185 H · 21 HR · -1.4 WAR | — |
| Sandy Valdespino | — | 1965–1971 | 7 | 176 H · 7 HR · -1.5 WAR | — |
| Coco Laboy | — | 1969–1973 | 5 | 291 H · 28 HR · -1.5 WAR | — |
| Gus Gil | — | 1967–1971 | 4 | 87 H · 1 HR · -1.5 WAR | — |
| Jim Beauchamp | — | 1963–1973 | 10 | 153 H · 14 HR · -1.6 WAR | — |
| Carl Bouldin | P | 1961–1964 | 4 | 3 W · 36 SO · -1.7 WAR | — |
| Jimmy Stewart | — | 1963–1973 | 10 | 336 H · 8 HR · -1.9 WAR | — |
| Ed Connolly | P | 1964–1967 | 2 | 6 W · 118 SO · -2.0 WAR | — |
| Hawk Taylor | — | 1957–1970 | 11 | 158 H · 16 HR · -2.3 WAR | — |
| Jim Duckworth | P | 1963–1966 | 4 | 7 W · 220 SO · -2.8 WAR | — |
| Russ Gibson | — | 1967–1972 | 6 | 181 H · 8 HR · -3.1 WAR | — |
| Tommie Aaron | — | 1962–1971 | 7 | 216 H · 13 HR · -3.2 WAR | — |
| Lou Klimchock | — | 1958–1970 | 12 | 155 H · 13 HR · -3.5 WAR | — |
Birth dates as ESPN lists them. Best career first: WAR in the regular season, summed over the seasons on file.