George Hendrick Rode Off into the Sun(s Uniform)

And left us with an unexpected career-capper

Jan 16, 2025

Former Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. At just 39 years old, the five-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove centerfielder is coming before writers earlier than most observers thought he would.

Part of that timing owes to his debut in the majors at age 20, part to a decline at the plate in his 30s, and part to his late-career exploits — Jones played in Japan in 2020 and 2021 after stepping on a MLB diamond for the last time at age 33 in 2019.

In the end, Jones played 14 years in the bigs and hit .277 with 1939 hits, 282 home runs, 945 RBI, 963 runs scored, and 32.6 WAR. He also played in five postseason series, all with the Orioles.

That’s a better resume than the vast majority who have ever played in the majors, and one that draws a straight line to one of the largely forgotten heroes of the past: George Hendrick.

Hendrick, who is the second most similar batter to Jones (behind Vernon Wells) according to Baseball Reference’s Similarity Scores, played 100 games for the A’s in 1971 and 1972, and he even logged 10 games between the ALCS and World Series in ‘72.

A year into the Oakland dynasty, though, they traded Hendrick and Dave Duncan to the Indians for Ray Fosse and Jack Heidemann. The young centerfielder was a revelation in Cleveland, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 61 runs in 113 games in 1973.

The first of four All-Star selections followed in 1974, and Hendrick spent the next decade as a 20-homer threat. He eventually moved to the outfield corners (mostly right) and changed teams twice during that period.

After a career year with the Padres in 1977 (.311, 23 HR, 81 RBI, 11 steals, 5.8 WAR), Hendrick spent most of 1978 with the Cardinals. He’d stay in St. Louis through 1984, helping the Cards win a World Series in 1982.

St. Louis traded their aging slugger and Steve Barnard to the Pirates in December of 1984 for Brian Harper and John Tudor. The Bucs were going nowhere fast, though, and they flipped Hendrick, John Candelaria, and Al Holland to the Angels for Mike Brown, Pat Clements, and Bob Kipper in August 1985.

The next season, Hendrick put up his last double-digit home run season as California won the American League West and came within a Mickey Mouse whisker of the Fall Classic. After two more summers as a part-timer with the Halos, Hendrick played his last game at age 38.

Only…

Like Jones, Hendrick’s last game wasn’t really his last game. That’s because, when the Senior Professional Baseball League sprang into existence in 1989, Hendrick signed on with the Gold Coast Suns. Playing home games in both Miami and Pompano Beach, the Suns struggled to draw crowds and also to win games. They ended up at 32-39 and out of the playoffs.

The next year, they were just plain out — folded before the league followed suit about halfway through the 1990 season.

For his part, Hendrick played in 66 games for the 1989 Suns, hitting .291 with four home runs and 36 RBI. More importantly for us, he appeared on a few Senior League baseball cards.

You can take your pick, but I’m partial to this 1989 Topps number, complete with wood borders and snazzy, sun-dappled action shot. Even better?

The back of that card shows his final MLB line, too: