Watch Baltimore Orioles Celebrate Veteran Star’s Career Milestone

Sunday wasn’t just a victory for the Baltimore Orioles, it was also a career day for their veteran star, James McCann.

Jul 31, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann (27) looks on during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, 4-2. James McCann didn’t play. But it doesn’t mean he didn’t accomplish something.

On Sunday, the 34-year-old McCann reached a milestone that most Major League players never see — 10 years of service time.

So, as he watched from the dugout as the Orioles maintained their lead in the American League, McCann got the chance to reflect on 10 years as a big-league player.

The Orioles celebrated his accomplishment in the clubhouse. He received a framed poster that featured all of the teams he played for — the Orioles, the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. It was autographed by the entire team.

That’s our McCann 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PdD31aKPx3

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 18, 2024

McCann is batting .224/.278/.321/.599 with three home runs and 16 RBI. He has started 49 games at catcher this year backing up Adley Rutschman. He’s also pitched one inning of relief.

The milestone isn’t just a nod to McCann’s longevity, though it should be noted that per MLBPlayers.com that less than 10% of players reach the milestone. Per baseball-reference.com, McCann was baseball’s 20,743rd player when he debuted with the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 1, 2014.

It also means that McCann is now fully vested in his Major League pension. Any player, coach, manager or trainer that has worked within the league for at least 10 years receives a full pension. Players can access that pension starting at age 45 but can only receive part of it. Players that wait until age 62 will receive the full pension, which is $275,000 per year.

McCann, who played his college baseball at Arkansas, was selected in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Once he made his debut with the Tigers, he never played fewer than 118 games each of the next five seasons. He played from 2014-18 with the Tigers before he joined the Chicago White Sox in 2019.

That year was his only All-Star Game selection. He played 118 games and batted .273/.328/.460/.789 with 18 home runs and 60 RBI. Both were career-highs for the slugger.

He spent the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season with the White Sox before he signed a four-year, $40.6 million contract with the New York Mets before the 2021 season. He batted .232 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI in 2021 for the Mets before he batted just .195 in 61 games in an injury-marred 2022.

The Mets traded McCann to Baltimore before the start of the 2023 season.