San Diego Padres fans remember Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn 's hitting prowess : 3,141 hits , a .338 batting average and an intense focus at the plate . What they probably do n't remember is Gwynn using smokeless tobacco throughout his career -- a habit , Gwynn told ESPN in 2010 , that he believed gave him cancer . Gwynn 's use does n't specifically come to mind because so many of his fellow Major League Baseball players had the same habit . A survey administered in 1999 found that close to one-third of rookies starting in the major leagues were already regular smokeless tobacco users . More than two-thirds had tried smokeless tobacco . Other studies found similar rates -- about 30 % -- in the majors in the '70s and '80s , though smokeless tobacco use among players began declining in the late 1990s ( PDF ) . But it was n't until 2011 that MLB implemented rules related to smokeless tobacco products . Worried about the message it was sending to young fans , MLB collaborated with the Major League Baseball Players Association to prohibit teams from providing tobacco to players . Players can not have tobacco tins in their uniforms or do interviews while using chewing tobacco . Yet the players ' union stopped short of banning tobacco use on the field . Smokeless tobacco is the general term for two products : chewing tobacco and snuff . Though snuff can be inhaled , most users place smokeless tobacco in their mouth and suck on it , periodically spitting out the juices . Smokeless tobacco contains 28 carcinogens , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and is a known cause of oral cancer . Smokeless tobacco is primarily a male habit , the CDC says . In 2012 , approximately 11 % of high school boys used smokeless tobacco ; only 1.5 % of girls did . Nationally , an estimated 6 % of adult men use smokeless tobacco , compared with just 1 % of adult women . `` Current use of smokeless tobacco is about half of what it was in the mid-1990s , '' the CDC Youth and Tobacco use website states . `` However , only a modest decline has occurred since 2010 and no change occurred between 2012 and 2013 . '' Gwynn was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 . ESPN reported at the time that the then-50-year-old faced chemotherapy and radiation to fight the `` slow-moving but aggressive '' cancer in his salivary gland . There is no scientifically established link between smokeless tobacco and salivary gland cancer , according to the American Council on Science and Health . Doctors do n't know what causes salivary gland cancer , but the Mayo Clinic lists old age and radiation as known risk factors . `` The kind of chewing tobacco Gwynn used does have some risk of oral cancer , but not parotid ( salivary ) gland cancer , which is the kind that took his life at such a young age , '' said Dr. Gilbert Ross , the council 's medical director . Gwynn is n't the only former ballplayer to battle oral cancer . Most notably , Babe Ruth , Brett Butler and Bill Tuttle were all diagnosed after years of chewing tobacco use . Butler became a passionate advocate against tobacco after he returned to the field following treatment , according to the Oral Cancer Foundation . Still , players say the habit is hard to break . `` I use it as a stimulator when I go to hit , '' Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz told the Boston Globe . `` But the minute I finish my at-bat , I spit it out . It keeps me smooth and puts me in a good mood . I do n't do it in the off season . I do n't really like it that much , to be honest with you . '' Nicotine , the addictive substance found in cigarettes , occurs naturally in all tobacco . `` Over time , a person becomes physically dependent on and emotionally addicted to nicotine , '' according to the American Cancer Society . Those who do try to quit experience withdrawal , often for weeks after their last spit or chew . Withdrawal symptoms can include irritability , dizziness , depression , headaches and weight gain , according to the American Cancer Society . Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn dies . Opinion : The joy of Tony Gwynn .
Tony Gwynn died at age 54 after battling salivary gland cancer . He 's not the only MLB player to battle oral cancer . MLB implemented rules in 2011 but has n't banned tobacco use on the field .