Post by Fish Troll on Mar 1, 2009 13:06:49 GMT -5
Baseball, like most sports, is a game dominated by youth. Athletiscim never goes out of style, and once the God-given abiltiy has faded, most players are unable to adjust.
Some, however, not only manage to hold their own against counterparts much younger, but they thrive. They survive on guile (Jamie Moyer), or a unique skill set (Tim Wakefield), and some are just so unnusually talented that they refuse to let age slow them down.
Here are my top 25 players, that are at least 35 years old as of today.
1 – Manny Ramirez Age 36
Manny has a lethal bar and might be as close to a hitting savant as there is in baseball. His talent often gets lost in with the circus he creates around him.
2 – Ichiro Suzuki Age 35
Fans can bank on Ichiro getting 200 hits, swiping 40 bases and smacking 20 doubles every season. Suzuki is tremendously consistent and has a positive impact on all facets of the game.
3 – Mariano Rivera Age 39
I generally consider closers to be overrated; but what Rivera was able to do last year was remarkable. He overpowered hitters and finished with a minuscule WHIP of .6; it was Rivera’s finest season and a testament to his superb overall ability.
4 – Chipper Jones Age 36
Chipper won his first batting title last season and remains one of the most productive offensive weapons in baseball when healthy.
5 - Derek Lowe Age 35
Lowe is an innings-machine that consistently churns out quality start after quality start. He’s thrown at least 180 innings in each of the past seven seasons.
6 – Carlos Delgado Age 36
Delgado caught fire in the second half last year; and finished the campaign with 38 home runs and 115 runs batted in. Carlos has swatted at least 32 home runs in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
7 – Jim Thome Age 38
Long in the tooth, Thome is still a reliable source of power. Last year he hit 34 homers and supplemented that with 28 doubles. He also draws enough walks to offset his low batting average.
8 - Mike Cameron Age 36
The athletic Cameron always hits for power, plays solid defense and swipes some bases. He still strikes a bunch, but he remains a solid option in center field.
9 - Jason Giambi Age 38
Similar to Delgado and Thome, still has plenty of power and walks enough to offset his strikeouts.
10 - Raul Ibanez Age 36
Ibanez is a model of consistency; he hasn’t hit less than 16 homers or 31 doubles in the past seven seasons. He takes walks and generally keeps his strikeouts in check. His lack of defensive ability does hold him back.
11 - Jermaine Dye Age 35
Dye rebounded well last year after a dissapointing 2007 season. He has more than adequate power and finished 15th in the MVP voting last year.
12 - Andy Pettite Age 36
Pettite isn’t the pitcher that he used to be; but it’s difficult to find a more durable arm. He’s thrown over 200 effective innings in each of the last four seasons.
13 - Johnny Damon Age Age 35
Damon remains a capable lead-off hitter who posted an OBP of .375 last season. He has more than adequate power, works pitchers and is still able to steal bases.
14 - Casey Blake Age 35
Over the last two seasons Blake has hit 72 doubles with 39 home runs. He doesn’t walk a whole lot, but his power is just fine.
15 - Jorge Posada Age 37
Coming off an injury plagued year, Posada is still one of the best hitting backstops when in the game. He’s only two years removed from a monster 2007 season that saw him finish 6th in the MVP voting.
16 - Todd Helton Age 35
Helton has some big-time injury concerns coming off a season that required back surgery in September. He still knows the strike zone as well as anyone and will be able to hit for average if he stays healthy, but his power has tapered off.
17 - Octavio Dotel Age 35
Dotel has always had a power arm, and he used it to brutalize opposing batters last season. Dotel racked up 92 strikeouts in only 67 innings last year.
18 - Melvin Mora Age 36
Mora doesn’t get a much of attention, but he quietly gets his 20 doubles and 15 home runs every season.
19 - Tim Wakefield Age 42
Wakefield, armed with his signature knuckleball, has been a quality pitcher for Boston since they acquired him in 1995.
20 - Trevor Hoffman Age 41
Despite an alarming jump in the amount of home runs surrendered, Hoffman is still a capable reliever with a devastating change up.
21 - Garrett Anderson Age 36
Professional hitter that pounds pitches into the gaps, still has enough pop in the bat to finish with 15-20 home runs.
22 - Jamie Moyer Age 46
Moyer has a rubber arm and is still able to toss 200 league-average innings for a ball club.
23 - Takaisho Saito Age 38
Saito has great stuff, and has been one of the better relievers in baseball the last few years, but elbow concerns make him a risky-proposition at best.
24 - Ken Griffey Jr. Age 39
Griffey still hits righties plenty hard, but his ability against southpaws has faded away, and as always is only one play away from the DL.
25 - Randy Johnson Age 45
The Big Unit was a big surprise last year, throwing 180 strong innings. He still has a good fastball and the intimidating downhill plane, but with his mileage, injury history and age it’ll be tough for Johnson post similar numbers this season.
Next week I'll be putting together the top players under 25; so stay tuned for that feature.
Some, however, not only manage to hold their own against counterparts much younger, but they thrive. They survive on guile (Jamie Moyer), or a unique skill set (Tim Wakefield), and some are just so unnusually talented that they refuse to let age slow them down.
Here are my top 25 players, that are at least 35 years old as of today.
1 – Manny Ramirez Age 36
Manny has a lethal bar and might be as close to a hitting savant as there is in baseball. His talent often gets lost in with the circus he creates around him.
2 – Ichiro Suzuki Age 35
Fans can bank on Ichiro getting 200 hits, swiping 40 bases and smacking 20 doubles every season. Suzuki is tremendously consistent and has a positive impact on all facets of the game.
3 – Mariano Rivera Age 39
I generally consider closers to be overrated; but what Rivera was able to do last year was remarkable. He overpowered hitters and finished with a minuscule WHIP of .6; it was Rivera’s finest season and a testament to his superb overall ability.
4 – Chipper Jones Age 36
Chipper won his first batting title last season and remains one of the most productive offensive weapons in baseball when healthy.
5 - Derek Lowe Age 35
Lowe is an innings-machine that consistently churns out quality start after quality start. He’s thrown at least 180 innings in each of the past seven seasons.
6 – Carlos Delgado Age 36
Delgado caught fire in the second half last year; and finished the campaign with 38 home runs and 115 runs batted in. Carlos has swatted at least 32 home runs in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
7 – Jim Thome Age 38
Long in the tooth, Thome is still a reliable source of power. Last year he hit 34 homers and supplemented that with 28 doubles. He also draws enough walks to offset his low batting average.
8 - Mike Cameron Age 36
The athletic Cameron always hits for power, plays solid defense and swipes some bases. He still strikes a bunch, but he remains a solid option in center field.
9 - Jason Giambi Age 38
Similar to Delgado and Thome, still has plenty of power and walks enough to offset his strikeouts.
10 - Raul Ibanez Age 36
Ibanez is a model of consistency; he hasn’t hit less than 16 homers or 31 doubles in the past seven seasons. He takes walks and generally keeps his strikeouts in check. His lack of defensive ability does hold him back.
11 - Jermaine Dye Age 35
Dye rebounded well last year after a dissapointing 2007 season. He has more than adequate power and finished 15th in the MVP voting last year.
12 - Andy Pettite Age 36
Pettite isn’t the pitcher that he used to be; but it’s difficult to find a more durable arm. He’s thrown over 200 effective innings in each of the last four seasons.
13 - Johnny Damon Age Age 35
Damon remains a capable lead-off hitter who posted an OBP of .375 last season. He has more than adequate power, works pitchers and is still able to steal bases.
14 - Casey Blake Age 35
Over the last two seasons Blake has hit 72 doubles with 39 home runs. He doesn’t walk a whole lot, but his power is just fine.
15 - Jorge Posada Age 37
Coming off an injury plagued year, Posada is still one of the best hitting backstops when in the game. He’s only two years removed from a monster 2007 season that saw him finish 6th in the MVP voting.
16 - Todd Helton Age 35
Helton has some big-time injury concerns coming off a season that required back surgery in September. He still knows the strike zone as well as anyone and will be able to hit for average if he stays healthy, but his power has tapered off.
17 - Octavio Dotel Age 35
Dotel has always had a power arm, and he used it to brutalize opposing batters last season. Dotel racked up 92 strikeouts in only 67 innings last year.
18 - Melvin Mora Age 36
Mora doesn’t get a much of attention, but he quietly gets his 20 doubles and 15 home runs every season.
19 - Tim Wakefield Age 42
Wakefield, armed with his signature knuckleball, has been a quality pitcher for Boston since they acquired him in 1995.
20 - Trevor Hoffman Age 41
Despite an alarming jump in the amount of home runs surrendered, Hoffman is still a capable reliever with a devastating change up.
21 - Garrett Anderson Age 36
Professional hitter that pounds pitches into the gaps, still has enough pop in the bat to finish with 15-20 home runs.
22 - Jamie Moyer Age 46
Moyer has a rubber arm and is still able to toss 200 league-average innings for a ball club.
23 - Takaisho Saito Age 38
Saito has great stuff, and has been one of the better relievers in baseball the last few years, but elbow concerns make him a risky-proposition at best.
24 - Ken Griffey Jr. Age 39
Griffey still hits righties plenty hard, but his ability against southpaws has faded away, and as always is only one play away from the DL.
25 - Randy Johnson Age 45
The Big Unit was a big surprise last year, throwing 180 strong innings. He still has a good fastball and the intimidating downhill plane, but with his mileage, injury history and age it’ll be tough for Johnson post similar numbers this season.
Next week I'll be putting together the top players under 25; so stay tuned for that feature.
www.examiner.com/x-2496-Atlanta-Braves-Examiner~y2009m3d1-Top-25-baseball-players-age-35-and-up
More like the top 5.
