RESEARCH: Hitters' performance as they age
Jan 31 2014
Raul Ibanez will be 42 this season. Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter will be 40. Alfonso Soriano, David Ortiz, and Torii Hunter will all be 38.
All of these players, although their stats were well off their career bests in most categories, were productive in 2013.
But can these geezers be pleasers in 2014? Or should fantasy owners limit investing in post-prime hitters?
Our research suggests that the prudent fantasy owner will temper any expectations of players with lengthy teeth, and let their competition bid as if they were still in their primes.
Method
To look at how players age, we looked at the performance of older hitters (age 35+) since 1989.
There were 1,327 such player-seasons. Players who played multiple years beyond age 35...
Almost!
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