New peak age??

[DWKB]

We here in ARI can get really caught up in our own world perspective with the squad of players we have....

--Johnson, Schilling, Gonzo, Finley, seeing Bonds play for 18 games too--

...in thinking that the peak age for MLB players has changed from the past.


Bill James did an interview that I thought really kinda put things into perspective:

Baseball Musings: There are a number of players who are having phenomenal success late in their careers. Barry Bonds and Randy Johnson stand out. Do players still peak at 27 has the peak age gone up? If not, do peak years stretch longer than the 25-27 year time frame?

Bill James: It was 25-29, not 25-27. Players still peak at 27, and are declining with the same frequency that they always did (actually, there is some slight evidence that the rate of decline from aging is INCREASING.) Bonds was born in 1964--but so was Will Clark, Jose Canseco, Dwight Gooden, Bret Saberhagen, Ozzie Guillen, Roberto Kelly, Luis Polonia, Jeff King, Pete Incaviglia, Mike McFarlane, Bobby Witt, Jose Lind, Mitch Williams, Rob Dibble, Joe Magrane, Billy Ripken, Greg Hibbard, Kevin Reimer and Doug Strange. Bonds is simply not typical of the group.

Randy Johnson was born in 1963, but so were Paul O'Neill, Ken Caminiti, Lenny Dykstra, Cecil Fielder, Lance Johnson, Mike Greenwell, Mariano Duncan, Kal Daniels, Shane Mack, Chris Bosio, Mike Devereaux, Eric Plunk, Matt Nokes, Norm Charlton, Jim Leyritz, Bruce Ruffin, Bobby Thigpen, Daryl Boston, Jose Guzman, Pat Borders, Jeff Treadway, Scott Bankhead, Mark Carreon, Dale Sveum, John Cangelosi, Doug Henry, Felix Fermin, Dwight Smith, Damon Berryhill, Todd Benzinger and Sam Horn. The fact that ONE of them is still playing the best ball of his career does not make this in any way representative of the group.

 

[Dback Jon]

What I think is different is that conditioning/training is allowing a few exceptional athletes to extend their prime. The number of players of 35 is increasing dramatically (but still a small number).

 

[DWKB]

That very well could be, I wouldn't be one to argue it.

I wonder though where that puts players like Aaron, Minoso, Grove, Collins, Wagner, Spahn, Musial, and Yaz.

I think great athlete have always been able to extend their careers way past their prime.

But this doesn't address Randy's and Barry's historic seasons at such advanced ages.

 

[moviegeekjn]

Don't know details on others, but Musial did go into a more intense physical training regimen during the latter part of the fifties to extend his career. No way was it as sophisticated as the ones available today, but he did more than most of his fellow mates.