When I look around the free agent market every single season
and offseason I think to myself more and more than Major League Baseball is
once again becoming a young man’s sport again. What do I mean? I can remember
growing up a Yankees fan in the mid-2000’s where New York always had that one
or two veteran players on the roster in the twilight of their career’s that
filled important roles for the club. Then I watched as the Core Four aged and
the Yankees were considered the old men of baseball. Now I watch the second
youth movement in the Bronx during my lifetime and I see the invigoration of
youth and it makes me notice the youth movement not only inside Yankee Stadium
but around baseball as well… which is not a good thing for certain veterans who
still find themselves looking for work despite the fact that spring training
games have already begun.
The list of 30-year olds or older still on the free agent
market is staggering when you think about it. Names like Pedro Alvarez, Joe
Blanton, Billy Butler, Marlon Byrd, Chris Capuano, Coco Crisp, Doug Fister,
Jeff Francouer, Sam Fuld, Ryan Howard, Edwin Jackson, Tim Lincecum, Kelly
Johnson, Justin Morneau, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Peavy, AJ Pierzynski and CJ
Wilson to name a few still appear on the free agency market while many players
have simply walked off into the sunset and retired. Now when I look at this
list I don’t see many that will turn a non-contender into an immediate World
Series contender but there are still some very helpful free agents out there on
the market that can be had for simply money.
Blanton, for example, sported a 2.48 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with
80 strikeouts in 80 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year leaving me to
wonder how with 30 teams vying for bullpen supremacy how the 36-year old is
still looking for work.
At one point in the not-so-distant past you were just in
your prime when you hit 30-years old but now in a league where the NL MVP Kris
Bryant is just 24-years old and Mike Trout just won his second AL MVP Award at
age 25 you just may be considered “old” at 30.
Ladies and gentleman this is truly becoming a young man’s
sport again and you can tell it by looking at the MLB Trade Rumors free agent
tracker. There is still good players out there on the market to be had but they
aren’t signed because of their age. None of the aforementioned players would
command huge salaries with maybe the exception being Papelbon so it almost has
to be the age factor. When you also look at the number of veterans who simply
took minor league deals with invitations to spring training the trend just gets
scarier and scarier for veteran players. Will it change? Or will it simply get
worse before it gets better? Stay tuned.
I think this is just a result of technology and weight training/fitness. In the gym, I have seen some young kids lifting big weight, much more than when I was graduating HS (2004). and that's not THAT far.
ReplyDeleteplus, with all the supplements, technology, training experts. Just like how an American winning a gold olympic medal is valued less than say, azerbajan or something.
and I know, an 18 year old benching a crazy amount is different from becoming a baseball superstar shortly after he's able to legally drink, but there's so much more competition, so much more training, access to videos, tech- like im sure they analyze swings, leg kicks, anything to maximize efficiency. but when it all starts earlier, this is the result.
I'd say outside of pitchers, maybe 8 of the top 10 players are sub 26.
In college back in the 50's, I was the only one sitting at the "PIG Table" at 5'9" and 172/180 lbs. they always tried to fatten me up. Lifting weights was not something the sports field advocated for players such as I...only the line men were permitted to lift weights.
ReplyDeleteSo the times, they have changed over the years...as it has and will every generation or so.