Good old Yankees

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:33 am

Randy Johnson, 41, is the oldest player on the Yankees' roster and he has experienced almost everything. Andy Phillips, the youngest Yankee at 28 years old, had experienced almost nothing before yesterday. -- NYT

*Isn't 28 a bit old for the team's youngest player? I seem to recall reading once that players usually peak in their late 20s (though perhaps that's no longer is true).*

Matthew Grieco · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:42 am

It's still true. On average, players have the best seasons of their careers in the year of their 28th birthday. Lots of things change, but the human aging process hasn't altered much in the last century.

And yes, it's absurd that Phillips is 28 and yet seems like an infant by Yankees standards. But we've been building up to this point for a while as Steinbrenner has liquidated his farm system to acquire the most expensive veterans. We're now in a situation where he has to KEEP doing that if he wants to keep winning, because the farm system will not be replenished without several years of mediocrity by the big club.

wordygurdy · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2005 2:28 pm

Yes, how the Yankees missed out on the dubious title of having the team with the oldest average age in the big leagues this year I'll never know. You certainly wouldn't be able to tell that there was another team with an older average age by looking at the Yanks' roster.

Sadly, Matthew is right. I have always been of the opinion that the Yankees will never begin rebuilding until Steinbrenner dies. Even then, it's iffy because if his son gets the team, he may be as shortsighted as George is.

And make no mistake: When the crash of the Yankees comes, it's going to come hard and long, just in time, probably, for that new stadium's opening in 2009.

Pity, that.

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:10 pm

wordygurdy wrote:

Yes, how the Yankees missed out on the dubious title of having the team with the oldest average age in the big leagues this year I'll never know. You certainly wouldn't be able to tell that there was another team with an older average age by looking at the Yanks' roster.

So, which is the oldest team in the majors?

In the 1950s, says Bill James, the Yankees' farm team was the Kansas City Athletics.

wordygurdy · **Posted:** Mon Apr 25, 2005 4:58 pm

Sorry, ADK, I meant to include that info in my post. It's the Giants. Don't have the actual figure in front of me, but I remember reading earlier in the spring that it was 37.3 years or thereabouts.

True about the Kansas City A's, from what I've read.

ADKbrown · **Posted:** Tue Apr 26, 2005 10:22 am

wordygurdy wrote:

Sorry, ADK, I meant to include that info in my post. It's the Giants. Don't have the actual figure in front of me, but I remember reading earlier in the spring that it was 37.3 years or thereabouts.

37.3 years! That's amazing. There was a time when teams had only a few players that old.

JeffW · **Posted:** Tue Apr 26, 2005 1:27 pm

wordygurdy wrote:

Sorry, ADK, I meant to include that info in my post. It's the Giants. Don't have the actual figure in front of me, but I remember reading earlier in the spring that it was 37.3 years or thereabouts.

Not true -- the average age on the Giants this season is 32.9 (from espn.com) -- still old by baseball standards, but 37.3 would be positively ancient. The oldest average I could find was the Yankees, at 34.1.

JeffW · **Posted:** Tue Apr 26, 2005 1:48 pm

W??W?t -- if the first reference was to the oldest starting lineup (as opposed to team), then the Giants win at 35-plus (36-plus if Bonds comes back). The Yankees are at 33-plus, depending upon who plays first base. (Yes, it's a slow day here...)

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