Top 5 Seasons For MLB Hitters Over 40-Years-Old

Your article shows why you have to keep going year to year on the contracts.  You will get left paying too much on the last one. Look how many had very good years but were done within two years after a very good season.  I remember watching Willie Mays play that last year for the Mets. It was very hard to watch such a great player hitting about .210 and such a great fielder struggling in the field. But his last games were in the World Series so maybe we can hope for the same for Nelson Cruz.

Fun article. It would be nice to see the last two years of Cruz's stat lines if for an edit just to compare it to the others. 

1. Willie Mays, 1971 (Age-40)
5.9 WAR, .271/.425/.482, 18 HR, 61 RBI, 157 wRC+
It’s fitting that arguably the greatest all-around player in baseball history tops this list.

I've posted this before, but I'll repeat. In addition to being far above and beyond his contemporaries as a batter Babe Ruth was also an elite pitcher. In terms of batting, fielding, and base running Mays may have been better than Ruth. Maybe. But Ruth was inarguably the best all-around player in baseball history.

I've posted this before, but I'll repeat. In addition to being far above and beyond his contemporaries as a batter Babe Ruth was also an elite pitcher. In terms of batting, fielding, and base running Mays may have been better than Ruth. Maybe. But Ruth was inarguably the best all-around player in baseball history.

It depends on what you value and how you define it. Mays was such a great fielder and hitter...did anyone even think about asking him to pitch? Ruth also played in a segregated era, with all that entails. They ended up very close in career bWAR totals 162.1 for Ruth v. 156.2 for Mays, and Mays missed a season for military service. Which one was "better"? yes.

Back to Cruz...I don't think he'll pass any of these players for "best season over 40" mostly because Cruz is gonna DH and all of these guys played the field. Maybe, just maybe he can top Sam Rice, but it's really hard for a DH to punch out a 5 bWAR season because of the position adjustment. I do think he'll have another good season, OPS+ around 140-150 and be an important cog in the offense.

Considering three of these were earlier, would have preferred seeing the Top five since the Korean War (1950).  

Can Cruz have a season like those at the top, yes. The bigger question is, will he? At some point his skill is going to erode. Will it begin some time this year? Or did it begin mid-way thru last year? The really good news is that the Twins were able to wait him out and get a one year deal. Now let's hope like heck he has one more good year in him.

Nice article.  

Henry Aaron - .268 .341 .491 at age 40 with 20 HRs.  Two mediocre years left in his career.

Year by year contracts are essential, Cruz can crash quickly even though he has the advantage of modern medical help.  I always think of Pujols who continues to take money that the Angels surely regret because they paid him for the first half of his career that was with the Cardinals.  Age 40 - .224 .270 .395.  

Darrell Evans was another big time producer at age 40, and Twins fans remember him in the playoff games against the Tigers. He was feared--he walked 100 times!

PA: 609

AB: 499

RUNS:90

HRS: 34

RBI: 99

AVG: .257

OBP: .379

SLG: 507

OPS: 880

WAR: 4.6

Notice how all five are HOF players?  It shows only a few can put up big numbers late in career, and that makes them HOF.  Very few players can produce in late 30's and beyond.  

Cruz will not put up the overall WAR due to being just a DH.  I think he will put up fine enough numbers for the year to justify being the DH. If he is our best offensive player that maybe good because I expect decent offense, but I do not think he will be best offensive guy.  I think he will be lower in lineup, but maybe not.  He may keep raking, and I hope he does.  

The question is what will be considered good season for him?  I sure hope he plays the full year and drives in another 100 with 30 plus HR.  I also feel he brings good things to clubhouse too that you do not see on the field each day, but pays off in long run. 

I always think of Pujols who continues to take money that the Angels surely regret because they paid him for the first half of his career that was with the Cardinals.  Age 40 - .224 .270 .395.  

The other interesting thing with Pujols is that he's all but admitted he's actually 2 years older than his official listed age, and last year he was probably his age 42 season. 

Not that it really changes the comparison with Cruz, as even by Pujols "age 38" season, he'd fallen off significantly, just another wrinkle in the challenge of trying to make age based comparisons. 

Why is David Ortiz not on this list? 5.2 WAR as a DH in his age 40 season. It was arguably his best, with an OPS over 1.000 and 127 RBI's, which led the league. He finished 3rd in MVP voting. 

Notice how all five are HOF players?  It shows only a few can put up big numbers late in career, and that makes them HOF.  Very few players can produce in late 30's and beyond.  

 

Cruz will not put up the overall WAR due to being just a DH.  I think he will put up fine enough numbers for the year to justify being the DH. If he is our best offensive player that maybe good because I expect decent offense, but I do not think he will be best offensive guy.  I think he will be lower in lineup, but maybe not.  He may keep raking, and I hope he does.  

 

The question is what will be considered good season for him?  I sure hope he plays the full year and drives in another 100 with 30 plus HR.  I also feel he brings good things to clubhouse too that you do not see on the field each day, but pays off in long run. 

David Ortiz was worth 5.2 WAR as a DH in his age 40 season. Also a HOF player. At least I think he will get in- he does have the PED asterisk though.

Two words: Tom Brady. Age: 43. Last night: 7th Super Bowl ring. I say that Cruz can do the same as DH for the Twins. Cruz might not subscribe to TB12 but he's a fitness nut himself, so much so that the Twins hired his chef. Sooner or later Brady, like Cruz, will cede the field to Time. I have every hope that it won't be this year.