Tim McCarver mentioned during Saturday’s Yankees/Red Sox game that it’s been a long time since a team won a World Series with a shortstop 35 years or older. There was no follow up, so is it due to a lack of 35-year-old shortstops.? The following graph shows the percentage of plate appearances of each position by age, 1974-2009. Look at the changes for the tough defensive positions versus the easier ones (click for a lager image):
Notice how shortstops, second basemen and centerfielders dominate in the early 20s, but by their mid 30s they are disappearing. The tougher defensive positions are for younger men. It’s another nice representation of the defensive spectrum, as first basemen and DH dominate the older years.
Posted by David Pinto at 9:16 am | Defense, Demographics, Players | Permalink | 4 Comments
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April 26th, 2009 @ 10:05 am
Very cool. Who’s the 47-48 year old 3B? I’m assuming it’s just one player.
April 26th, 2009 @ 10:28 am
Julio Franco.
April 26th, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
I assume almost all the 18-year-old appearances are Robin Yount?
July 7th, 2009 @ 11:34 am
[...] Should Yankee fans expect to win with a 35-year-old short stop? A few months ago, David Pinto tackled just that question and produced the following graph. It shows the total percentage of all plate appearances by age and [...]