Every professional sport is inherently a game for the young, but baseball is kinder to the aging body than most.
Ultimately, the sport is about skills as much as pure athleticism, although players like Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen have shown that having both doesn’t hurt.
The Toronto Blue Jays know the importance of baseball’s elderly more than most with core players like R.A. Dickey, Jose Bautista, and Mark Buehrle all attempting to demonstrate that age is just a number.
With the acquisition of 42-year-old LaTroy Hawkins from the Colorado Rockies the Blue Jays have made another investment in a player with plenty of years in his rear-view mirror.
In light of the addition of Hawkins, here’s the “Old Man Strength” edition of the MLB Power Rankings:
| Rank | Team | Previous | |
| 1 |  |
It wasn’t long ago that John Lackey’s time as a top-end starter seemed over, but the big right-hander has had quite the career renaissance. At 36 he is sporting a career-best 2.85 ERA and is one of the best bargains in baseball at $500,000. |
1 |
| 2 |  |
Adrian Gonzalez is not going to hit 40 home runs again any time soon, but at 33 he remains a very consistent middle-of-the-order bat and one of the better defensive first basemen in the game. |
6 |
| 3 |  |
A.J. Burnett may be done for the season with an elbow injury, but it’s hard to deny the contribution he’s made to the Pirates. The 38-year-old delivered 135.1 quality innings with a tidy 3.06 ERA and a 3.08 FIP to match. |
3 |
| 4 |  |
Chris Young tends to confuse sabermetricians by posting ugly peripherals with excellent results, and this year has been no different. The soft-tossing 36-year-old has an impressive knack for inducing weak fly balls and at Kauffman Stadium that skill set has played up to the tune of a 3.25 ERA. |
2 |
| 5 |  |
The Yankees are perhaps the team most reliant on “Old Man Strength.” While Mark Teixeira is having an outstanding season, Alex Rodriguez’s year has been even more remarkable. The 40-year-old has clobbered 24 home runs while getting on base at a healthy .384 clip. |
4 |
| 6 |  |
The Astros are one of the youngest contenders in the league, so it’s hard to identify an older veteran who has been essential to their success. Reliever Pat Neshek, 34, is perhaps the closest to fitting that description having pitched 41 innings of 2.85 ERA ball. |
5 |
| 7 |  |
Santiago Casilla isn’t the most famous closer out there, but he’s undeniably reliable. The 35-year-old has 27 saves and a 3.32 ERA, not to mention a virtually flawless playoff track record. |
9 |
| 8 |  |
Although the arrival LaTroy Hawkins inspired the theme of this week’s Power Rankings, Mark Buehrle deserves credit here. Not only is “Papa” Buehrle an excellent influence on the rest of the staff, he’s gotten stronger as the season has gone on. The 36-year-old southpaw has lowered his ERA to 3.32 and slots in as a solid number two starter behind David Price. |
10 |
| 9 |  |
The Nationals are another relatively young contender, but recent acquisition Jonathan Papelbon is an exception. Papelbon remains a high-end closer at the age of 34 and has already recorded two saves with his new team. |
8 |
| 10 |  |
Jason Motte was a low-risk, buy-low option for the Cubs in the off-season and he has provided solid late-inning relief. At the age of 34 he still fills the zone with 95 mph fastballs. |
11 |
| 11 |  |
Curtis Granderson is having a fine bounce-back season, but Bartolo Colon is in a league of his own here. The 42-year-old may have an ugly 4.72 ERA to his name, but his 3.69 FIP suggests the generously proportioned right-hander is still going strong. |
15 |
| 12 |  |
Albert Pujols is definitely the most literal example of “old man strength” in the game today. Even at the age of 35, the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer has been putting balls in the stands with ease. His next home run will be his 31st — a number he hasn’t reached since joining the Angels. |
7 |
| 13 |  |
N/A – Remarkably the Baltimore Orioles have not fielded a single player 33-or-older this season. |
13 |
| 14 |  |
Many scoffed when the seemingly-rebuilding Twins signed quadragenarian Torii Hunter in the offseason, but Hunter has delivered at the plate. His 17 home runs rank second on the team. |
12 |
| 15 |  |
The Rays can rarely afford established veterans and as a result tend to feature a young lineup. David DeJesus did give them approximately league-average production, but the 35-year-old was was shipped to the Angels. |
16 |
| 16 |  |
Adrian Beltre has not been himself this season and has battled injuries. However, the 36-year-old still possesses an unbelievable ability to make contact as he showed Monday by hitting for the cycle. |
14 |
| 17 |  |
There is no denying that Adam LaRoche hasn’t been all the White Sox had hoped for this season with the bat, but he makes this list for his pitching. The 35-year-old was forced into emergency duty last Friday, touching 85 mph on the radar gun and demonstrating a changeup and curveball on the way to a perfect inning. |
18 |
| 18 |  |
A relief ace is something of a wasted asset on a team falling out of contention, but Joaquin Benoit deserves some credit for the season he’s having. At 38 he’s still throwing hard and getting hitters out in high-leverage situations. |
20 |
| 19 |  |
The Mariners front office has made a few missteps in player development and roster construction in recent years, but signing Nelson Cruz was not one of them. The 35-year-old slugger has posted an impressive .324/.389/.597 line while calling the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field his home. |
23 |
| 20 |  |
Brad Ziegler was expected to be a hot commodity at the trade deadline, but the 35-year-old sinkerballer remains in Arizona as the softest tossing closer in recent memory. His 1.17 ERA shows that velocity isn’t everything. |
21 |
| 21 |  |
Ryan Raburn may have a limited role with Indians as a lefty-mashing bench bat, but it’s hard to complain about his production. The 34-year-old has posted a .277/.359/.496 line so far. |
22 |
| 22 |  |
Ian Kinsler doesn’t have the loudest tools in the game, but there are no holes in his game and he remains an excellent starter at the age of 33. His WAR of 3.1 ranks fifth among second basemen league-wide. |
17 |
| 23 |  |
Sam Fuld may be 33, but he has a young man’s skill set. Although his bat is well below league-average, he’s an excellent defensive outfielder who’s able to swipe a few bases. |
25 |
| 24 |  |
David Ortiz is no longer one of the premier sluggers in baseball, but at 39 he still has some pop in the bat and has reached the 20 home run mark for the 14th consecutive season. |
27 |
| 25 |  |
A.J. Pierzynski is looking absolutely ageless in Atlanta with a .302/.339/.446 line. |
19 |
| 26 |  |
Marlon Byrd’s late career power surge is continuing. The 37-year-old already has 18 home runs this season and looks to top 20 home runs for the third consecutive year after only reaching that mark once in his first 10 seasons. |
26 |
| 27 |  |
After reluctantly joining the Marlins, Dan Haren pitched admirably in Miami before being shipped to the Cubs. Hard to complain about getting 129 innings of 3.42 ERA ball from a starter and then getting some prospects for him at the deadline. To make things even sweeter for Miami the Dodgers paid the entirety of Haren’s contract. |
28 |
| 28 |  |
Rafeal Betancourt’s 5.45 ERA is not impressive, but his 3.09 FIP suggests he’s been unlucky and pitching at Coors Field isn’t helping. The 40-year-old is still striking out a batter per inning. |
29 |
| 29 |  |
It feels like Francisco Rodriguez has been around forever but somehow he’s only 33. K-Rod remains a quality closer as he looks to crack the 30 save mark for the seventh time in his career. |
24 |
| 30 |  |
Aaron Harang is no one’s idea of a star, but he’s as steady they come. The 37-year-old has an ugly 5-12 record, but that’s simply a result of the team he plays for. A 4.11 ERA in a hitter’s park shows he’s still a solid back-end starting option well into his twilight years. |
30 |
