Defending Raul Ibanez: He Isn't the First to Defy Age

Much has been made of the blogger who dared put the words "Raul Ibanez" and "steroids" in the same headline.

Some people were outraged. Some people were outraged by the outrage. Most people just wondered if and when the shadow of performance-enhancing drugs will ever leave baseball alone.

No matter your stance on that debate, the reality is that Ibanez is having a career year at the age of 37.

Naturally, when a 37-year-old outfielder emerges from 13 years of relative obscurity in Seattle and Kansas City into the spotlight of Philadelphia, and does so with a bang (21 bangs to this point), it will inevitably draw attention.

Ibanez is currently second in the majors with 21 home runs and first in slugging percentage at .674. His career highs in those categories are 33 (2006) and .537 (2002) respectively.

With 58 games played so far this season, he is currently on pace to hit around 58 bombs. Should Ibanez hit 58 home runs (which is unlikely), that would represent a 152 percent increase from the 23 homers he hit in 2008.

Remember that percentage. We'll come back to it later.

All the hubbub surrounding Ibanez and his apparent discovery of the Fountain of Youth got me thinking: Is it rare for a player to peak in his late 30s?

Absolutely. Most players don't even last that long.

But for a player who has put up consistently good numbers at the plate or on the mound over a number of years, is it that rare for success to continue or even increase at a late age?

I didn't think so. We're not talking about NFL running backs here. David Wells threw a perfect game at the age of 35 while overweight and hungover. Is it so far-fetched to think someone could reach career highs at 37 just by taking care of his body and utilizing 13 years of experience?

My research was by no means exhaustive, but I found a few notable examples to support my theory. And you can forget about Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens—some of the names on this list might surprise you.

These examples are presented for the sole purpose of showing that it is possible for a 37-year-old with a history of solid hitting to reach career highs that late in his career. Just throwing some more wood on the fire, if you will.

I'd love to hear your comments.

Early Wynn

Right-hander Early Wynn broke into the American League with the Washington Senators in 1939. His performance was decidedly up and down over his first seven seasons in the bigs, as he won 18 games in 1943 and 17 games in 1947 but compiled a 72-97 record overall.

Wynn's worst season came in 1948 at the age of 28, when he went 8-19 with a 5.82 ERA. He led the league in earned runs and struck out just 49 batters over 198 innings while walking 94.

It wasn't until the age of 30 that Wynn would finally develop the consistency that would land him in the Hall of Fame, and it wasn't until the age of 35 that he made his first All-Star game.

From 1950 to 1956 (ages 30 to 36), Wynn averaged 20 wins a season. His overall record was 138-76, and his combined ERA was 3.03.

Wynn finally showed signs of aging in 1957, leading the league in hits and earned runs given up, and followed that up with another losing record in 1958.

But then in 1958, Wynn came roaring back to life with a 22-10 record and an ERA of 3.17. He led the league in wins and innings pitched and became the oldest player (at that time) to win the Cy Young Award.

He was 39 years old.

Hank Aaron

"Hammerin'" Hank Aaron hit 13 home runs as a 20-year-old rookie in 1954. In 1955, he clubbed 27. He would go on to hit at least 20 home runs in each of the next 19 seasons, a remarkable feat of consistency and power that would crown him baseball's new home run king.

Most fans are well aware of Aaron's prowess at the plate and even the exact number of dingers he hit (755). But many fans don't realize that some of his best power numbers actually came at the end of his long career.

After hitting 29 home runs at the age of 34, Aaron proceeded to smack 203 home runs (40.6/year) over the next five seasons. Hank actually notched career highs in home runs (47), slugging percentage (.669), and OPS (1.079) in 1971 at the age of 37.

Consider that those 47 home runs came in just 495 at-bats. It was the first time since his rookie season that Aaron's ABs totaled fewer than 500.

Paul Molitor

One of the best hitters of the '80s and '90s, Paul Molitor played for 21 years and never hit below .270 in a full season. He is the only player in the history of baseball to compile 3,000 hits, 500 stolen bases, and 200 home runs while hitting over .300 in his career.

Never known for his power, Molitor hit more than 20 home runs just once in his career, in 1993. He hit 22 home runs that year while hitting .332 and leading the league with 211 hits. Molitor would finish second in MVP voting to Frank Thomas.

He did all this at the age of 36.

Molitor would go on to hit .341 in 1996 and again lead the league in hits at the age of 39.

Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn was without question one of the best hitters in the history of the game. After hitting a respectable .289 as a rookie, he somehow managed to hit .309 or better in each of his next 19 seasons in the majors. He was named to the All-Star Game 15 times and won six Silver Slugger awards.

Gwynn's best season? Undoubtedly 1997, the year he set career highs in hits (220), home runs (17), and RBI (119)—all at the tender age of 37.

Remember that Ibanez percentage I told you to remember? Something like 152 percent? Gwynn hit just three home runs in 1996, meaning his 17 home runs in '97 were an astounding 467 percent higher. Gwynn's previous career high was 14, but that occurred 11 years earlier in 1986.

Gwynn would continue his run of "power" the following seasons, hitting 16 home runs at age 39 and 10 at age 40. He had topped 10 home runs in a year just twice in his previous 13 seasons.

Randy Johnson

An intimidating figure on the mound to this day, Randy Johnson is one of the most dominant pitchers of all time and a sure bet for the Hall of Fame. But the most incredible aspect of his career is the dominance he has achieved after the age of 35.

Johnson won a career-high 24 games and posted a career-low 2.32 ERA in 2002 at the age of 38. He struck out a career-high 372 batters in 2001 at the age of 37. He also tallied a career-best 0.90 WHIP in 2004 at the age of 40.

Johnson started a career-high 35 games in 1999 and then rattled off 35, 34, and 35 starts over the next three seasons. After pitching in just 18 games in 2003, Johnson started 35, 34, and 33 games at ages 40, 41, and 42 respectively.

Aside from Greg Maddux, Johnson is the only pitcher to win four consecutive Cy Young awards. But Maddux did it between the ages of 26 and 29, while Johnson did it between the ages of 35 and 38.

Impressively, Johnson has recorded 167 of his 300 career wins in the second half of his career.