“Don’t trust anyone over 30”. That was a rallying cry popularized by young people in the 1960s. It is clear that whoever came up with this rallying cry did not have Fantasy Baseball in mind. When it comes to Fantasy Baseball, this is advice that is foolish at best and dangerous at worst.
While the common conventional wisdom is that a player’s performance peaks at 27, there are still plenty of Old Players with Fantasy Value out there who have already turned 30 who look to be on track to provide plenty of value to your team this season. Even though many of these players are slowly moving past their peak performance, they still have enough left in the tank to help your fantasy team.
Brian McCann, C, New York Yankees
McCann is currently 31. While he is not going to provide a strong batting average and he is coming off a season with a below average wRC+, there is one thing he will do that the vast majority of Catchers will not is hit for power.
He has been very consistent in his power totals as he’s hit in the range of 20-24 HR in 8 of the last 9 seasons and there is not much to indicate that 2015 will be any different, especially since he gets to play his home games at Yankee Stadium.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
Encarnacion is currently 32. Turning 30 did not hurt him offensively as he has hit 70 HR over the last two seasons. If anything, Encarnacion is getting better with age as he tied his career high in wRC+ (150) last season. Despite his age, he still provides enough value to justify drafting him towards the back end of the first round. A season consisting of a .275 AVG 35 HR and 100 RBI is not out of reach.
Ian Kinsler , 2B, Detroit Tigers
Kinsler turns 33 in June. Prior to last year, he was traded to the Tigers in the same transaction that brought Prince Fielder to the Rangers. This change did not hurt Kinsler’s production as he hit .275 with 17 HR. While the possibility of a 30/30 season has come and gone, Kinsler is still a strong option at second. Even as he’s getting older, he’s still hitting for a respectable AVG, providing double digit power and SB totals and getting the opportunity to score plenty of runs.
Jose Reyes, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Reyes turns 32 in June. Granted, there is always the risk that he will get injured and his days of stealing 50+ bases have come and gone. However, he is still capable of giving you a solid batting average, about 30 SB and being on part of a strong Blue Jays line up should allow him to score plenty of runs.
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Ramirez turns 37 in June and is likely to retire at the end of the season. While drafting Ramirez would necessitate having a backup option in place as he has missed time due to injury the last couple seasons and the Brewers are planning to give him more rest time this season.
However, there appears to be enough power left in his bat for at least another productive season. Even with him missing time due to injuries, he has kept his AVG above .280 and still provided double digit HR totals. Assuming he stays healthy, Ramirez should also have plenty of RBI opportunities as he is surrounded by players such as Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy in the Brewers lineup.
Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Bautista is currently 34. While Bautista also carries the risk of getting injured at some point, his ability to hit for power (especially with overall offense being down) is too large to ignore. He has hit at least 27 HR every year this decade. While his batting average has fluctuated quite a bit the last few years, he should also have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup.
Cole Hamels, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
Hamels is currently 31. While the fortunes of the team that he plays for has drastically decreased over the last few seasons, Hamels continues to perform strongly. Last year, he had a career best 2.46. While his FIP/xFIP numbers indicate some regression in this area, his ERA will most likely fall in the 3.00-3.25 range and he is likely to get you plenty of strikeouts (K/9 has been at least 8 the last five season). Currently, it is unlikely he will give you very many wins but this is something that is outside his control.
Fernando Rodney, RP, Seattle Mariners
Rodney just turned 38 on March 18. While Rodney is not at the elite level of closers such as Greg Holland and Craig Kimbrel, he has 133 saves over the past three seasons. Even though his 0.60 ERA from 2012 is very unlikely to be replicated, Rodney is on track to save several games and throw in some additional strikeouts in the process (10.31 K/9).
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