How old is too old?

[futurebrewerfather]

So, in thinking about Mike Jones and Manny Parra, I began to wonder if they were "running out of time"?

 

Not knowing myself, I want to know at what age does a prospect become to old to still be a prospect. And when I say prospect, I'm referring to someone who could still be a full time everyday starter or starting pitcher in the majors at some point (not a bench guy or reliever).

 

And does that age differ for a pitcher then an everyday player? And does that age differ if they were drafted out of High School or college? Is the number of years in the minors more important then age?

 

I'm just looking for some opinions.

[patrickgpe]

I don't think there is a said age, ie at 26 you are no longer a prospect. I would hope though at 24 and 23 respectively Parra and Jones stays healthy and moves up in the system. with their background of injury problems you don't want to rush them.

 

I would say though that once you are 6 years in and not in the bigs, you may not be a prospect anymore.

[Brian the Automator]

I'm not sure what the mystical age would be, but I'm sure it varies by how much time was spent pitching, and not on the DL. The less mileage on the arm, the higher the prospect rating. Jones and Parra didn't spend 4 years in college, so I would think that they have a longer prospect "shelf life" than a kid who graduated from college and toiled around in the minors without much produciton.

 

Parra and Jones are both good pitchers when healthy, and still prospects in my opinion. However, if would agree with patrickgpe that 26-27 becomes the cutoff line.

 

Of course, there are players who buck the trend... So I don't think Parra or Jones should be euthanized on their 26th birthday or anything http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[endaround]

Usually 26 in AAA with ages going down with levels is too old But since relievers are valuable (more valuable than other bench players) pitchers have another few years. For example Wise was 28 when he started to see action with the Brewers.

[Mass Haas]

Go to our Brewerfan Player Index and click on the age column to sort by age:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewPlayerIndex.do

 

For instance, Joe Thatcher at 25 can still be considered a prospect.

 

It's amazing to see how young the current major league core of the Brewers is when you see their names interspersed with members of the farm teams. Amazing -- great time to be a Brewer fan!

[BillScottCanRake]

I think there is a difference between "no longer being a prospect" and "no longer being able to be an everyday player". Even though they are often linked together, I think a former-prospect can still be an everyday player, even though it's less common. I think typically a player will lose their status as a prospect around 26-27, but they those players can still become ML regulars.

 

Because of their late start they will probably have a shorter career than someone who reached the majors at 24, but I don't think there is a specific age at which a player can't become a regular.

 

I think that regardless of their status as a prospect, both Jones and Parra still have plenty of time to have productive major league careers, even if they start later than they would have liked.