Not only has Jim Thome switching from the White Sox to the Twins had a massive impact on the AL Central race, Baseball-Reference.com’s blog points out that he’s having one of the best seasons ever by a 39-year-old. Here are the all-time leaders in adjusted OPS+ at age 39:
AGE 39 YEAR PA OPS+ Barry Bonds 2004 617 263 Ted Williams 1958 517 179 Hank Aaron 1973 465 177 JIM THOME 2010 273 162 Babe Ruth 1934 471 161
Thome has fewer plate appearances than everyone else on that list, but he’s on pace to finish with approximately 350 and any time you can make a top-five list alongside Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth you’re doing something really right. And since Minnesotans are already thinking about the Twins possibly re-signing Thome for next season, here are the all-time leaders in adjusted OPS+ at age 40:
AGE 40 YEAR PA OPS+ Willie Mays 1971 537 158 Carlton Fisk 1988 298 155 Edgar Martinez 2003 603 141 Moises Alou 2007 360 137 Dave Winfield 1992 670 137
That’s a much different and less impressive list in terms of both names and numbers, which is a good reminder of how tough it is to dominate at age 40. In fact, based on OPS+ no hitter in the history of baseball has ever been as productive as a 40-year-old as Thome has been as a 39-year-old, which is something to keep in mind when it comes to 2011 expectations for the future Hall of Famer.
