Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninkobei
Well, Prince Fielder for one. That was the year he hit 50 HRs and 119 RBIs. Although I guess you could make an argument for his 25yr season where he hit 46 and 141 (albeit at more bats, and with fewer runs).
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He also had virtually the same OPS (it was actually slightly higher) in his age 25 season. How many runs he scored or knocked in is not really relevant to the discussion. Their slash lines were very comparable, thus the almost identical OPS. So, the idea that he peeked at 23 is completely out the window when turns in an almost carbon copy season at 25.
The Fangraphs article is interesting, but it's including positional and UZR data, and it's sample size for fatties is all of 205 players.
I'm perfectly willing to accept the notion that bigger players peak sooner, but at 23? No. And if the Ranger sign him they won't care at all if he gets worse in the field, because in two years he'll be a DH.