MLB Players Who Could Play Past Forty Years Old

The 162 game schedule, and the constant training required to be effective in the MLB can be quite grueling, leaving players to retire in the mid to late 30’s. However, there are some who are still productive beyond age 40. Who amongst the current group of players could get to that mark?

Major League Baseball is a grueling game that most players retire from before their late thirties. There are some, however, that make it past forty still playing at a productive level in the MLB.

Bartolo Colon and Ichiro Suzuki are the primary names that come to mind of players who are past forty and still playing at a productive level. It is a rarity to see players make it to forty much less past forty like both Suzuki and Colon have done.

Bartolo Colon had to reinvent himself with his loss of velocity and has done so successfully with the New York Mets. He has become a nice calming presence in New York and has eaten a lot of innings. While his career may soon come to an end, he has lasted a lot longer in the Major Leagues then many expected him to.

Ichiro Suzuki is one of the best hitters this game has seen in the last two decades. He continues to put together nice years as the platoon outfielder in Miami and has hit several notable milestones this season.

David Ortiz is headed out of baseball this season but is another notable name who has lasted in baseball past forty. He is having an amazing final season and is likely headed to a postseason berth with the Red Sox.

With these names in mind it is fair to wonder who else in will stay in the MLB past forty? While it is impossible to answer that question for sure, here is our best guess.

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran is closing in on forty years old, as he is only a year away. Despite that, he is enjoying a very productive season, first with the New York Yankees and now the Texas Rangers. For Beltran, it is not a matter of if he can play in his forties, but rather if he wants to take advantage of the opportunities that will no doubt present themselves this winter.

Beltran has had a very impressive career that, when it is all said and done, may be considered to be border line Hall of Fame worthy. His resurgence this season has furthered his already very impressive career and offered a great example of a star player who hasn’t declined all that much in recent years.

For Beltran, this off-season it will be interesting to see what type of deals he is offered if he chooses to play again. There are likely to be plenty of American League teams that will look to employ Beltran as a DH, and it would not be all that surprising to see National League teams in the mix as well. Beltran can still play adequate defense, should he be willing to play in the field as well as hit in the middle of the order.

Rich Hill

Rich Hill is having a great season at the perfect time in a very thin pitching market. He could easily become the most sought after pitcher on the market, especially now that Stephen Strasburg has been locked up to long term deal earlier this season. Before the next season will begin, Hill will turn thirty-seven. Despite that, he is anticipated to receive somewhere in the neighborhood of a four year deal.

That deal will no doubt be a lucrative one for Hill. With the bloated free agent prices, Hill will more than likely receive a very large contract. He will likely be kept around because of it, no matter how he preforms. Not to say that he doesn’t have enough talent to stick around that long, but rather that a lucrative contract will certainly keep him around longer than he would be if he was just another veteran arm signed for depth.

Hill has had an interesting up and down career. It will be interesting to watch how much longer it goes on and just how long teams are willing to sign him. Considering his injury history, Hill may be a gamble. Yet, with a thin free agent market for starting pitching, Hill could get that four year deal that will keep him around for a while.

Nelson Cruz

Nelson Cruz is one of those rare players who seem to get better with age.  Some of his best seasons have come in the last four years of his career. He is currently thirty-six years old and it is not hard at all to imagine him playing another four or five seasons if he can continue to stay healthy.

Cruz started his career with the Brewers, then madestops at Baltimore and Texas afterwards. He has settled in with the Seattle Mariners for the last couple of seasons and is making his contract look like a bargain for the Mariners.

He hits the ball out of the park with regularity and maintains a strong average and on base percentage. While those qualities are not hard to find in the MLB, a player who has all three skills is not all that easy to find.  Add in the fact that Cruz has appeared to improve in his mid-thirties and it will be surprising if he is not around for at least another four seasons. The only thing that potentially could keep Cruz from playing in the Major Leagues at 40 years of age is if he decides that he has had enough. That seems doubtful though, considering how much success Cruz is having and his possible earning potential.

Albert Pujols

The future Hall of Famer has some seasons left in him yet as he is about to turn 37 years old. While he may not be the player he used to be, he is still a productive one and continues to flash his power as he closes in on 600 homers and 3000 hits, both milestones he should easily reach in the next couple of seasons.

The one downside to Pujols lately has been his drop in batting average. A player who used to be counted on to hit .300 or better every season now seems to be solely a power hitting bat in the middle of the lineup. Regardless, he is still a very good player and one who will have no problem playing into his forties, likely as a designated hitter, barring any unforeseen injuries.

A lot of people have forgotten just how good Pujols was in St. Louis or what a good move it was for the Cardinals who let him go. While it may seem odd to praise a team for letting go of a player who will should be a first ballot Hall of Famer and a team icon, it was a great move in regards to freeing up payroll. If you still have your doubts, look at the Angels/Cardinals respective seasons since they let him go and see which team has had the most success.

Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera is a good hitter who doesn’t seem injury prone and is built to be a hitter. Maybe he becomes the next David Ortiz once Victor Martinez is no longer the designated hitter? Much like Pujols, Miggy is a hitter with rare talent. When he gets on a hit streak, it does not matter who is pitching or where the ball is thrown – he is an impossible out.

He has piled up great career numbers and, along with Justin Verlander, is the face of the Tigers franchise. While predicting seven years ahead in the future of the MLB may be a stretch, watching Cabrera at the plate makes it not difficult to imagine him lasting another 7-10 seasons. This is particularly the case if he makes the permanent move to designated hitter at some point in the future.

The only problem that could potentially throw off a hitter as good as Miguel Cabrera would be injuries. If he runs into a lot of injuries later in his career, it could influence his decision of how long he stays in baseball. If he can stay healthy for the most part, there should be no reason he cannot last with the Tigers, or elsewhere, for many seasons to come.