The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 22. Tris Speaker, 1923-28 (35-40)
- .342/.428/.517
- 938 hits
- 501 runs
- 28.0 WAR
Next up on the list is one of the oldest, the great center fielder Tris Speaker. Considered the best center fielder of his generation and one of the best in MLB history, Speaker was outstanding. The prolific contact hitter owns the fifth-highest career batting average in league history, a blistering .345 mark.
Speaker only played through his 40th birthday but remained a potent threat at the plate. From 1923-28 and ages 35-40, Speaker notched a staggering hitting line of .342/.428/.517. He put together 938 hits over his final six seasons, or an average of 150+ each season. Speaker was also a doubles machine as a gap hitter and remains the all-time league leader in career doubles with 792 across 22 MLB seasons.
In 1923, Speaker turned 35-years-old and put together one of the greatest seasons of his career. That year, the Hall of Famer hit .380/.469/.610 while leading all of baseball with 59 doubles and 130 RBIs. Even playing in the early 1900s, hitting more than 100 RBIs as a contact hitter is incredible.
Speaker is also known for his defensive prowess in center field. According to his Hall of Fame webpage, the three-time World Series Champion was known for playing a very shallow center field. He led AL center fielders in putouts seven times. Speaker’s 450 career assists rank first in MLB history among center fielders and his 6,783 putouts rank second behind Willie Mays. Speaker was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1937.