MLB: Bartolo Colon and Four Other Ageless Wonders in Baseball Today
Jun 28, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning at O.Co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Youthful players are a valuable commodity. They provide speed, hitting, good arms, and promise to play at a high level in years to come. Take a look at Yasiel Puig as an example of just what a young player can do for a ball club; he has continued to hit out of his mind with a current batting average of .409.
While he has provided hitting, he has also been a spark plug for his organization, which suddenly finds itself in second place in the NL West. And on a team riddled with injuries, Puig has shown himself resilient by avoiding being sent to the DL after running into the right field wall against the Rockies on Wednesday, July 3rd.
Looking at what young players like Puig are capable of, it’s no surprise they have become very valuable assets. It also makes you appreciate the older players more who haven’t become “past their prime.” Bartolo Colon is an example of such a player, and he is not alone. These players are still on top of their game after many, many years in the league, and, since they haven’t been prone to injury, you’d never know they were over 35 years of age.