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Atlanta Braves: Age is just a number, right?

By Dalton Skaggs

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 9: Dansby Swanson
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 9: Dansby Swanson /
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The Braves have made a few swaps containing aging players like Jim Johnson and Matt Kemp, and this has made the Braves even younger.

The Atlanta Braves are showing their fans that it has a high emphasis on both bringing in and in using young talent. Here is a look at the current 40-man roster at the time of this post with the players names, and their ages next to their names:

PITCHERS:

  • Jesse Biddle – 26
  • Aaron Blair – 25
  • Rex Brothers – 30
  • Mauricio Cabrera – 24
  • Grant Dayton – 30
  • Mike Foltynewicz – 26
  • Sam Freeman – 30
  • Max Fried – 23
  • Luiz Gohara – 21
  • Anyelo Gomez – 24
  • Jason Hursh – 26
  • Scott Kazmir – 33
  • Jacob Lindegren – 24
  • Brandon McCarthy – 34
  • Adam McCreery – 24
  • A.J. Minter – 24
  • Akeel Morris – 25
  • Sean Newcomb – 24
  • Jose Ramirez – 27
  • Josh Ravin – 29
  • Ricardo Sanchez – 20
  • Lucas Sims – 23
  • Julio Teheran – 26
  • Arodys Vizcaino – 27
  • Chase Whitley – 28
  • Dan Winkler – 27
  • Matt Wisler – 25

AVERAGE AGE OF PITCHERS: 26.11 years old / 27 pitchers

CATCHERS:

  • Tyler Flowers – 31
  • Kurt Suzuki – 33

AVERAGE AGE OF CATCHERS: 32 years old / 2 catchers

INFIELDERS:

  • Freddie Freeman – 28
  • Ozzie Albies – 20
  • Johan Camargo – 24
  • Adonis Garcia – 32
  • Rio Ruiz – 23
  • Charlie Culberson – 28
  • Dansby Swanson – 23

AVERAGE AGE OF INFIELDERS: 25.43 years old / 7 infielders 

OUTFIELDERS:

  • Lane Adams – 28
  • Ender Inciarte – 27
  • Nick Markakis – 34
  • Preston Tucker – 27

AVERAGE AGE OF OUTFIELDERS: 29 years old / 4 outfielders

The average age of the current 40-man Atlanta roster:

28.14 years old / 40 players. (8 players 30+)

Nick Markakis, the catching tandem of Flowers and Suzuki, and the newly acquired Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy are the main folks keeping the average team age over 28.

If Nick Markakis was replaced with Ronald Acuna on this list, the average age of Atlanta outfielders would drop from 29 y/o to 25.5 y/o. This would then change the TOTAL average age of the 40-man from 28.14 to 27.26.

Does age really have anything to do with the success of a team?

No. While age is just a number, the smaller the number typically means the higher the chance of winning on a long term spectrum. Here is a look into the roster of the World Series champions Astros and their players ages:

PITCHERS:

  • Dan Deetz – 24
  • Chris Devenski – 27
  • Michael Feliz – 24
  • Ken Giles – 27
  • Anthony Gose – 27
  • Reymin Gustave – 25
  • Will Harris – 33
  • James Hoyt – 31
  • Dallas Keuchel – 29
  • Francis Martes – 22
  • Lance McCullers Jr. – 24
  • Collin McHugh – 30
  • Charlie Morton – 34
  • Joe Musgrove – 25
  • Brad Peacock – 29
  • Cionel Perez – 21
  • Brady Rogers – 27
  • Hector Rondon – 29
  • Tony Sipp – 34
  • Joe Smith – 33
  • Justin Verlander – 34

AVERAGE AGE OF PITCHERS: 28.01 years old / 21 pitchers

CATCHERS:

  • Evan Gattis – 31
  • Brian McCann – 33
  • Max Stassi – 26

AVERAGE AGE OF CATCHERS: 30 years old / 3 catchers

INFIELDERS:

  • Yuli Gurriel – 33
  • A.J. Reed – 24
  • Jose Altuve – 27
  • Tony Kemp – 26
  • Alex Bregman – 23
  • J.D. Davis – 24
  • Colin Moran – 25
  • Tyler White – 27
  • Carlos Correa – 23

AVERAGE AGE OF INFIELDERS: 25.78 years old / 7 infielders

OUTFIELDERS:

  • Derek Fisher – 24
  • Marwin Gonzalez – 28
  • Jake Marisnick – 26
  • George Springer – 28
  • Josh Reddick – 30

AVERAGE AGE OF OUTFIELDERS: 27.2 years old / 5 outfielders

The average age of the current Astros 40-man roster: 

27.75 years old / 40 players. (11 players 30+)

More from Tomahawk Take

The Astros have 3 more players over the age of 30+ than the Braves do, but the difference in those eleven players versus the eight 30+ players on the Braves is skill and career success.

The 30+ players on the Astros are much more skilled and have had much more success in 2017 as compared to the 30+ players on the Braves, even though the two catchers on the Astros are former Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta got rid of poor performing Jim Johnson and injury prone Matt Kemp, which gives the Braves the opportunity to have some successful young players take over their positions.

Next: Atlanta Braves: it’s time to start merging into the traffic lane

We’ve been looking forward to the Youth Movement since this rebuild started.  It’s here.

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