JCG posted:Smitty28 posted:Not sure where size comes into play with regards to longevity. I'm an Angels fan and I worry about Trout breaking down - it's been 4 years since he played more than 140 games. And don't get me started about Pujols.
It seems to me that predicting Altuve breaking down on a sample size of 1 is a stretch. As a fan of Altuve I hope that Joe Morgan is a better comp than Pedroia.
Could be - but those 70's and 80's guys ate the amphetamines like candy. No more of that either which is impacting the number of games played as well as load management. It may be the 135 game season is the new 155 games season of the past. If so maybe Altuve has 3/4 good seasons left in him.
I also stated that ALL players are starting to break down in the 30-33 window as part of the discussion those long term deals handed out this spring. If Judge has more injuries the next couple of seasons it is sure to impact teams willingness to sign him for long years. The Stanton deal looks like an Albatross already.
I think this is a pretty interesting aspect of running ballclubs now. I think baseball is sliding toward the NFL mindset that a good portion of the players are interchangeable and that younger/cheaper is the way to build teams. In the NFL a small percentage of star players get big money but the majority of players are less than 4 years and at the low end.