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There is no need to draw blood from their arms to diagnose an age issue with the Yankees.
Derek Jeter prefers to look at the average age of the Yankees’ projected Opening Day lineup — an MLB high 32.9 — as one that offers an ocean of experience.
Yet, from the first spring training workout this week in Tampa until the final out of the season, age will be a hot topic.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the average age of the 30 MLB teams’ Opening Day lineups across the last 10 years is 29.7. At 32.9 the Yankees are 3.2 years above that.
The Phillies and Rangers are next with averages of 30.9 and 30.6 years, respectively, in their projected lineups.
The lineup houses 39-year-old Ichiro Suzuki, 38-year-old Jeter, Travis Hafner at 35 and a 34-year-old Kevin Youkilis, but the pitching staff makes them look like neophytes.
Mariano Rivera is 43. Andy Pettitte will be 41 in June. Hiroki Kuroda’s 38th birthday is today.
Injuries and age can’t be separated. Just ask the Knicks, whose roster is the oldest in the NBA. Veterans Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and Jason Kidd have missed time due to injuries.
Of course, youth doesn’t guarantee good health.
Look at Michael Pineda. He was 23 and targeted for a rotation spot during spring training last March. Instead he had shoulder surgery, missed the entire season, and his future is in doubt.
Given the choice of dancing with a veteran or a younger player with a better body but pedestrian track record, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman prefers the former.
“I would say you are always concerned about it,” Cashman said when asked about the balding heads and gray hairs hidden by Yankees caps. “But I am not concerned about it when you look at the alternative. The alternative is I can get a younger player that just isn’t very good. Maybe you can run him out there for 162 [games] and he won’t get hurt, but he isn’t going to help you.”
Reliever Mike Stanton breezed into the Yankees’ clubhouse moments after beating the A’s in Game 5 of the 2000 ALDS in Oakland and fired a verbal arrow into the mouths that claimed age would be the club’s undoing.
“Who says we are too old?” Stanton bellowed. “We are just old enough.”
And good enough to beat the Mariners in the ALCS and Mets in the World Series.
Still …
A four-game losing streak will be blamed on the old bones. Manager Joe Girardi will get testy answering questions about managing older players.
It’s not a coincidence that most of the Yankee players over 35 have dealt with significant injuries recently.
Alex Rodriguez, 37 in July, might miss the season due to January hip surgery.
Jeter, easily the oldest shortstop in baseball, is coming back from a fractured left ankle suffered in the ALCS.
Rivera suffered a torn right ACL in early May, had surgery and missed the rest of the season.
Pettitte was out from June 27 to Sept. 19 because of a fractured left ankle.
Because of back and knee problems, Hafner has averaged 86 games across the past five seasons.
However, not all of the Yankees’ graybeards have lost time to injury.
Suzuki has been on the disabled list just once (bleeding ulcer in 2009) in a dozen years and played all 162 games last season. Yet, he isn’t the same player he was as recently as 2010.
Kuroda hasn’t been on the DL since 2009 when he had a concussion. And he posted career highs in wins (16) and innings pitched (219 ²/3) last season.
Youkilis, 34 next March, examines performance instead of birthdays.
“I never look at it like that. I look at it as these guys play at a high level,” Youkilis said of his new teammates. “Look at a guy like Derek. A couple of years ago he didn’t have that great of a season, [but he] had a great season last year.
“I don’t think the age thing is a concern. I guess we will be wiser. … Sometimes it’s good to have veterans because they have been in situations and the game is not as big. Sometimes young guys on a different stage don’t know how to handle it.”
Eventually, it has to end and Pettitte, Kuroda, Rivera, Jeter, Rodriguez and Suzuki know nobody plays forever. What’s tough is when age catches you in its grip.
“You understand it but you don’t accept it,” Stanton said. “You are always thinking you are doing the same things you did five to 10 years ago even when the numbers don’t say so. You don’t accept it.”