Position by Service-Year. Sortable.
For every major league position, this table shows how the median qualified hitter ages — measured from MLB debut forward, not from peak backward. Click any column to sort. Click again to reverse.
I. Survival Curve by Position
Of players who became regulars (≥300 PA in years 1–3), what share were still posting a 300+ PA season at each later service-year window? This is the actuarial half-life of the position. The cohort sample is every qualified hitter 1985–2025 (n = …).
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How to read this table
Click any column header to sort. Want positions ranked by who survives longest? Click "10–12." Want to see which position washes out earliest? Click "13–15" then click again to reverse.
The "Half-Life" column reports the first window where fewer than half the cohort is still a regular. That number is the position's actuarial expiration date — knowing only what year of MLB service a player is in, you can read off how likely it is that he's still in the lineup.
II. Production by Position × Service Year
Median OPS among the players who are still putting up 200+ PA at each window. Among survivors, careers don't slope — they hold flat then cliff. The decline most fans observe is mostly attrition, not deterioration.
III. Individual Players
Search by name. Sort by any column. PA-weighted career averages plus a per-bucket OPS strip. Cohort = every hitter 1985–2025 with at least 2,000 career PA (… players).
See every career, plotted
The tables here use a survivorship-trimmed sample. For the full population — 7,300+ hitters and 5,600+ pitchers, flameouts and all — switch to the trajectory view. Pick any indicator and watch the cohort change as you filter by debut tier.
Open Career Trajectories →What this tool is — and isn't
It's a descriptive snapshot of the 1985–2025 MLB hitting population, organized by position and by years of major league service. It tells you the typical arc; it can't tell you any individual player's future.
It's also a counter to a common error: "Player X is declining because his age-32 numbers are down." Most players who decline don't decline gracefully — they disappear. The 32-year-olds still in the lineup are mostly the ones who haven't declined yet. That makes the lineup look more durable than the population is.
Built by The Sports Page · Data source: MLB Stats API · ← back to archive