This week we witnessed the trade of Drew Sutton, who will soon be 26. Part of the discussion surrounding this trade concerned whether or not Sutton is really a prospect. His "advanced" age was often used as proof that he is not. I did a little research in hopes of adding a little insight to the discussion about when a prospect is too old to be a prospect.
I researched 26 players who were in last year's all-star game. The starting position players, 2 starting pitchers, and two relievers from each league. My criteria for determining when a player "reached the major leagues" was 200 at bats or 50 innings pitched in a given season.
Keep reading for the results
Two ineligible: Kosuke Fukudome, Ichiro Suzuki
Turned 27 during first year: Brad Lidge
26: Josh Hamilton, Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, Chase Utley
25: Kevin Youkilis, Geovanny Soto, Alfonso Soriano, Billy Wagner
24: Dustin Pedroia, Lance Berkman, Ryan Braun, Matt Holliday,
23: David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Tim Lincecum
22: Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, Roy Halladay, Joe Mauer
21: Alex Rodriguez, Scott Kazmir, Ryan Dempster,