I've noticed a trend that I never spoke about because I wasn't sure; Until the other day when I asked my league a question and a member confirmed my thoughts with his words.

It seems to me that younger players, even if already rated high, don't seem to perform at the level of their ratings.

For example, I have a 22 year old pitcher who is 80+ in every important category and maybe mid 70's in secondary areas. He is an 81 overall projected 87. But even at 81, he is way higher than MOST pitchers in the league already. However, he is getting rocked a ton this season and has a terrible ERA and WHIP.

I also have a close personal friend who has an AMAZING positional player with EPIC stats who is 23. He is already better than 95% of the league attribute wise, but he's batting like .240 and not doing that great. He is an 88 projected to be 92 but trust me when I tell you, his important stats are already amazing.

So when I asked why these two super talented guys are floundering, a fellow league member said it's because of their age.

Does age actually have an impact on performance? As I said, I noticed this trend several times but never saw any proof that it was true other than it happening often.

No. We think it does because we recognize when a young player struggles but, when a young player succeeds, we just think that's the way it should be. He's doing what's expected. IOW, for every player you've mentioned, a dozen more are doing as expected.

It's just small sample sizes and random results.

Examples: I called all three of these up young and early. Their first seasons are real close to career averages. They performed as expected. I could easily some that didn't.

Player Profile: Deivi Galvez - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Edgmer Zorrilla - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Cory Smith - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports

Ok cool, thanks Mike. So it's very possible he could turn it around at any moment, or do better in the future? Just much as it's possible he continues to struggle. Like in real life, just being talented doesn't mean enough to guarantee success. His strong attributes may give him a better chance to success (statistically speaking) but it's no guarantee.

Your guy is good but not Cy Young caliber, and there's a ton of offense in your world. I mean, he's not a 5.34 ERA guy-- but in UBA, in Syracuse (AL), he's going to run about a 4.00 ERA once you get to enough innings to have a real sample size.

dedelman - thanks for respone and you read my mind. I was thinking high 3's or 4 would be expected due to the huge offenses...BUT as I am sure you are well aware, in UBA, a high 3, or even 4 ERA will get you a lot of wins if you're timing isn't horrible. Where do you see him being most weak?

Like here are some guys who have won Cy Young in UBA recently:

Player Profile: Edgardo Cordero - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Yunel Lee - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Einar Martin - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Pedro Moreno - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Guillermo Gomez - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
Player Profile: Andres Benitez - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports

I realize he isn't the best of that bunch but I think he is in the same league certainly with most of them. But if I am wrong, I'd love to know where he is weak because I feel like everyday I learn more about this complicated (but super fun) game.

notrekane-- he's good; could be the SP1 for a championship team, although SP2 is more likely. He could catch fire and win a Cy Young one season. But his VsL is 64, and your opponents may platoon. So he'll face a few more LHB than the average RHB, and get hit just a little bit harder than you might think.

it's more likely just confirmation bias