BATTING: Reaching PA thresholds

Last year, BaseballHQ.com identified a new way to assess the potential of young batters by focusing on their early-career PAs rather than their ages.

The prevailing wisdom was (and remains) that we should be most interested in players who are entering seasons at “age 26 with experience,” but we found that age didn’t correlate as well with fantasy production as did total career PAs.

The reason for this seemed fairly obvious in hindsight. Most players reach MLB around age 24, so they naturally get to the 800-PA threshold in their age-26 seasons. We might have been mistaking age for PAs all along.

Why 800?

Batters reaching 800 or more PAs early in their careers are demonstrating enough ability that they convince the talent...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From Batters

Francisco Alvarez has carried forward his big second half into the spring, giving him legit 30-HR breakout potential in 2026.
Mar 21 2026 3:16am
Kevin McGonigle's top prospect pedigree has been on full display this spring, including premium batted ball quality and a mature plate approach.
Mar 21 2026 3:15am
Lars Nootbaar's marginal surface stats in 2025 hid some elite batted ball quality, making him a premium end-gamer.
Mar 16 2026 3:10am
Pete Crow-Armstrong's marginal batted ball quality, shaky plate skills, and extreme level of chase make him a risky bet to maintain his 2025 value.
Mar 9 2026 3:05am
Ben Rice's massive gains in exit velocity and against southpaws in 2025 make him a premium breakout target.
Mar 2 2026 3:05am

Tools