Ranking the best 35-and-up MLB players in 2012

You could say that veteran ballplayers are an endangered species. That's the perception, and you can find some facts to support that assertion.

You could say that, but you'd be lacking precision.

Here's the better statement: The elite veteran ballplayer, specifically, is going the way of the Dodo, New Coke and the "Florida'' Marlins.

By comparing 2011 statistics to 2001 statistics, we can see that the count of prominent players 35 and older has remained stable. Eleven seasons ago, we saw 17 position players with 502 or more plate appearances (qualifying them for the batting title) and 10 pitchers with 162 or more innings pitched (qualifying them for the ERA title). In 2011, those numbers stood at 16 and nine, respectively.

Yet look what happens when we compare players with four or more wins above replacement -- about the All-Star level -- as measured by Baseball-Reference.com:

In 2001, there were nine players 35 and older -- four position players (Barry Bonds, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff and Rafael Palmeiro) and five pitchers (John Burkett, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Steve Sparks) -- with four or more WAR.

Last year, there were three such players, two everyday guys (Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee) and one pitcher (the Mets' R.A. Dickey).

How to explain that evolution? It's impossible to ignore the elephant in the room -- the advancement of testing for illegal performance-enhancing drugs. After all three of the nine players from the 2001 group -- Bonds, Clemens and Palmeiro -- have been linked with illegal PEDs. In accordance with this, teams are generally less willing to pay high rates for players on the wrong side of 35.

In this new, youth-heavy era, who are the best of the geezers? We've put together this list of the 25 best players 35 and older primarily through statistical analysis, with a touch of scouting contributions. Thanks also to "Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster 2012," from which we gathered additional insight.

Players who turn 35 or older by June 30 of this season are eligible.