It is time for the fantasy community to realize that we collectively suffer from an age bias. Sure, a 35-year old is unlikely to break out in the same manner a 23-year old could, but he is also less likely to turn into an overhyped bust. Youth and experience should be balanced on most fantasy rosters, with safe investments mitigating the risk presented by upside plays.

With that in mind, two veterans are profiled below. Dustin Pedroia just had a career year at age 32, while Evan Longoria turned back the clock to slam 36 bombs in 2016. Should fantasy owners invest in an encore performance? Let's find out.

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

The Fantasy Jury is Out

Dustin Pedroia (2B, BOS) ADP: 129.3

Raise your hand if you saw a .318/.376/.449 line with 15 bombs and seven swipes coming for Boston's aging second sacker. If you're raising your hand right now, you're lying. Pedroia's four CS probably mean that the steals should not be expected to return, but everything else seems sustainable in his upcoming age 33 campaign.

Pedroia's .339 BABIP last year may not repeat, but he does project as a plus BABIP guy. His career average is .315, he is allergic to fly balls (26.8% FB% last season), and he just set a personal best IFFB% of 8.6%. Calling Fenway home is also a plus for BABIP. His BABIP luck was moderately high (a .275 BABIP on ground balls against a career rate of .267, for example), but was not too outrageous. His 24.2% LD% should revert closer to his 20.9% career rate, but otherwise his BABIP should be about the same.

Pedroia also keeps his average up by rarely striking out. Last season's 10.5% K% was nothing short of excellent, while his 4.8% SwStr% suggests that it was close to his true talent level. His eye is also a plus (26% O-Swing% last year) and plate discipline tends to age well, so the pieces are in place for Pedroia to age gracefully. Boston's potent lineup should also allow him to contribute significantly in the counting categories even if he has a down year.

Pedroia's pop is questionable, but this was also true in 2016. His 9.9% HR/FB does not seem too high to repeat, while his aforementioned 26.8% FB% is already low. Pedroia gets his power numbers by batting a bunch of times, not with any real power skill. While he is older, there is no reason to dock Pedroia's playing time projection until he actually starts missing time. Therefore, he should hit 15ish homers again. It's not exciting, but it works for fantasy.

Verdict: Champ
Evan Longoria (3B, TB) ADP: 101

Fantasy owners can always appreciate 36 dingers, especially if they come attached to a solid .273/.318/.521 triple slash line. Despite seemingly being older, Longoria is only 31 years old and has recorded at least 670 PAs four years running. Like Pedroia, there is no reason to dock his playing time projection yet.

I also see little reason to dock his power projection. Longoria's HR spike came with a sizable jump in both FB% (40.4% to 46.8%) and HR/FB (10.8% to 15.5%) relative to the year before. The FB% increase is a great indicator, and the fact that he managed to pull far more fly balls (28%) than the previous season (21.1%) helps me to trust the increased HR/FB as well.

Statcast data likes Longoria too. His 57 Barrels were tied for sixth among all MLB batters last season, indicating that he was well above average at squaring up the baseball. Last year's 11.9% SwStr% was a career worst, but is still perfectly fine if he is swinging harder to generate more power. The resulting 21% K% was still league average, so it is not as though Longoria has turned into Adam Dunn 2.0.

There is some slight batting average downside here, as batted ball luck was required to produce last season's .298 BABIP. His career rate is .301, but Longoria is shiftable (.265 vs. traditional shift, .315 without it) and enjoyed particularly productive line drives (.762 vs. .738 career). Still, a 30-bomb bat at this price is hard to argue with, especially with a lineup slot that is almost guaranteed to be favorable.

Verdict: Champ