The Brewer Advent Calendar #19: Gregg Zaun

Published Feb. 1, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.
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...More photos »...Steve Nesius - AP...

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...Gregg Zaun will be one of six 37+ year old Brewers in camp this spring...

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Behind the sixth door on the calendar we find...Gregg "Triple G" Zaun!

Barring something unforeseen, Gregg Zaun, who will turn 39 in April, will open the 2010 season as the Brewers' primary catcher. TheJay has already done a great job covering how unlikely it is for a catcher at Zaun's age to make the volume of appearances one would expect from a #1 catcher.

So, instead of re-hashing that, I'll note this: The Brewers are counting on an awful lot of well-aged players this season. LaTroy Hawkins is 37. Zaun, as previously mentioned, will turn 39 in April. Craig Counsell is 39. So is Jim Edmonds. And Trevor Hoffman is 42.

To sum up: The Brewers project to open the regular season with five players who are 37 or older (and John Halama will be the sixth in camp). To this point, they've never had more than three such players appear in the same season:

Season	#	Players
2009	3	Trevor Hoffman, Craig Counsell, David Weathers
2001	3	Tony Fernandez, Mark Leiter, Devon White
2008	2	Brian Shouse, Craig Counsell
2007	2	Brian Shouse, Damian Miller
1997	2	Doug Jones, Julio Franco
1991	2	Rick Dempsey, Jim Gantner
1990	2	Dave Parker, Jim Gantner
1984	2	Don Sutton, Rollie Fingers

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