History is important in baseball for more than nostalgia. It also helps inform huge investments. Predicting how players will age using the Venn diagram circles of age, size, position, home ballpark, injury, mechanics and past performance is both an art and science.
Baseball finds comfort in its “comps.” For instance, Mike Trout is Mickey Mantle, Bryce Harper is Reggie Jackson and Zack Greinke is Mike Mussina. Good luck trying to find someone quite like Mookie Betts, the inimitable Boston rightfielder who is very available by trade today or by free agency after the season.
At least one team recently undertook just such an internal study of Betts.