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Ross Barkan's avatar

I'll give a baseball answer, because I'm far better schooled there: Adrian Beltre. Go back in time and tell a baseball fan in the 2000s, particularly as he was playing for the Seattle Mariners, Adrian Beltre is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, clocking in with 3,000+ hits and 90+ bWAR. They'd say you were nuts. Beltre was viewed, until age 30, as something of a hyped prospect who had become an underachiever, minus one insane season with the Dodgers.

Then, at 31, he heads to Boston and has himself a very big year. After that, he's putting up huge offensive seasons in hitter-friendly Texas and playing for a pennant winner. His defense, with the rise of sabermetrics, is properly recognized, and paired with his very good offense, he becomes one of the great third basemen ever. He gets 3,100 hits, which looks even more impressive now with so few active players even passing 2,000 hits.

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PW's avatar

Steve Young is a good one. Essentially built a HoF career from age 31 on.

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