Phillies: Top individual seasons in team history by age
Age 38: Kenny Lofton (2005)
Lofton began his career with the Astros in 1991 but became a household name while with the Cleveland Indians. He placed second in Rookie of the Year in 1992, led the league in stolen bases five straight seasons, made six consecutive All-Star games and four straight Gold Glove Awards.
After a season in Atlanta, Lofton returned to the Indians in 1998 and enjoyed four more years with the Indians. He signed with the White Sox as a free agent in 2002 and appeared in 93 games before being traded to the Giants. Granted free agency, Lofton signed with the Pirates in 2003 and was once again traded, this time to the Cubs.
Continuing to bounce around the league, Lofton signed with the Yankees and hit .275 in 83 games before landing in Philadelphia via free agency for the 2005 season. The 38-year old showed plenty left in the tank, hitting .335 with five triples and 22 stolen bases in 110 games, while posting a solid .981 fielding percentage.
Lofton retired with the Indians in 2007 with 2428 hits, a .299 average and 622 stolen bases.
Age 39: Raul Ibanez (2011)
Ibanez was a role player for much of his first six Major League seasons before seeing time as a starter for the Royals in 2002, hitting 24 home runs with 103 RBI. He began a five-year run with the Mariners hitting at least 20 home runs a season, topping out at 33 home runs and 123 RBI in 2006.
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The Phillies signed Ibanez as a free agent in December 2008 to fill the left-field spot when Pat Burrell moved on to the Rays. He posted a career-high 34 home runs for the 2009 NL Champions, to go along with 93 RBI. The power numbers were down for Ibanez in 2010, but he still put together a productive season with a .275 average, 16 home runs and 83 RBI.
Although 2009 was clearly the best season for Ibanez, he makes the list at age 39 because no other Phillies player put together the 31 doubles, 20 home run, 84 RBI numbers that Ibanez did at that age.
Ibanez put together one more good season in the Majors, belting 29 home runs for the Mariners in 2013. He retired in 2014 with 2034 hits, 305 home runs and 1207 RBI in 19 seasons.
Age 40: Pete Rose (1981)
The Phillies were one of the top teams in the NL during the latter part of the 1970s but failed to get over the hump to the World Series. The acquisition of Pete Rose via free agency on December 5, 1978, was about to change all that.
Although the Phillies struggled somewhat in 1979, failing to reach the playoffs, Rose showed he had a lot of gas left in the tank at age 38. He hit .331 with 40 doubles and a league-leading on-base percentage of .418.
During the World Series title run of 1980, Rose played in every game, leading the league in doubles with 42, to go along with a .285 average, 95 walks and only 32 strikeouts in 628 at-bats. Rose makes this list for his stellar hitting at the age of 40 in 1981. During the strike-shortened season, he .325 and led the league in hits with 140.
Rose played two more seasons with the Phillies before a season with the Expos and one as player-manager with the Reds before retiring. Rose is the all-time leader in hits with 4256, scored 2165 runs, hit .303 with 746 doubles, and walked 1566 times.