Why Did They Retire?

Shane Mack?

I came across something I wrote in a fanzine in the early '90s about him being underrated, so I looked him up on Baseball Reference.

His career starts slow in San Diego, then flourishes for the next five years in Minnesota. From 1990-94: .309/.375/.479, 130 OPS+, 5.3 WAR per 650 PA. Goes to Japan and has two good years, then comes back and has a good half-season in Boston (.315/.368/.438). Signs with the A's, is immediately traded to Kansas City, and has another good half-season (.280/.345/.449). They let him walk, he signs with San Diego, then retires without ever playing a game. He was 35.

Rusty Greer...Looking at answers for today's grid, the most games played by a Rangers-only player are Greer's 1,027. He was good! 100 RBI three times, .305/.387/.478 for his career, never hit under .270. Retired at 33. So I looked at his Wikipedia page: "Greer's aggressive style of play took a severe toll on his body, and he spent the remainder of his baseball career (i.e., after signing a big contract in 2002) undergoing and recovering from surgeries." He had two non-roster offers before the 2005 season but walked away.