Traditionally in Major League Baseball, when a player is great, fans can expect a full career spanning close to if not over 20 years. Legends like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson all played beyond their 40th birthday, well past their prime, retiring when their aging bodies would no longer let them play the game they loved. But every so often, a great player voluntarily walks away from the game when no one sees it coming – not because they couldn’t play anymore, but because they simply chose not to, and there could be a variety of reasons including deciding to go out on top, wanting to spend more time with family, or quitting before an inevitable serious injury. For example, 2007 All Star Gil Meche suddenly retired, leaving behind a guaranteed $12 million for the 2011 season, because injuries prevented him from performing at the level his team deserved for that much money. He didn’t think it was fair to take $12 million to be a bullpen arm at best. Or sometimes the reasons are just bizarre – like Adam LaRoche, who repotedly retired from baseball in 2016 because the Chicago White Sox asked him to reduce his 14-year-old son Drake's constant presence in the clubhouse. Those are two examples that didn’t quite make the Top 10. So let’s talk about some of most shocking early retirements in MLB history – stars who left talent, money and potentially bigger legacies behind in order to ride off into the sunset earlier than any one expected.
10. John Kruk
John Kruk’s retirement was as legendary as it was shocking. The pure left-handed hitter was in the middle of an excellent career when he just literally walked away. Kruk came up with the Padres and was a Rookie of the Year contender in 1986 when he hit .309. The next year, he proved it was no fluke, hitting .313 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs. He really shined with the Phillies in the early 90’s, making 3 consecutive All Star teams, including 1993 when he walked 111 times and had a career high .430 on-base percentage. 1994 was a tough year for Kruk as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but luckily it did not spread to other parts of his body before surgery to remove the cancerous testicle. He still hit .302 in 75 games with the Phillies. In May of 1995, he signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox, and got off to a hot start, hitting .364 by July 5th. He went into a slump for the rest of the month, however, and decided he was going to retire due to chronic knee soreness and a lack of a desire to compete. However, after a conversation with his teammates, he decided to go out in style, getting a hit and then walking out of the stadium. But Kruk was struggling to do it, and his batting average was in danger of dropping below .300. He was in an 0 for 15 slump and one more out would bring his average to .299. But then, facing Scott Erickson on July 30th, 1995, Kruk got a basehit in the 1st inning. Then, the 34-year old simply walked off, got in his car, and drove home with a career batting average of exactly .300. He in his last season, he hit .308 with a .789 OPS.
9. Dave Nilsson
Nilsson was one of the top up-and-coming hitters of the late 90’s who suddenly left the big leagues to represent his country. Around 1987, Dave Nilsson was a young phenom in Australia who caught the attention of the Milwaukee Brewers. They signed him at 17 years old to an amateur free agent contract and he promptly hit .394 in 188 at bats in Rookie Ball, putting him on the map as a serious prospect. In 1991, he hit .418 in Double-A and after hitting .317 in Triple-A in 1992, got promoted to the big leagues. Nilsson worked his way into the everyday lineup and in 1996, hit .331 with 17 home runs and 84 RBIs. The next year, he hit 20 home runs. He had his best season in 1999 when he hit .309 with 21 bombs and a career high .954 OPS, becoming the first Australian to make the MLB All Star Team, and he was just 29 years old, in line for a massive multi-year deal worth around $10 million. However, playing MLB in 2000 would mean Nilsson would not be able to represent his country in the Sydney Olympics. In order to play in the Olympics, Nilsson left Major League Baseball to play in Japan, which would allow him to return Australia in time for the Olympics. He also bought the Australian Baseball League and renamed it the International Baseball League of Australia. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he was the best player by far, hitting .565 with a .957 slugging percentage. The next year, despite big offers from MLB teams, he decided to stay down under, declining every offer, in order to stay with his family and work on his baseball operations at home. He never played in Major League Baseball again, although he made a brief comeback attempt in 2004 with the Braves, appearing in 16 games with their Triple-A team before retiring for good.
8. Will Clark
Will “The Thrill” Clark was on a possible path to Cooperstown when he suddenly walked away from the game while his sweet swing was still effective at the MLB level. He became a legend in San Francisco, making 5 straight All Star Teams, with a Gold Glove, two Silver Sluggers and three Top-5 MVP seasons. In 1988, he led the league with 100 walks and 109 RBIs, then in ‘89, helped the Giants reach the playoffs, where he went a ridiculous 13 for 20 in the NLCS, a .650 batting average, with 2 bombs, winning the NLCS MVP, leading the Giants to the World Series. He then signed with Texas, where he made another All Star Game in 1994, finishing the year with a .329 average. Clark looked like a no-doubt future Hall of Famer. He hit over .300 again in 3 of the next 4 season with Texas before signing with the Orioles, in order to be near Johns Hopkins Hospital, which offered the best treatment in the country for his son, who had autism. He continued to hit over .300 with pop and after a trade to the Cardinals mid-season in the year 2000, he went off, hitting .345 with 42 RBI’s and an OPS over 1.000 in 51 games with the Cardinals. The Thrill hit .412 in a losing effort for the Cardinals in the NLCS. The Cardinals were prepared to offer Clark a healthy amount of money to return in 2001, but immediately after the season, he announced his retirement at 36 years old, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. He confirmed he could still hit, but was ready to move on to the second part of his life – focusing on being a husband and father. His 2,176 career hits, .303 average and 284 home runs have not gotten him in Cooperstown yet.
7. Buster Posey
One of the most shocking retirements of recent memory has to be Giants legend Buster Posey. Although catcher is definitely the toughest position on the field physically, the great catchers of the past have routinely played for a long time, even if they have to switch positions in their late 30’s. Greats like Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, and Pudge Rodriguez all had long and memorable Hall of Fame careers, that left no doubt about their status as Hall of Famers. During his early career, Posey felt like he would end up belonging in the same group. He won a Rookie of the Year in 2010, immediately helping the Giants win their first World Series in San Francisco. In 2012, he hit .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBIs, taking home the MVP Award and leading his team to a 2nd World Series Championship. In 2014, he finished 6th for the MVP, and the Giants won it all again, making it 3 in 5 years. Posey continued to perform well year after year, making 4 straight All Star Teams from 2015 to 2019. Then, he opted out of the shortened 2020 MLB season due to the fragile health of his newly adopted, prematurely born twin daughters, deciding it was best to protect his family during the pandemic rather than risk their immune systems. Posey returned in 2021 and showed he hadn’t missed a beat, hitting .304 with 18 home runs, making his 7th All Star Team and winning his 5th Silver Slugger, all while helping the Giants win a franchise record 107 games. He was just 34 years old, and due to make at least $22 million in 2022. Posey decided to walk away from the game, citing diminishing returns and wanting to prioritize his family and avoid the increasing physical toll of being a catcher. He played in just 1,093 games at catcher and ended his career after 12 seasons, barely reaching 1,500 hits. However, he will be an interesting Hall of Fame case due to his exceptional peak performance, awards, championships, and significant impact on the game.
6. Mark McGwire
Although it probably shouldn’t have been too shocking since Mark McGwire struggled with injuries throughout his career and was 38 years old, his retirement in 2001 was still unexpected, especially after both recently signing a lucrative extension and breaking the single season home run record with an amazing 70 bombs just 3 years prior. McGwire had always been an elite home run threat going back to his rookie of the year season in 1987 when he broke the rookie home run record with 49 homers. He just kept hitting bombs when he was healthy, with over 30 home runs in 4 out of 5 seasons until foot problems severely limited his playing time from 1993 to 1995. But beginning in 1996, he was an absolute beast, routinely smashing over 50 home runs per season, including the aforementioned 70 bombs in 2001, a season in which he and Sammy Sosa became the faces of baseball, helping bring the game back into prominence after the 1994 strike. He followed up that year with 65 more bombs, and he was still excellent even in the year 2000 when he hit .305 with 32 home runs in just 236 at bats. He was having knee issues, but when he did play, he was still elite. Before the 2001 season, the Cardinals gave him a 2-year extension worth an extra $30 million through the year 2004. That year, he crushed 29 bombs in less than 300 at bats, but continued to struggle with injuries. Nevertheless, with $14 million due to him in 2002, then that $30 million for the following two years, he was certainly going to at least show up and try to play. Or so we thought – McGwire suddenly retired, saying he was worn out both physically and mentally, and owed it to the Cardinals and the fans to step aside without accepting the $44 million he would be owed, so that they could find a replacement. It definitely took fans by surprise and was one of the most shocking retirements of the century.
5. Ryne Sandberg
No one expects a star player still in or at least near their prime to just walk away from the game right in the middle of the season, but that’s exactly what happened when Ryne Sandberg retired from baseball in 1994. Ryno was an absolute MLB superstar who burst onto the scene on June 23rd, 1984 when he smashed 2 home runs in a game on NBC’s Game of the Week, leading the Cubs to an 11 inning victory over St. Louis, in what became known as the Sandberg Game. He won the MVP that season, beginning a streak of 10 straight All Star nods, 8 straight Gold Gloves and 7 Silver Sluggers in 9 years. He led the league in runs 3 times and home runs with 40 in 1990. The future Hall of Famer had just had another fantastic All Star season in 1993 when he hit .309, finishing 12th for the MVP. But in 1994, he got off to a slow start, albeit not horrible, hitting .286 in early May. By June, however, his average dropped to .238 and on June 13th, he shocked the baseball world by announcing his immediate retirement. He was in his 2nd year of a 4-year, $28 million contract. “I didn’t have what I felt I needed to go on the field every day, give my very best, and live up to to the standards I set for myself,” he said. There has also been speculation that his retirement had to due with problems with his marriage and the Cubs losing ways, with 11 different managers during his career. He did pick a good time to walk away as the ‘94 season ended early due to the strike. He stayed retired throughout the ‘95 season but that October, Sandberg, now remarried and reinvigorated, announced he would unretire and return to the Cubs in 1996. He crushed 25 homers that season, then played his actual final season in 1997, retiring with 285 bombs and a .285 career batting average.
4. Mike Schmidt
Schmidt did retire at the age of 39, which isn’t unusual, but the way it happened shocked the baseball world. Schmidt was not even 3 years removed from an MVP 1986 season in which he hit .290 with a league-leading 37 bombs and 119 RBIs while also winning a Gold Glove. In 1987, he was also elite, crushing 35 homers with 113 driven in. This was a 3 time MVP, 11 time All Star, World Series MVP and 10-time Gold Glover who was still in his prime, or maybe, barely on the other side of it but still extremely effective. He experienced a rotator cuff injury in 1988, causing him to play in just 108 games but was reportedly 100% healthy in 1989, and every one expected a full season of production from the superstar. And he looked great in April. Schmidt crushed a 3-run bomb on the second game of the season, and stayed hot, going 7 for his first 18 at bats, a .388 average, hitting in the clean up spot. On April 29th, he went 3 for 3 and was leading the team with an .849 OPS. Unfortunately, he had a rough month of May, going 2 for 40, which dropped his average to .203. No one thought much of it, until on May 29th, 1989, in the middle of a road trip, after going 0 for 9 in a series in San Francisco, Mike Schmidt abruptly retired from the game. He held a press conference in San Diego to explain his decision, citing the fact that he could no longer compete at the standard he set for himself. It all happened so fast -it felt like one minute Mike Schmidt was one of the best in the game, and the next, he was walking away.
3. Jackie Jensen
A mostly forgotten great of the 1950’s was Jackie Jensen, a powerful outfielder who was having a Hall of Fame career when he suddenly left baseball forever for a very unusual yet understandable reason. Jensen began his pro career in the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks in 1949 and was signed by the New York Yankees to back up Joe Dimaggio. In 1951, as a part time player, he hit .298 with a .500 slugging percentage. He was traded to the Wasington Senators in 1951 and made his first All Star team. Then, after a trade to the Red Sox, his career really took off as he hit 25 homers with 117 RBI’s at 22 stolen bases in 1954. Over the next 5 seasons, he led the league in RBIs 3 times, made 2 more All Star teams, won a Gold Glove, and even had a monster season in 1958 in which he took home the American League MVP with 35 bombs and 122 RBI’s. He was at the top of his game, one of the biggest stars in baseball when, in January of 1960, right in his prime at the age of 32, he abruptly announced his retirement due primarily to an intense fear of flying. He also wanted to spend more time with his family, but with teams increasingly turning to air travel as MLB moved further west, flying was becoming more and more frequent. Jensen tried therapy, hypnosis, and even sleeping pills which would knock him out and then teammates would carry him onto the plane. “I was worried the plane was going to crash every single time I went up,” Jensen said. “After we’d get up in the air and everyone else would fall asleep I’d just stare out the window looking at the engines the whole flight, as if something bad was going to happen if I took my eyes off them. Then, after we landed, all I’d be thinking about was how many days it would be until we had to fly again. It was just an awful time.” Manager Billy Martin didn’t help at all when he pulled a prank on Jensen during some turbulance one flight, putting on his oxygen mask and life vest, yelling “we’re doing down!” Jensen tried to make a comeback in 1961 after more therapy, but could not focus and quit again a month into the season. “I’ve had it,” he said. He eventually returned to finish out the season, in which he hit .263 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs. After that, he walked away for good.
2. Sandy Koufax
No Hall of Famer retired as young as the great Sandy Koufax, who walked away from the game at just 30 years old. Koufax was not immediately the dominant pitcher he is remembered as. He was a slightly above average arm for 6 years with the Dodgers, pitching both as a starter and reliever. But in 1961, he worked extensively on his delivery and arm slot, smooth out inconsistencies that had plagued him early in his career. He developed a deadly curveball as well and suddenly won 18 games, making his first All Star Game. By 1963, he was practically unhittable, going 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA, winning the Cy Young Award and MVP. In 1965, he won 26 games, winning a second Cy Young, and then in 1966, went 27-9 with a career best 1.73 ERA, picking up his third Cy Young Award. He also helped the Dodgers win three World Series, winning 2 World Series MVPs for himself. He was hands down the best pitcher in baseball and was on his way to becoming perhaps the best to ever live. Then, in November of 1966, at 30 years of age, he shocked the baseball world by retiring at the peak of his dominance due to debilitating arthritis. He cited extreme pain and permanent damage to his pitching arm, choosing health over major money, a wise decision. "I don't regret for one minute the twelve years I've spent in baseball, but I could regret one season too many," he stated at his retirement press conference, emphasizing his choice to preserve his future. He became the youngest player ever inducted into Cooperstown.
1. Lou Gehrig
But coming in at #1 as the most shocking retirement in MLB history has to be Lou Gehrig, who was one of the greatest players to ever live, still near his peak, when just 8 games into the 1939 season, he was forced to walk away from the game. It wasn’t shocking to him or those close to him who knew what he was going through, but at the time, very few fans saw it coming. Gehrig was of course already an all-time legend. He won his first MVP in 1927 when, as a teammate of Babe Ruth, he drove in 173 runs, crushed 47 homers and 52 doubles with a .373 batting average, beating out his teammate for the award despite the Babe crushing a record 60 homers. He led the league in RBIs in 5 of 8 seasons and won his second MVP in 1936, less than 3 years before his retirement. That year, he crushed 49 homers and had a 1.174 OPS, absolutely insane production. In 1937, he was still unstoppable, hitting .351 with 37 home runs. In 1938, however, Gehrig began to decline, but it wasn’t due to age. He still hit .295 with 29 home runs and 114 RBIs, a season that would be considered a monster year by almost any one’s standards except Gehrig’s. But he felt noticeably less agile and powerful. But with 493 home runs, he was all but guaranteed to surpass 500 in 1939, and at just 35 years old, he could play another 5 years and easily reach 600. But in Spring Training of 1939, Gehrig knew something was seriously wrong. His muscles were stiff, his coordination was off, his power was gone, and he even struggled to keep his balance. He tried to push through, beginning the regular season, but after 8 games, going 4 for 28 with no extra base hits, he asked to be removed from the lineup, ending his record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Even then, he struck out only once in those 28 at bats, proving his legendary baseball skills were still intact somewhere, but something was wreaking havoc on his ability to drive the ball like he once did. Newspaper reports said he was taking a break due to his poor play in order to rest his body, so most fans thought he’d be back once he healed up. But then the next month, all hope of him returning was gone as Lou Gehrig officially retired after being diagnosed with ALS. His farewell was held at Yankee Stadium on July 4th, 1939, the date he gave his famous speech. Fans across baseball were stunned at how rapidly Lou went from being an MVP, and the legendary Iron Horse, baseball’s most unstoppable force, to a sick man forced into retirement. Sadly, the disease progressed quickly and Lou Gehrig passed away in 1941 at just 37 years of age, sending even more shockwaves through the game of baseball.