Sooner or later, the lights go out on every MLB superstar.
At the height of a player’s peak, fans can’t picture him ever falling from the throne. Yet the likes of Joe Mauer, Josh Hamilton, Tim Lincecum and CC Sabathia offer cruel reminders that the unforgiving Father Time transforms All-Stars into overpaid veterans who are trying to contribute however slightly.
MLB is enjoying an insurgence of young superstars who hopefully won’t go anywhere anytime soon. Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa, Manny Machado, Kris Bryant, Noah Syndergaard and Jose Fernandez will still all have difficulty renting a car. The game is in good hands, but there’s a finite amount of real estate at the top.
These All-Star veterans are not about to wither away into useless or even below-average players. Yet there’s enough writing on the wall to envision their fall from elite to adept. Don’t pen their farewells just yet but keep an eye on these guys showing signs of deterioration.