Injuries are one thing, but as far as the guys who all of a sudden can"t produce it is previous success that can be their downfall. I was told by someone in MLB 40 plus years ago that when guys make it to free agency and then receive a contract of 4 years or more players have basically set themselves up for life. The contract money and being guaranteed a pension takes the anxiety out of their life. Now having loads of money, it is common for them to now worry about life after baseball. How to invest the money. Then they get married and have kids, start business projects, etc. Now the other stuff can become a distraction. Marriage and kids and business projects bring along new responsibilities making it harder to stay focussed. In other words, life sometimes gets in the way.