Orlando, Fla. — Slugger Vladimir Guerrero began having back problems in 2003 when he was 28 years old, disk issues that he would deal with through the last eight years of his career.
That was between 2004 and 2011, between the ages of 29 and 36. He produced 215 home runs and 794 RBIs and made five all-star teams in that stretch, batting .313 with a .523 slugging percentage and .891 OPS.
Doctors thought Pudge Rodriguez’s career was all but over when the Tigers signed him in 2004. He’d already caught more than 1,600 games and tests showed severe damage in his lower back.