Colby Rasmus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colby Rasmus |
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Rasmus with the Houston Astros in 2015
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| Outfielder | ||||||||||||||
| Born: August 11, 1986 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| April 7, 2009, for the St. Louis Cardinals | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| July 1, 2018, for the Baltimore Orioles | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .241 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 166 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 491 | |||||||||||||
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Colby Ryan Rasmus, born on August 11, 1986, is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Colby played for several teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, and Baltimore Orioles. He also represented the United States on their national baseball team.
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Colby Rasmus's Early Life
Colby Rasmus played baseball from a young age. He was a pitcher and first baseman for Phenix City National Little League. In the 1999 Little League World Series, his team won the U.S. championship. They then played against Osaka, Japan, in the finals, but lost 5–0. During the World Series, Colby had a batting average of .417. He also had seven strikeouts as a pitcher.
Colby went to Russell County High School in Seale, Alabama. In his senior year, he was an amazing player. He hit .484, which means he got a hit almost half the times he batted. He also hit 24 home runs and had 66 RBIs. His 24 home runs were the second-highest ever for a high school player in Alabama.
Before the MLB draft, Colby showed off his skills. He could throw a baseball from center field at 95 miles per hour. He also ran 60 yards in just 6.7 seconds. In 2005, Colby helped his high school team win a national championship. They were ranked number one in the country. After graduating, Colby planned to play college baseball at Auburn University.
Colby Rasmus's Professional Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The St. Louis Cardinals picked Colby Rasmus as the 28th player in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. This was a big deal, and he received a $1,000,000 signing bonus to join the team.
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Colby started his professional career in 2005 with the Johnson City Cardinals. He played 62 games and had a batting average of .296. In 2006, he played for the Quad Cities River Bandits and the Palm Beach Cardinals. That year, he hit 16 home runs and had a .288 batting average. He even won the Player of the Month award in August.
In 2007, Colby played for the Springfield Cardinals. A manager from another team said Colby was a "five-tool player." This means he was great at hitting for average, hitting for power, running, throwing, and fielding. Colby hit 29 home runs and stole 18 bases that season. He also played for Team USA in the Arizona Fall League.
In 2008, Colby was invited to spring training with the Cardinals. This was a chance for him to earn a spot on the main team. However, he was assigned to the Memphis Redbirds, a minor league team. He played 90 games there, hitting 11 home runs. Colby was also chosen to play for the United States national baseball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but he couldn't go due to an injury.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals
In 2009, Baseball America magazine named Colby Rasmus the third-best young player in all of MLB. On April 3, 2009, he made the Cardinals' opening day roster. He played his first MLB game on April 7 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He got his first major league hit in that game. On May 2, he hit his first MLB home run.
On June 19, Colby had his first game with four hits. On July 1, he hit his first walk-off home run, which means he hit a home run that won the game for his team. He was the first Cardinals rookie to do this since 1983. Colby also hit his first grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds. For the 2009 season, he played 147 games, hitting 16 home runs and batting .251.
Colby continued to play for the Cardinals in 2010. He had a great season, hitting 23 home runs and batting .276 in 144 games. In 2011, he played 94 games for the Cardinals, hitting 11 home runs.
Moving to the Toronto Blue Jays
On July 27, 2011, Colby Rasmus was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished the 2011 season with the Blue Jays, hitting three home runs in 35 games. Overall that year, he hit 14 home runs and had a .225 batting average.
In 2012, Colby signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jays. On June 19, he hit a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers. This was part of a special moment where three Blue Jays players hit home runs in a row! Colby finished 2012 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs in 151 games.
In 2013, Colby signed another contract with the Blue Jays. On May 27, he hit a double against his brother, Cory, who was pitching for the Atlanta Braves. On July 28, Colby hit another walk-off single to win a game for the Blue Jays. That same day, he was called one of the best center fielders in baseball.
Colby was named the Blue Jays Player of the Month for July 2013. He batted .371 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs that month. In August, he had to go on the disabled list because of a muscle strain. When he came back in September, he hit two more home runs. This helped the Blue Jays become the only team that year to have five players hit 20 or more home runs.
Colby's 2013 season ended early when he was hit in the face by a ball during warmups. He finished his best season with the Blue Jays, batting .276 with 22 home runs and 66 RBIs in 118 games. He was also named the Blue Jays' best defensive player that year.
In 2014, Colby signed a $7 million contract with the Blue Jays. On April 12, he hit his 100th career home run. He was placed on the disabled list again in May due to a hamstring injury. After that, his playing time decreased. He finished the 2014 season with 18 home runs and a .225 batting average in 104 games.
Playing for the Houston Astros
On January 20, 2015, Colby Rasmus signed a one-year contract with the Houston Astros. He became an everyday starter for the team. In 2015, he hit 25 home runs and had 61 RBIs in 137 games.
In the 2015 American League Wild Card Game, Colby hit a solo home run that helped the Astros win 3–0. This win moved them to the next round of the playoffs. He also hit a home run in each of the first two games of that series. Colby set an MLB record by getting an extra-base hit in his first six playoff games. Even though the Astros lost the series, Colby was their best offensive player in the playoffs. He batted .412 with four home runs and six RBIs.
On November 12, 2015, Colby made history by being the first player to accept a "qualifying offer." This meant he signed a one-year, $15.8 million contract to stay with the Astros.
In 2016, Colby played 107 games for the Astros. He hit 15 home runs and had 54 RBIs. After the season, he had surgery on his hip.
Time with the Tampa Bay Rays
In January 2017, Colby signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He had a base salary of $5 million. On June 23, he went on the disabled list with hip soreness.
On July 13, Colby announced that he was "stepping away from baseball." He took a "leave of absence" from Major League Baseball. The Rays supported his decision and respected his privacy. Colby later said that playing baseball wasn't making him happy anymore. He wanted to go home and enjoy time away from the game. He played in 32 games for the Rays, batting .281.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
On February 21, 2018, Colby Rasmus signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He said he wanted to "give it another go." He was expected to compete for a spot on the team. Colby made the Orioles' major league roster on March 29, 2018.
He was placed on the disabled list on April 7. He returned to play on June 21 and hit a solo home run in his first at-bat back. However, on July 3, Colby decided to step away from baseball again. He was placed on the restricted list.
Colby Rasmus's Family Life
Colby Rasmus and his wife, Megan, have five children. They live in Franklin, Tennessee. Colby has three brothers: Cory, Casey, and Cyle. Cory was also a professional baseball player who pitched. Casey was a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization but retired early at age 24.
Images for kids
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Colby Rasmus with the Houston Astros in 2015
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Colby Rasmus batting for the Swing of the Quad Cities in 2006
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Colby Rasmus with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011
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Colby Rasmus with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012
