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 August 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams. These include the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, and Baltimore Orioles. He also played for the United States national baseball team.
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Colby Rasmus's Early Life and Baseball Start
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 lost to a team from Japan in the finals. Colby was a great hitter in the series, with a .417 batting average.
He went to Russell County High School in Seale, Alabama. As a senior, he was an amazing player. He hit .484 with 24 home runs and 66 RBIs in just 39 games. His 24 home runs were the second-highest ever for a high school player in Alabama. Before the draft, he showed off his strong arm. He could throw a baseball from center field at 95 miles per hour! He also ran very fast. Colby helped his high school team win a national championship in 2005. They were ranked number one in the country. After high school, he 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 in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 28th player chosen overall. The Cardinals gave him a $1 million bonus to sign with them.
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Colby started his professional career in 2005 with the Johnson City Cardinals. He played 62 games and hit .296 with seven home runs. In 2006, he played for the Swing of the Quad Cities and the Palm Beach Cardinals. He hit 16 home runs that year. He even won the Player of the Month award in August.
For the 2007 season, 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 power, hitting for average, 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 to earn a spot on the main team. He later played for the Memphis Redbirds, a Triple-A team. He also got hurt that season. Colby was chosen to play for the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But he couldn't go because of his injury.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals
In 2009, Colby Rasmus was named one of the top three prospects in all of Major League Baseball. He made the Cardinals' opening day roster. He played his first MLB game on April 7, 2009. He got his first major league hit in that game. On May 2, he hit his first home run.
On June 19, he had his first game with four hits. On July 1, he hit his first "walk-off home run." This means he hit a home run that won the game for his team in the last inning. He was the first Cardinals rookie to do this since 1983. Colby also hit his first "grand slam" (a home run with the bases loaded). For the 2009 season, he hit 16 home runs and had 52 RBIs.
Colby continued to play for the Cardinals in 2010. He finished the season with 23 home runs and a .276 batting average. In the first half of 2011, he hit 11 home runs for the Cardinals.
Time with the Toronto Blue Jays
On July 27, 2011, Colby Rasmus was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 35 games for the Blue Jays that season. In January 2012, he signed a new contract with the team.
On June 19, 2012, Colby hit a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers. Two other Blue Jays players hit home runs right after him! This was a rare "back-to-back-to-back" home run event. Colby finished 2012 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs.
In 2013, Colby signed another contract with the Blue Jays. On May 27, he hit a double against his own brother, Cory Rasmus, who was pitching for another team! On July 28, Colby hit another walk-off single to win a game for the Blue Jays. He was even called one of the best center fielders in baseball that day.
Colby was named the Blue Jays Player of the Month for July 2013. He hit .371 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs that month. He got hurt in August with an oblique strain. But 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.
On September 20, 2013, Colby was accidentally hit in the face by a ball during warmups. This ended his 2013 season. He finished the year with a .276 average, 22 home runs, and 66 RBIs. He was also named the Blue Jays' best defensive player that year.
In 2014, Colby hit his 100th career home run. He later got a hamstring injury and missed about a month of games. His playing time decreased towards the end of the season. He finished 2014 with 18 home runs.
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. He finished the 2015 season with 25 home runs and 61 RBIs.
In the 2015 playoffs, Colby was amazing! In the Wild Card game against the New York Yankees, he hit a solo home run. This helped the Astros win and move on to the next round. He also hit a home run in each of the first two games of the next series. He 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 hitter in the playoffs. He hit .412 with four home runs and six RBIs.
In November 2015, Colby made history. He was the first player ever to accept a "qualifying offer." This was a special one-year contract worth $15.8 million to stay with the Astros.
In 2016, he played 107 games, hitting 15 home runs. He had hip and hernia surgery in October.
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. In June, he went on the disabled list because of hip soreness.
On July 13, Colby announced that he was taking a break from baseball. He said he wanted to "step away" from the game. The Rays supported his decision and respected his privacy. Colby later said that chasing the dream and money wasn't making him happy. He wanted to go home and enjoy time away. He played in 32 games for the Rays that season.
Brief Return with the Baltimore Orioles
On February 21, 2018, Colby Rasmus signed a 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. His contract was bought by the Orioles in March 2018.
He was placed on the disabled list in April and again in June. When he returned on June 21, he hit a solo home run in his first at-bat! But on July 3, Colby decided to step away from baseball again.
Colby Rasmus's Personal Life
Colby Rasmus is married to Megan, and they 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' system.
