Rocky Colavito is destined to be remembered as one of the legends of baseball. In light of his untimely passing, Sportslens has chosen to reflect on Colavito’s remarkable career.
Cleveland says goodbye to Colavito
Cleveland Guardians spokesman Bob DiBiasio said he was informed by the family and that there were family members by Colavito’s side.
DiBasio said: “Our collective hearts ache at the passing of Rocky. Rocky was a generational hero, one of the most popular players in franchise history.
His popularity was evident across Northeast Ohio as sandlot ballplayers everywhere imitated Rocky´s on-deck circle routine of kneeling, then as he stepped into the batter’s box the stretching the bat over the shoulders and pointing the bat at the pitcher.”
Colavito dedicated eight of his 14 seasons in Major League Baseball to the Cleveland Guardians. He joined the team at the young age of 17 after impressing scouts during a tryout at Yankee Stadium in 1951.
His rise through the minor league ranks was rapid, culminating in his major league debut in 1955, where he became part of a Cleveland outfield that featured future Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner and Larry Doby.
In 1958, Colavito achieved a batting average of .303, hit 41 home runs, and led the league in slugging percentage, ultimately finishing third in the American League MVP voting.
The following year, he earned his first All-Star selection and topped the American League with 42 home runs.
However, in 1960, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for pitcher Harvey Kuenn, a decision that faced significant backlash from the fanbase.
Colavito’s career
Colavito played four seasons with the Tigers before being traded to the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. He was subsequently reacquired by the Cleveland franchise prior to the 1965 season, where he remained for two and a half seasons before being traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1967.
He concluded his career with short tenures at the Los Angeles Dodgers and his hometown Yankees, retiring at the end of the 1968 season.
Over the course of 14 seasons, Colavito achieved a total of 374 home runs and ranked among the top five in MVP voting three times.
Notably, Colavito is the only player in the history of the Cleveland franchise to hit four home runs in a single game, and he shares the Major League Baseball record for the highest fielding percentage by an outfielder in a season, achieving a perfect 1.000.
Following his retirement, Colavito engaged in television work in Cleveland and served on the club’s coaching staff from 1976 to 1978. He later took on coaching responsibilities in Kansas City.
Recognized as one of the most prolific power hitters during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Colavito recorded at least 30 home runs in a season on seven occasions, surpassing 35 five times and exceeding 40 three times. His peak came in 1961 with 45 home runs, and he led the American League with 42 in 1959. Additionally, he topped the AL in runs batted in and walks in 1965, and he led the majors with a .620 slugging percentage in 1958.
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