Popular MLB All-Star Outfielder, Broadcaster, Coach Dies

Rocky Colavito, a nine-time American League All-Star outfielder who became a popular broadcaster and coach has died. He was 91.

The Cleveland Guardians, the franchise with whom Colavito rose to fame in the 1950s, announced the death on their social media accounts Tuesday.

Colavito averaged 33 home runs and 99 RBIs each season from 1956-66, leading the AL in home runs and making his first All-Star team in 1959. On June 10, 1959, he became the eighth player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game. He finished third in MVP voting that year, the first of three top-five MVP finishes in his career.

Eight of Colavito's 14 major league seasons were spent with Cleveland, who named him one of the 100 greatest players in franchise history in 2001. Five years later, he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

DETROIT, MI - JULY 4: Rocky Colavito #6 of the Cleveland Indians swings at the pitch as catcher Lou Berberet #11 of the Detroit Tigers and umpire Bill Summers look on during an MLB game... Hy Peskin/Getty Images

Colavito also played for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City A's, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

When Colavito was traded to Detroit in April 1960 for Harvey Kuenn, the move did not go over well with the Indians' fan base. According to Colavito's biography by the Society for American Baseball Research, the Cleveland Plain Dealer fielded hundreds of phone calls at their switchboard in response to the trade; fans opposed it by a ratio of 9-to-1.

In Detroit, Colavito made All-Star teams with the Tigers in consecutive seasons (1961-62), and logged career highs with 45 home runs and 140 RBIs in 1961.

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Colavito finished his playing career in 1968 with 374 home runs and 1,159 RBIs. Popular for his handsome looks and powerful bat, Colavito was also feared for his strong arm in the outfield.

Colavito returned to Cleveland as a television analyst for WJW. He later served on the Indians' coaching staff in 1973 and 1976-1978. Colavito also coached under former teammate Dick Howser in 1982 and 1983 when Howser managed the Kansas City Royals.

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"Our collective hearts ache at the passing of Rocky," Guardians Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Bob DiBiasio said in a statement. "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.

"I can proudly say I was one of them," DiBlasio's statement continued. "Rocky loved our organization and always held the fans in the highest esteem. He would always say, 'I am thankful God chose me to play in Cleveland.' We send our most sincere condolences to the entire Colavito family, as well as his many teammates and other organizations impacted by his passing."

In 2021, a statue of Colavito was erected in Cleveland's Little Italy.

In his 1994 book The Curse of Rocky Colavito, Cleveland sportswriter Terry Pluto described the tribulations of the Cleveland franchise after Colavito was traded to Detroit as a curse on the franchise.

"He was everything a ballplayer should be: dark, handsome eyes, and a raw-boned build-and he hit home runs at a remarkable rate," Pluto wrote.

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