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.

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.

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.

More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.