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Legendary power hitter and one-time American League home run king Rocky Colavito has passed away on Tuesday at 91 years old. As a six-time All-Star, Colavito has built a career as the muscle for the Cleveland Guardians (then-Indians) and other AL teams in the 1950s and the 1960s, including after Cleveland GM Frank “Trader” Lane traded him in the prime of his career to the Detroit Tigers after his 42-homer season in 1959.
“Cleveland Indians legend Rocky Colavito has died at the age of 91,” reported by Associated Press sports reporter Tom Withers.
Meanwhile, the Guardians also released a statement celebrating Colavito's career achievements.
“The Cleveland Guardians are deeply saddened by the loss of Rocky Colavito. Beloved by fans, Rocky spent eight of his fourteen MLB seasons with Cleveland. He represented the club in three All-Star Games while finishing top-5 in MVP voting on three occasions,” per the Guardians' official account on X, formerly Twitter.
Guardians icon Rocky Colavito, 1933-2024
From 1956 to 1966, Rocky Colavito racked up 358 homers for the Guardians/Indians and Tigers, hitting at least 20 home runs in that span. Likewise, the only other players to rack up more homers in the same stretch are legends Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays.
In all, Colavito has hit 374 homers, putting him 81st on the all-time leaderboard. He sits ahead of Gil Hodges, and behind Carlton Fisk, Jeff Kent, Norm Cash, and Mike Trout, per a report from The Athletic.
Additionally, he is one of 16 players since the beginning of the 20th century to hit four home-runs in a game.
During his time with Cleveland, Colavito became one of four players in team history to own several 40-homer seasons, joining Manny Ramirez, Jim Thorne, and Albert Belle.
He was also the first player to own that distinction in back-to-back seasons, in 1958-1959, and he ranks 12th in team history with 190 homers all in all. Likewise, he is tied for 12th in OPS and slugging percentage.
However, Rocky Colavito spent much of his prime with the Tigers, where he racked up 45 homers, 140 RBIs, and 113 walks. Finally, Colavito finished his 14-year career with 1,730 hits, 1,159 RBIs, and an .848 OPS.
During his retirement, he entered broadcasting and coached the Indians and Royals. In 2006, Colavito entered the Cleveland Hall of Fame in 2006.
