Cleveland baseball legend Rocky Colavito dies – dead at 91

Jun 1965; Unknown location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Cleveland Indians outfielder Rocky Colavito at bat during the 1965 season. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland baseball legend Rocky Colavito has died.

The Cleveland Guardians shared the news on Tuesday that Colavito has died at the age of 91. Colavito was a beloved figure and a nine-time All-Star who spent eight of his 14 MLB seasons in Cleveland with the Indians.

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.

Our thoughts go out… pic.twitter.com/9oB22dwb7m

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) December 11, 2024

Colavito started his MLB career with Cleveland in 1955. The team infamously traded the hard-hitting outfielder to the Detroit Tigers right before the 1960 season. The move surprised fans given that Colavito, then just 25 years old, had led the American League in home runs with 42 the year prior.

The Colavito trade and the team’s later misfortunes eventually inspired a 1994 book titled “The Curse of Rocky Colavito” by Terry Pluto. The book argued that Cleveland’s baseball franchise became cursed after it traded Colavito, laying out several instances of bad luck that plagued the team in the decades that followed.

Cleveland reacquired Colavito in a trade before the 1965 campaign. He played three more seasons with the franchise and earned his final two All-Star nods before jumping from team to team at the tail end of his career. He retired in 1968.

In 14 MLB seasons, Colavito had a career batting average of .266 with 374 home runs and 1,159 RBIs.