Rusty Staub ✝

Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub (April 1, 1944 – March 29, 2018) was an American professional baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for 23 years with five teams. He was an original member of the Montreal Expos and the team\'s first star; though the Expos traded him after only three years, his enduring popularity led them to retire his number in 1993.\n', ' Staub signed his first professional contract with the expansion team Houston Colt .45s organization in 1961. He spent the 1962 season in the Class B Carolina League, and at season\'s end he was named one of the league\'s all-stars. Following that season, Staub was signed to a US$100,000 Major League contract under the Bonus Rule.\n', ' In his first season, aged 19, he played regularly, splitting time between first base and the outfield, but hit only .220. He became only the second major league rookie since 1900 to play 150 games as a teenager; the first had been Bob Kennedy, also 19, with the Chicago White Sox in 1940. The following season, he hit only .216 for the Colts and was sent down to the minor leagues at one point. His statistics steadily improved in the 1965 season for his team, which had been renamed the Astros, and he had a breakout 1967 season, when he led the league in doubles with 44 and was selected to the All-Star team. He repeated as an All-Star for the Astros in 1968.\n', '