Rusty Staub

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.

Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub (April 1, 1944 – March 29, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and television color commentator.

He played in Major League Baseball for 23 seasons as a right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman.

A six-time All-Star known for his hitting prowess, Staub produced 2,716 hits over his playing career, just 284 hits shy of the 3,000 hit plateau.

He was an original member of the Montreal Expos and the team's first star, “le Grand Orange’”.

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.

In his first season, aged 19, he played regularly, splitting time between first base and the outfield, but hit only .220.

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.

Staub did not get along with Harry Walker, hired by the Astros on June 17, 1968, to move from hitting coach to manager.

Walker and general manager H.B. "Spec" Richardson (who felt he was not getting the most out of his contract) decided to trade Staub to the Montreal Expos before the start of their inaugural season in 1969 as part of a deal for Donn Clendenon and Jesús Alou.

The trade became a source of controversy as Clendenon (who thought Walker was a racist from his playing days with him in Pittsburgh) refused to report to the Astros and attempted to retire; the deal had to be resolved by Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn who ruled that the deal was official, but that Clendenon was to stay with the Expos.

Montreal eventually dealt Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn, and $100,000 as compensation.

Staub was embraced as the expansion team's first star, and became one of the most popular players in their history.

Embraced by French Canadians because he learned their language, he was nicknamed "Le Grand Orange" for his red hair (his more common nickname of "Rusty" has the same origin).

In his first year with the Expos, he played in 158 games, having 166 hits, 89 runs, 29 home runs, 79 RBIs on a .302 batting average with a .426 OBP and a .952 OPS.

He walked 110 times while striking out 61 times.

He played 156 games (with 152 complete games, a career high) in right field for 1,355.1 innings, having 265 putouts, 16 assists, 10 errors, and two double plays turned for a .966 fielding percentage.

He was named to the All-Star Game for the third straight year, although he did not play.

For 1971, he played in all 162 games.

He had 186 hits, 94 runs, 19 home runs, 97 RBIs with a .311 batting average, a .392 OBP, and a .874 OPS.

He had 74 walks and 42 strikeouts.

He appeared in 160 games in right field, starting 156 while having 145 complete games for a total of 1,374.2 inning.

He had 308 putouts, 14 assists, five errors, and four double plays for a .985 fielding percentage.

He was named to the All-Star Game for the fifth straight time, although he did not play.

The #10 worn by Staub during his first stint in Montreal was the first number retired by the Montreal Expos organization.

He is also the franchise's career leader in on-base percentage (.402), among players with 2,000 or more plate appearances with the franchise.

He is also the first player to have won the Expos Player of the Year award.

In his three full seasons with the team, Staub played in 480 total games, garnering 508 hits and achieving an on-base percentage of .402, the latter of which is a franchise record.

He collected a hit in twenty straight games from June 30 to July 21, making him the first ever Astro with a twenty game hitting streak; various players have passed him since, starting with Lee May in 1973.

Although he played just 518 of his 2,951 games as an Expo, his enduring popularity led them to retire his number in 1993, while the Mets inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 1986.

He finished in the top ten for the National League in numerous categories, such as 10th in batting average, 4th in OBP, total bases (289, 10th), walks (3rd), but also right field categories putouts (2nd), assists and errors (1st).

The following year, he played 160 games while having 156 hits, 98 runs, 30 home runs (a career high) while batting .274 with a .394 OBP and a .891 OPS.

He had 112 walks and 93 strikeouts, both career highs.

He played 160 games in right field, having 145 complete games in 156 games (a career high) started for a total of 1,374.2 innings.

He had 308 putouts, 14 assists, five errors, four double plays and a .985 fielding percentage.

He was named to the All-Star Game for the fourth straight year, having a pinch hit appearance in the third inning, going 0-for-1.