Robert Edward Crosby (born January 12, 1980, in
Lakewood,
California) is an
infielder in
Major League Baseball who is a free agent. The son of former major league infielder
Ed Crosby, he bats and throws
right-handed. He was
Rookie of the Year in 2004.
Career
Crosby attended
La Quinta High School in
Westminster, California alongside
Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and
California State University, Long Beach with
New York Mets outfielder Jeremy Reed.
In , his first full season, he took over the Athletics'
shortstop duties from
2002 American League Most Valuable Player Miguel Tejada, who signed with the
Baltimore Orioles as a
free agent. That year, Crosby
hit .239 with 22
home runs and 64
RBIs. He also led
American League rookies in
hits (130),
doubles (34) and
walks (58), and was third among AL players with 4.17 pitches
per plate appearance. These numbers earned Crosby
Rookie of the Year honors, the sixth Athletics player to do so after
Harry Byrd (),
José Canseco (),
Mark McGwire (),
Walt Weiss (), and
Ben Grieve ().
In addition to becoming the sixth Athletics player to be named Rookie of the Year, he was the second shortstop in a row to win the award (after
Angel Berroa of the
Kansas City Royals). He was also the eighth shortstop in 22 seasons to earn top rookie honors, the others being
Cal Ripken, Jr. (),
Ozzie Guillén (),
Walt Weiss (1988),
Pat Listach (),
Derek Jeter (),
Nomar Garciaparra (), and Berroa ().
Crosby was just a vote shy of being a unanimous pick, despite his batting average being the lowest ever for a Rookie of the Year. He also
struck out 141 times, fourth-most in the AL, and the team's most since Canseco had 152 in .
In , Crosby was followed as
Rookie of the Year by Athletics closer
Huston Street.
Due to the signing of
free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera prior to the 2009 season, Crosby has since been moved into a
utility infielder role. However, with injuries to everyday
second baseman Mark Ellis,
third baseman Eric Chavez and
infielder Nomar Garciaparra (another free agent signing), Crosby is expected to see significant starting roles at third base, as well as at second base.
Mark McGwire has served as his hitting coach since the 2009 offseason.
Personal
His younger brother,
Blake Crosby, played college baseball at
Brigham Young University and
Sacramento State. He was drafted by the Athletics in the 42nd round of the
2009 Major League Baseball Draft. Their older brother, Brian Crosby, is an artist for
Walt Disney Imagineering.
Statistics
See also
