Daniel Joseph Staub or Rusty Staub is the famous American baseball right fielder, first baseman and a designated hitter. The member of New York Mets Hall of Fame has played in Major League Baseball for twenty-three years. During his time in the MLB, he did play for 5 different teams that included the likes of Houston Astros, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, and Detroit Tigers.
Not many have heard the name Daniel Staub but baseball fans all over the world are familiar with his other name Rusty Staub. Without further ado, let us now get to know a bit more about this baseball legend.
Caption: Rusty Staub posing for a picture on his Mets kit.
Source: nypost.com
Rusty Staub: Early Life and Education and Career
Daniel Joseph Staub was born on the 1st of April, 1944 in New Orleans, Florida. He was born to father Ray Staub who was a school teacher, whereas his mother Alma Morton Staub was a homemaker. For his education, Staub went to attend Jesuit High School.
Rusty began his professional baseball career at an age of 17. He first signed a contract with the Houston Colt.45s organization. Next year, he played for Class B Carolina League. However, his big break came later in 1963 when he got signed to a $100,000 Major League contract.
Daniel did play 5 seasons for Houston and was excellent during his time at the club. However, he was later traded to the Montreal Expos and spent three seasons with the team. Whilst spending time at the Expos, he made 480 appearances and gathered 508 hits.
He was next purchased by New York Mets and the move was sensational. Next, right before the 1976 season, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers and spent 3 seasons with the team, where he recorded 358 runs and 70 home runs. In 198-, Texas Rangers bought the great Staub. Whilst playing for the Rangers he played 109 matches with 102 hits. The same year, on the 16th of December, he signed a contract with New York Mets and played 418 games for the team. He was able to hit 169 times with 13 home runs.
Rusty Staub: Retirement and Personal Life
Staub made his last appearance for the MLB on the 6th of October 1985. He was 41 when he ended playing and was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame for his service. He also did earn an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Niagara University.
Now looking at the personal aspects of Rusty’s life, he was once in a relationship with a lady Candice Laflamme. As per reports the two met in 1969 and were together until 1972.
Sadly, Rusty passed away on the 29th of March, 2018. He died peacefully right before his 74th birthday at the Good Samaritan Medical Center.
