Age: 24
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’3” Weight: 210
Prior to 2004:
The son of
1970s major league infielder Ed Crosby, Crosby was a California native. After
playing at Pacifica and La Quinta High Schools, he was selected by the Anaheim
Angels in the 1998 amateur draft. Passing up on the Angels to attend California
State, Long Beach, Crosby was an outstanding collegiate performer who was a
first-team All-Big West selection in 2000, when he was also the starting
shortstop for Team USA in the Olympics, and 2001. For his four seasons he
batted .324 with 21 home runs and a .412 on-base percentage. Chosen by the A’s
in the first round of the 2001 amateur draft, he played for Modesto of the
advanced Class A California League in 2001 and, limited to 11 games by a hip
injury, he hit .395. With Modesto and Midland of the Class AA Texas League in
2002 he batted a combined .295 with 9 home runs and 69 RBIs. Advancing to
Sacramento of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2003, Crosby hit .308 with
32 doubles, 6 triples, and 22 home runs. He was named to the PCL All-Star team.
Earning a September call-up to the A’s, Crosby was hitless in 12 at bats. With
the departure of starting shortstop, and 2002 league MVP, Miguel Tejada as a
free agent, Crosby took over as Oakland’s starting shortstop in 2004.
2004 Season Summary
Appeared in 151
games
SS – 151
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate Appearances
– 623
At Bats – 545
Runs – 70
Hits – 130
Doubles – 34
Triples – 1
Home Runs – 22
RBI – 64
Bases on Balls
– 58
Int. BB – 0
Strikeouts – 141
[4]
Stolen Bases – 7
Caught Stealing
– 3
Average - .239
OBP - .319
Slugging Pct. -
.426
Total Bases – 232
GDP – 20 [7,
tied with Toby Hall]
Hit by Pitches
– 9
Sac Hits – 5
Sac Flies – 6
[20, tied with fourteen others]
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 19, HR - 11, RBI - 35, AVG - .266, OBP – .326
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) at St. Louis 6/15
Longest hitting
streak – 8 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 3 AB) vs. Kansas City 5/21
HR at home – 11
HR on road – 11
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 3 at Texas 4/14, at Anaheim 4/18, vs. Kansas City 5/21, vs. Texas 9/16
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 765
Put Outs – 241
Assists – 505
Errors – 19
DP - 107
Pct. - .975
Awards & Honors:
AL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
AL ROY Voting (Top
5):
Bobby Crosby,
Oak.: 138 pts. – 27 of 28 first place votes, 99% share
Shingo Takatsu,
ChiWS.: 44 pts. –1 first place vote, 31% share
Daniel Cabrera,
Balt.: 29 pts. – 21% share
Zack Greinke,
KC: 16 pts. – 11% share
Alex Rios, Tor.:
12 pts. – 9% share
---
A’s went 91-71
to finish second in the AL Western Division, 1 game behind the division-winning
Anaheim Angels. Tied with the Angels going into the season’s final weekend, the
A’s lost two of three games to Anaheim to finish second.
Aftermath of ‘04:
In an
injury-riddled 2005 season, Crosby was limited to only 84 games and batted .276
with 9 home runs and 38 RBIs. Injuries remained an issue in 2006 and ’07,
limiting him to 96 and 93 games respectively. In 2008 he appeared in 145 games
and hit .237 with 66 runs scored, 7 home runs, and 61 RBIs. Displaced by the
arrival of shortstop Orlando Cabrera in 2009, he moved into a utility role and
saw significant action at third and first base, batting .223 in 272 plate
appearances with 6 home runs and 29 RBIs. Crosby moved on to the Pittsburgh
Pirates as a free agent in 2010 and as a utility player and pinch-hitter, hit
.224 in 61 games before being traded to Arizona in August. Batting just .167
for the Diamondbacks, he was released in August. He had one last shot in the
major leagues when he was signed by the Milwaukee brewers in 2013. He was
released during spring training, thus ending his career. Crosby’s major league
career consisted of 747 games and he batted .236 with 605 hits that included
146 doubles, 8 triples, and 62 home runs. He further scored 329 runs and
compiled 276 RBIs. He saw most of his action with Oakland, where he hit .238
with 136 doubles, 8 triples, and 61 home runs with 320 runs scored and 263
RBIs. His award-winning rookie season remained the best of his injury-derailed
career. Crosby has since become a minor league coach and manager. He was
inducted into the Long Beach State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. His younger
brother Blake was also drafted by the A’s and never made it to the major
leagues.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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