Nate Colbert

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Nathan Colbert (born April 9, 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri), was a First Baseman with the Houston Astros (1966 and 1968), San Diego Padres (1969-74), Detroit Tigers (1975), Montreal Expos (1975-76) and Oakland Athletics (1976). In 1969, the Padres' first year, he led the club in home runs. Nate's best day in the majors was August 1, 1972, when he slammed 5 home runs (he is one of two players to have done so) and drove in 13 runs in a doubleheader, breaking Stan Musial's record of 11 runs batted in. His heroics helped the Padres victimize the Atlanta Braves, 9-0 and 11-7. Colbert's .508 Slugging Percentage, 87 Runs, 286 Total Bases, 38 Home Runs, 111 RBIs, 70 Walks, 95 Runs Created, 67 Extra-Base Hits, 14 Intentional Walks and 14.8 At Bats per Home Run helped him finish 8th in voting for the NL MVP in 1972. He finished second only to the Cincinnati Reds' Johnny Bench (40) in home runs that year. His 111 RBIs also set a record that still stands for the highest percentage driving in his team's runs. Throughout his career with the Padres from 1969 to 1974, he often was the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal San Diego lineup. He was the team's first real star and also played a solid first base. His 163 Home Runs for the Padres in six seasons is still a career record.

Signed by his hometown St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1964, Colbert saw some action with the Houston Astros in 1966 and 1968 before being selected by the Padres in the December 1968 expansion draft. In his first season with San Diego (his first full season in the bigs), Nate slammed 24 homers and drove in 66 runs while batting .255. He was a National League All-Star from 1971 to 1973. After hitting .207 in 1974, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in a complicated, three-way deal. Colbert also played for the Montreal Expos and Oakland Athletics before back problems forced his retirement at 30.