Michael Jason "Rusty" LaRue (born March 19, 1974) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

who played for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

Biography

A native of

Bulverde, Texas Bulverde ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, United States. Bulverde is known for its small-town, slow pace of life, coupled with the German emigrant history of the town's founders. Bulverde was originally named Piepers Settlement after a promin ...

, after being selected in the fifth round of the

1995 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

out of

Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a Christian liberal arts university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. History Dallas Baptist Uni ...

, LaRue debuted with Cincinnati on June 15, 1999, and became Cincinnati's starting catcher in 2001. 2005 was his best overall season with 14 HR, 60 RBI, and .260 batting average. Jason LaRue 2006

LaRue agreed to a two-year, $9.1 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds on December 20, 2005. On November 20, 2006, LaRue was traded to the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named later. Since a player could not be agreed upon, the Royals opted to send the Reds cash considerations in the amount of one dollar. On

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

, May 14, 2006, LaRue was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a

pink bat In baseball, pink bats are limited-supply baseball bats manufactured by Louisville Slugger for use by select Major League Baseball players on Mother's Day, first introduced in 2006 in association with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. E ...

to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. He was also one of a handful of players to hit a home run with a pink bat. On November 19, 2007, he signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals as the backup to

Yadier Molina Yadier Benjamín Molina (; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely considered one of the great ...

. During the season, he was used primarily for his defensive ability as his hitting stats had dwindled. LaRue re-signed with the Cardinals following the 2008 season for one year. LaRue returned to the Cardinals for 2010, his third season with the team. On August 10, 2010, he suffered a concussion caused by a kick to the head by the

Johnny Cueto Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox ...

, during a bench-clearing brawl. On August 19, LaRue was placed on the 60-day disabled list, ending his season. The concussion was initially thought to be slight, but LaRue experienced severe post-concussion symptoms. On September 18, LaRue announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. He told the ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...

'' that his symptoms were so severe that he'd been ordered to go back to his home in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, where he lived during the offseason because he was in no condition to be left alone. He could not drive or cook for himself for a time, could not watch television or even ride in a car as a passenger with his eyes open. He'd suffered close to 20 concussions dating to his days as a high school football and baseball player, and doctors told him that as a catcher he was vulnerable to a concussion that was at least as severe as the one he'd suffered in the brawl. LaRue was known throughout his career to be a defensive specialist. In 2001, he led the major leagues with a 61% caught-stealing percentage, and he has a career 39% caught-stealing percentage.

Personal

LaRue lives in

Blanco, Texas Blanco (Spanish: "white", ) is a city in rural Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,739 at the 2010 census. Blanco is a cattle and ranching community. Geography Blanco is located in the Texas Hill Country on the Blanco Ri ...

, with his wife Heather, and three sons: Tyler, Dylan, and Brayden. He has a brother, Shaun LaRue and two sisters, Tricia Maynard and Brooke Albert .Jason LaRue Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights
stlouiscardinals.com

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larue, Jason 1974 births Living people Baseball players from Houston Major League Baseball catchers Cincinnati Reds players Dallas Baptist Patriots baseball players Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Bats players Kansas City Royals players St. Louis Cardinals players People from Blanco, Texas People from Bulverde, Texas