Nate Colbert, the Padres’ head of human resources and Padres’ all-time home run king dies at 76. Let’s see what happened to him and Nate Colbert cause of death in this article.
What happened to Nate Colbert?
The Padres announced Thursday night that former three-time All-Star Nate Colbert died at 76. No player in the 54 seasons of franchise history hit more home runs than the 163 Colbert hit while wearing a Padres uniform between 1969 and 1974 (Adrián González of Mexico is second with 161, followed by Phil Nevin with 156, Dave Winfield with 154 and Tony Gwynn with 135).
“We are extremely saddened by the passing of Padres Hall of Famer Nate Colbert,” Padres president Peter Seidler said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his wife Kasey and his entire family at this tough time.”
Who was Nate Colbert?
American professional baseball player and coach Nathan Colbert Jr. (April 9, 1946 – January 5, 2023) was born in the United States.
From 1966 to 1976, he was a first baseman in Major League Baseball, most notably as a member of the expansion San Diego Padres franchise.
Colbert’s career
Initially signed by the Cardinals in 1964, Colbert was taken by the Astros in the Rule 5 Draft the following year. He made his major league debut with Houston in 1966, playing in 19 games and going 0-for-7.
He hit .151 in 56 plate appearances for the Astros in 1968 before being taken by the Padres in that year’s Expansion Draft. Colbert’s career took off in San Diego. Between 1969 and 1973, the first baseman and left fielder averaged 30 home runs a season and hit .260/.333/.483.
He was named to the All-Star Game three times in that span and finished eighth in the National League MVP voting in 1972. That season also set several major league records on Aug. 1, when he hit five home runs and drove in 13 runs in a doubleheader against the Braves in Atlanta.
Back problems impacted the rest of Colbert’s playing career. The Padres traded him to the Tigers before the 1975 season and in June of that year, the Expos bought out his contract after he hit just .147 with four home runs in 156 at-bats. He didn’t fare much better in Montreal, where he hit .173 with four home runs in 81 at-bats before being released.
In the middle of the 1976 season, Colbert signed with the A’s but played only two games for Oakland, which would end up being the last two games of his career.
All told, Colbert had an impressive major league career despite injuries. He retired with a .772 OPS (119 OPS +) and 173 home runs in 10 seasons and was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 1999.
Nate Colbert cause of death
Apart from the fact that his death was confirmed, it is now unknown exactly what caused it, and Nate Colbert’s actual cause of death was not disclosed either.
We are trying to contact Nate Colbert’s friends and family to find out more about his passing. We’ll update this area as soon as we find out any additional details about the unfortunate incident that caused so many people to grieve. “We send our sincere sympathies to Nate Colbert’s family and friends.”
Tributes to Nate Colbert
Adam Paul
Just saw that former San Diego Padres great Nate Colbert has passed away. He was one of the all-time greats in Padres history. Also, a nice person to the fans and would always sign an autograph or take a picture with them. He was also a good friend of my dad as he was a long and I mean long-time season ticket holder pre-MLB days and knew every player, manager, and also executive. My dad used to talk about how Colbert always used to say hello to him and ask how he was doing and so forth and how he was so gracious with his time. Colbert is still the all-time San Diego Padres home-run king with 163 home runs and also had one of the all-time days in Atlanta in 1972 when he hit five home runs and drove in 13 RBI in a doubleheader. Just an overall good person and sad to hear the news.
Jeff Yurtin
So sad to hear about Nate passing away. He was a great ballplayer and an even better person. Nate was always positive and when I was in AA he was one of the few coaches who was always in my corner. I still have the pin you gave me of your record-tying day where you hit 5 home runs and had 13 rbi. Pathetically the San Diego Padres didn’t do more in honoring this man. I will never forget you, helping me at the plate, and your kind words and encouragement. RIP Mr. Colbert.
I just happened to be there the day he hit the 5 home runs in the double header …. and that was before they brought the fences in and lowered them at Jack Murphy stadium
— In UFC withdrawal (@MikeBri07570850) January 6, 2023
RIP Nate, keep hittin homers up there pic.twitter.com/MfNmHby77H
— Davis (@Its__Davis) January 6, 2023
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.
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