Nate Rolison Explained

Nate Rolison
Position:First baseman
Bats:Left
Throws:Right
Birth Date:March 27, 1977
Birth Place:Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:September 5
Debutyear:2000
Debutteam:Florida Marlins
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:September 30
Finalyear:2000
Finalteam:Florida Marlins
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.077
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:2
Teams:

Nathan Mardis Rolison (born March 27, 1977) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Rolison played in with the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted left and threw right-handed.

Rolison attended Petal High School in Mississippi where he carried a 4.0 grade point average and was named the state's high school baseball player of the year. He was selected by the Marlins in the second round of the 1995 MLB draft and, according to the Sun-Sentinel, was the highest-rated power hitter in that year's draft. He committed to play college baseball at Miami over a competing offer from Stanford and, according to Miami recruiter Turtle Thomas, was the first recruit ever to do so.[1] He ultimately elected to sign with the Marlins and received a then-record signing bonus.[2]

Rolison made his Major League debut in September 2000 and struggled in his limited time in the majors. His only Major League hit, a single, came off of Wayne Gomes in the penultimate game of the season. That fall, while working out with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball team, Rolison broke three bones in his wrist, an injury which required surgery and which Rolison later called "the beginning of the end" of his career. He would never return to the Major Leagues.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Edes . Gordon . O'Brien . Dave . Marlins Pick for Power . 27 March 2023 . . June 2, 1995 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210701231900/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1995-06-02-9506020035-story.html . July 1, 2021.
  2. News: Sickels . John . DRAFT00 - The 1995 NL draft in review . 27 March 2023 . . . June 2, 2000.
  3. News: Christensen . Mike . Twenty years ago, Nate Rolison's baseball career hit a peak, then took an unfortunate turn . 27 March 2023 . Mississippi Scoreboard . 22 September 2020.