Colby Rasmus was a late first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005. By the time he debuted with the team in 2009, he was regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball. In his 22-year-old rookie season, Rasmus slashed .251/.307/.407 with 16 home runs. He followed up in 2010 with an impressive .276/.361/.498 line and 23 home runs, but disputes between himself and the organization led to an eventual move at the 2011 trade deadline sending him to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Rasmus played in Toronto for the rest of the 2011 season through 2014, and in his 3.