Rex Allen Hudler (born September 2, 1960) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

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and color commentator for the

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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. He played a total of 14 seasons after being a first round draft pick of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in 1978.

Playing career

Hudler played for six different

teams, and at every position except pitcher and catcher throughout his career: the

(1984–1985),

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

(1986),

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

(1988–1990),

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

(1990–1992),

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

(1994–1996), and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

(1997–1998). After batting .250 with the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

and .157 in 20 games with the Yankees, he was traded along with

Rich Bordi Richard Albert Bordi (born April 18, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from to . He played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Bordi threw a ...

to the Orioles for Gary Roenicke on December 11, 1985 in a transaction that was completed five days later on December 16 when Leo Hernández was also sent to New York. He also played for the

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...

of the Japanese

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

in 1993, contributing to the team's

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series between the winning cl ...

championship. A 1978 graduate of Bullard High School (Fresno, California), Hudler played baseball, soccer and football, earning first-team All-America honors as a wide receiver. Prior to signing with the Yankees, Hudler was visited by Notre Dame, which hoped that he would suit up for their football team. Hudler saw playing time in the minor leagues with the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

in 1986 and 1987. He then saw playing time with the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

of the American Association in 1988 as the starting

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

. He retired from professional baseball following his final appearance with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

on July 16, 1998. Hudler was nicknamed "Bug-Eater" during his time in St. Louis. During a game, he picked an enormous June bug off his cap. Cardinals teammate Tom Pagnozzi dared him to eat it. His teammates collectively offered him $800 to eat the bug, which he accepted. Hudler was a 1999 inductee into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame.

Broadcasting career

From 1999 through the 2009 season, Hudler was the

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

radio and television broadcasting team, alongside play-by-play announcers Steve Physioc, Rory Markas, and Terry Smith. He is also the color commentator for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

games '' MLB 06: The Show'', '' 07'', '' 08'', '' 09'', '' 10'', and '' 11'' and is also featured in '' 10'' for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

along with Dave Campbell and

Matt Vasgersian Matt Vasgersian (né Vasgerdsian; '; September 28, 1967) is an American sportscaster and television host. Vasgersian is the alternative play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a studio host for MLB Network and Major Leagu ...

. For the 2011 edition on the PlayStation 3, he was replaced by Eric Karros. He also provided color commentary, with ESPN's

Jon Miller Jon Miller (born October 11, 1951) is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. Since 1997, he has been employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball ann ...

on play-by-play, for the 2004

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and PlayStation 2 title ''ESPN Major League Baseball''. Hudler was suspended briefly from his broadcast job in 2003 after being arrested at

Kansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri, located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective May 15, 2025. The airport was ...

for possession of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

and medical paraphernalia. In November 2009 the Angels and FSN West announced they would not renew the contracts of Hudler and Physioc for the 2010 season. In October 2010, Hudler hosted ''The Wonder Dog Hour'' on Angels flagship station KLAA, 830 AM in

Orange, California Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District ...

. On February 13, 2012, he was announced as the new television color commentator for the

, teaming up with Ryan Lefebvre and his old partner Steve Physioc.

Personal life

Hudler was hospitalized in 2001 with a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

.St. Petersburg Times, "TV announcer Hudler hospitalized with brain aneurysm", April 9, 2001

References

External links

Rex Hudler
at Baseball Almanac *Rex Hudler * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hudler, Rex 1960 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baltimore Orioles players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players California Angels players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Kansas City Royals announcers Los Angeles Angels announcers Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball second basemen Montreal Expos players Nashville Sounds players New York Yankees players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Nippon Professional Baseball second basemen Philadelphia Phillies players Sportspeople from Tempe, Arizona Baseball players from Maricopa County, Arizona St. Louis Cardinals players Yakult Swallows players 20th-century American sportsmen