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There are plenty of well-known families in baseball, from the Bonds to the Griffeys. In terms of total ballplayers, however, not many can compare to the Rasmus family.<\/p>\n
In the 2026 Little League World Series, a member of the Rasmus family will be front-and-center as Kinley Rasmus seeks to help lead Phenix City Youth Baseball, coming out of Alabama, on a deep tournament run.<\/p>\n
Rasmus already has plenty of eyes on her, set to become the 25th girl to\u00a0play in the 79-year history of the LLWS, per AL.com<\/a>. But considering the baseball talent in her family, she may have been destined for stardom.<\/p>\n Here’s what to know about the Rasmus family’s baseball connections, from Kinley to Colby Rasmus.<\/p>\n MORE: Full list of teams to qualify for the 2026 Little League World Series<\/a><\/p>\n Kinley Rasmus<\/p>\n Kinley Rasmus has become a star for\u00a0Phenix City Little League \u2014 the same team her father and uncle once played for \u2014 as the organization has made a return to the LLWS for the first time since 1999. And she’s become a superstar on the mound and at the plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Per MLB.com<\/a>,\u00a0Phenix City went 4-0 in the regional tournament leading up to the 2026 Little League World Series, with Rasmus pitching in three of four games without allowing a run.\u00a0In the Southeast Region final, she then threw a complete-game shutout, striking out eight batters while allowing only three hits.<\/p>\n Kinley Rasmus is off to a hot start! #GirlsWithGame<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/eXNwcF2uv2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Little League (@LittleLeague) August 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Offensively, Rasmus, who plays shortstop when she’s not pitching, has also hit second for Phenix City. Throughout the regional tournament, she went 6-for-8 with four walks, scoring four runs, per MLB.com.<\/a><\/p>\n Rasmus, the daughter of former MLB pitcher Cory Rasmus, is now set to become the 25th girl to play for a Little League World Series baseball squad. She’s\u00a0become a Little League star, and she’ll now have the chance to shine on its biggest stage.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Where is former LLWS star Mo’ne Davis now?<\/a><\/p>\n Kinley Rasmus cousin: Ryker Rasmus<\/p>\n Kinley isn’t the only Rasmus on the 2026 Phenix City LLWS roster. Her cousin, Ryker, has also become a key contributor to the team. Ryker’s father is Case Rasmus, who is the head coach of Phenix City.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ryker, 11, throws left-handed and stands at just 5-foot-1 as a first baseman, per Yahoo<\/a>, but is also known as a strong defender and capable pitcher.\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Explaining how many innings are played in the LLWS<\/a><\/p>\n Kinley Rasmus dad: Cory Rasmus<\/p>\n Cory Rasmus, Kinley’s father, is the second son of Tony Rasmus, born in 1987. He is a former MLB pitcher, and he is now an assistant coach for\u00a0the 2026 Phenix City team.<\/p>\n In 1999, Cory Rasmus was a member of the Phenix City LLWS team that was coached by his father, Tony, and reached the World Championship, but lost to Japan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Cory Rasmus’ wife is Jill Rasmus, who played college softball herself at Ole Miss \u2014 Jill’s family also has MLB ties, with her brother, Jeff Mathis, playing catcher in the big leagues for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cory Rasmus MLB career<\/p>\n Coming out of Russell County High School in Alabama, Cory Rasmus was drafted by the Braves in the first round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He eventually made his MLB debut in 2013 for the franchise; shortly after, he pitched to his brother, Colby, in an MLB game.<\/p>\n Later in the 2013 season, Cory was traded to the Angels, spending time between Triple-A and MLB for the organization over the next few years. In 2014, Rasmus shifted between the bullpen and rotation, totaling a\u00a02.57 ERA in 30 games, including six starts. After needing surgery for an injury in 2016, however, Rasmus was designated for assignment, then became a free agent.<\/p>\n Rasmus’ final MLB stint was a minor-league contract with the Rays in early 2017, released in April of that year.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0The Little League World Series’ mercy rule, explained<\/a><\/p>\n Kinley Rasmus uncle: Colby Rasmus<\/p>\n Colby Rasmus is the oldest of the four Rasmus brothers, born in 1986. He spent nearly a decade in MLB as an infielder.<\/p>\n Colby played alongside his brother, Cory, as a member of Phenix City’s 1999 Little League World Series squad that lost in the World Championship; he hit .417 in the tournament. His baseball talent continued to translate to higher levels, hitting 24 home runs as a senior at Russell County High School in Alabama, which passed Bo Jackson for second all-time in the state for home runs in a season by a high school player. In 2005, Russell County won a national championship led by Colby Rasmus.<\/p>\n Colby and his wife, Megan, have five children and live in Tennessee.<\/p>\n Colby Rasmus MLB career<\/p>\n Despite committing to play for Auburn in college, Colby Rasmus was drafted with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, and he joined the Cardinals organization on a $1 million signing bonus.<\/p>\n After impressing at a few levels of the minor leagues, Rasmus, then graded as one of MLB’s top prospects, made his Cardinals debut after making the Opening Day roster in the 2009 season. He would hit 16 home runs and total 52 RBIs in his rookie season in St. Louis.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Following reports in September 2010 that he had requested a trade from the Cardinals due to limited playing time and a subpar relationship with manager Tony La Russa, Rasmus was dealt to the Blue Jays ahead of the July 2011 trade deadline. He struggled in Toronto to finish 2011, but agreed to a one-year deal to return in 2012 and hit\u00a023 home runs and 75 RBIs.<\/p>\n Rasmus spent the next two years in Toronto, hitting 22 home runs in 2013 and 18 in 2014 despite injury issues.<\/p>\n In 2015, Rasmus bounced back with the Astros, hitting 25 home runs and 61 RBIs. That postseason, he set an MLB record with\u00a0an\u00a0extra-base hit\u00a0in each of his first six career postseason games, hitting four home runs in that playoff run.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rasmus spent 2016 in Houston, then finished his MLB career with one-year stints in Tampa Bay in 2017 and Baltimore in 2018. He decided to step away from baseball during the 2018 season, placed on the restricted list, and did not return to the big leagues.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a015 star athletes who once played in the Little League World Series<\/p>\n Ryker Rasmus dad and Kinley Rasmus uncle: Case Rasmus<\/p>\n Case Rasmus, Ryker’s father, is the youngest son of Tony Rasmus, born in 1990. Like Tony once was, Case is now the head coach of Phenix City’s LLWS squad; he’s the father of Ryker and uncle of Kinley.<\/p>\n While Case wasn’t old enough in 1999 to join Phenix City on its first LLWS run, he now leads the team with professional baseball experience of his own. In 2024, St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School also hired him as head coach, per the Ledger-Enquirer<\/a>. A former catcher, he was drafted by the Cardinals in the 36th round of the 2011 MLB Draft coming out of Liberty University.<\/p>\n Case Rasmus spent a few seasons in the lower levels of the minor leagues, hitting .298 between Single-A, A-plus and Double-A in the 2013 season.\u00a0The Cardinals selected him as a minor-league All-Star in 2013 and invited him to their major league spring training in 2014.<\/p>\n Why did Case Rasmus retire from baseball?<\/p>\n Case Rasmus’ baseball career ended earlier than some of his brothers’. At 24 years old, he retired from the Cardinals organization in 2014 after reportedly taking two leaves of absence. Rasmus never publicly cited a reason for his decision, but he then went on to attend Troy University to complete his bachelor\u2019s degree in history,\u00a0per the Ledger-Enquirer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rasmus also then founded\u00a0CR Baseball, a Christian-based training facility in Phenix City, and has coached baseball at various levels, including being an assistant coach under his father for a few years at Russell County.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0How old are Little League World Series players?<\/a><\/p>\n Ryker Rasmus and Kinley Rasmus uncle: Cyle Rasmus<\/p>\n Cyle Rasmus is the third of the four Rasmus brothers, born in 1989.<\/p>\n Cyle also played baseball in the past, a member of the college teams at Elon University and Columbus State University between 2011 and 2012.<\/p>\n MORE: Where are Little League World Series games held?<\/a><\/p>\n Ryker Rasmus and Kinley Rasmus uncle: Jeff Mathis<\/p>\n The Rasmus family’s deep roots in baseball doesn’t even end with the last name.<\/p>\n The maiden name of Cory Rasmus’ wife, Jill Rasmus, was Mathis \u2014 and that’s a last name that MLB fans may recognize. Jill’s brother is Jeff Mathis, an MLB catcher from 2005 to 2021. He is also uncle to Kinley Rasmus.<\/p>\n Mathis, who is from Marianna, Florida, was drafted by the Angels in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft. He chose to join the organization over a commitment to Florida State. Between his defensive skills and some power at the plate, Mathis moved through the Angels’ organization quickly.<\/p>\n After making his MLB debut in 2005, Mathis got more reps in the big-leagues in 2006 while sharing the position with Jose Molina and Mike Napoli. That would be a signal of how Mathis’ career unfolded \u2014 he never became a full-time starter, but was a valuable catcher for various teams.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mathis remained with the Angels in a secondary role through the 2011 season, highlighted by a walk-off double in Game 3 of the 2009 ALCS against the Yankees. From 2011-12, he was with the Blue Jays, and he was then traded to the Marlins in November 2012 in a deal that included Adeiny Hechavarria, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes. Mathis remained with Miami through the 2016 season.<\/p>\n Over the remainder of his career, Mathis had stints with the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Phillies and Braves as a defense-first backup catcher, retiring in 2021. In his career, he became a preferred catcher to names like Zack Greinke and Jose Fernandez, also finishing with\u00a0526 hits and 53 home runs in total.<\/p>\n MORE: Little League World Series pitch counts, explained<\/a><\/p>\n Rasmus family at LLWS\u00a0<\/p>\n The fact that there are multiple members of the Rasmus family on the 2026 Phenix City squad is reminiscent of the last time the team made the tournament. That was also the last time that an Alabama team made the LLWS, a 27-year drought.<\/p>\n In 1999, Tony Rasmus, Kinley and Ryker’s grandfather, was the coach of Phenix City when it made a trip to Williamsport. Two of his sons, both future big-leaguers, were key members of that 1999 team: Cory and Colby Rasmus.<\/p>\n That year, Phenix City won the United States Championship by beating Toms River out of New Jersey, 3-2, but fell to Japan 5-0 in the World Championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n MORE: What to know about LLWS Home Run Derby Format<\/a><\/p>\n Where is the Rasmus family from?<\/p>\n The Rasmus family is from Phenix City, Alabama, with all of their baseball talent coming out of the area, from Little League to MLB. Tony Rasmus formerly coached\u00a0Russell County High School baseball, the program that his sons also went through on their respective baseball paths.<\/p>\n Phenix City is found right on the eastern border of Alabama, directly next to Columbus, Georgia, with which it has strong ties.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Teams, ages, rules and more to know about 2026 Little League World Series<\/p>\n