| Ross Gload | |
|---|---|
 Gload with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 | |
| First baseman /Outfielder | |
| Born: (1976-04-05)April 5, 1976 (age 49) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 31, 2000, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 2011, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .281 |
| Home runs | 34 |
| Runs batted in | 222 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Ross Peter Gload (born April 5, 1976) is an American former professionalbaseballfirst baseman andoutfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for six teams over ten seasons.
Gload grew up in theLong Island community ofSprings, New York, where he broke numerous high school and county home run records. After his record-breaking 1994 season forEast Hampton High School, Gload was honored with the "Carl Yastrzemski Award,[1]" which is annually awarded to the most outstanding high school baseball player inSuffolk County by the Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association. His 41 career home runs, and 20 in the 1994 season alone, are New York state high school records. Perhaps his most memorable high school moment was the Suffolk County Championship game, where he single-handedly propelled East Hampton to the Long Island Championship with a single and three moonshots off of Kings Park High School's left-handed starter Matthew Ligouri.
Gload attended theUniversity of South Florida, where he played under longtime Coach Eddie Cardieri. In 1995 and 1996, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theHyannis Mets of theCape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star in 1996.[2][3] He is a member of theUSF Athletic Hall of Fame.
Gload was selected in the 13th round of the1997 amateur draft by theFlorida Marlins. On July 31, 2000, at the trade deadline, he was dealt to theChicago Cubs along with minor leaguer Dave Noyce forHenry Rodriguez. Gload made his Major League debut August 31,2000 with the Cubs. On September 12, 2001, he was claimed on waivers by theColorado Rockies but did not play in any big league games that season.
In January2002, Gload was involved in two deals with theNew York Mets in a span of six days, first moving to the Mets in a three-team, 11-player trade, then having his contract purchased by Colorado from the Mets. Gload batted .258 with ahome run and fourRBIs in limited action with the Rockies.
Just before the2003 season, Gload moved on to theChicago White Sox organization, being acquired by Chicago for minor leaguer Wade Parrish. Gload did not appear in a Major League uniform in 2003, but in2004 and again in2006, he saw significant duty with the White Sox. He batted .321 in 2004 with seven homers and 44 RBIs, finishing seventh in theAmerican LeagueRookie of the Year voting.[4] In 2006, his numbers were .327 with three homers and 18 RBIs in fewer at-bats. He won his firstWorld Series ring with the White Sox in 2005
On December 16, 2006, Gload was traded to theKansas City Royals forrelief pitcherAndrew Sisco. In2007, with Kansas City, Gload logged career highs in at-bats and RBIs, being used as a starter more than in the past. He batted .288 with seven homers and 51 RBIs in 102 games.
During the 2007–2008 offseason, Gload signed a two-year Major League contract with Kansas City.
On April 1, 2009, Gload was traded to theFlorida Marlins for a player to be named later.[5]
On May 22, 2009 Gload made his pitching debut, pitching a scoreless ninth inning versus the Tampa Bay Rays. He andWes Helms set an MLB record for most pinch-hits by a duo.
On December 15, 2009, Gload signed a 2-year, $2.6 million contract with thePhiladelphia Phillies.[6] In 2012, Gload's contract with the Phillies expired, making him a free agent.[7]