| David Ross | |
|---|---|
 Ross in 2022 | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born: (1977-03-19)March 19, 1977 (age 48) Bainbridge, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 29, 2002, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 2016, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .229 |
| Home runs | 106 |
| Runs batted in | 314 |
| Managerial record | 262–284 |
| Winning %. | .480 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Medals | |
David Wade Ross (born March 19, 1977) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher andmanager. He managed theChicago Cubs ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 2020 to 2023. He played in MLB for 15 seasons.
Ross playedcollege baseball forAuburn University and theUniversity of Florida and participated in twoCollege World Series. He started his major league career playing for theLos Angeles Dodgers in 2002 and also played for thePittsburgh Pirates,San Diego Padres,Cincinnati Reds,Boston Red Sox,Atlanta Braves, andChicago Cubs. Ross had two World Series wins, one with theBoston Red Sox in2013 and theChicago Cubs in2016. The Cubs named him their manager prior to the2020 season.
Ross was born inBainbridge, Georgia, in 1977 but was raised in Tallahassee, Florida.[1] David Ross Sr., played in a men's softball league, and his mother, Jackie, played basketball. Two of Ross's uncles were football players in college.[2] He attendedFlorida State University'slaboratory school,Florida High School, inTallahassee, Florida, where he played high school baseball for the Florida High School Demons.[3] Ross is one of five children.[4]
Ross received anathletic scholarship to attend Auburn University inAuburn, Alabama, where he played for theAuburn Tigers baseball team from 1996 to 1997. In 1996, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBrewster Whitecaps of theCape Cod Baseball League.[5] The defining moment of his college career came in the semifinal of the East Regional tournament during the1997 College World Series when he hit a walk-off three-run home run againstFlorida State to advance to the regional final. The Auburn Tigers would advance to the College World Series, getting knocked out in the 2nd round byStanford. He transferred to the University of Florida after the 1997 season and played one additional season of college baseball for theFlorida Gators baseball team in 1998. Ross is one of the few players to have played in theCollege World Series with two different colleges, first with the Tigers in1997 and then the Gators in1998. Ross decided to forgo his final season ofNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility after his junior season with the Gators after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.[3]
Ross was drafted in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft by theLos Angeles Dodgers, but did not sign and accepted a scholarship to attend Auburn University instead. In 1998, the Dodgers drafted Ross again, this time in the seventh round.[3]
Ross made his MLB debut on June 29, 2002, striking out as a pinch hitter. On September 2, 2002, with the Dodgers leading 18–0,[6] the Diamondbacks put first basemanMark Grace in to pitch after he volunteered, to rest thebullpen. Ross hit his first major league home run off Grace with two outs in the 9th inning, capping a 19–1 win. Ross's Dodger career was stalled, however, by the large number of catchers in the Dodger system.Paul Lo Duca was the starting catcher through most of Ross's time in Los Angeles, and teammates likeBrent Mayne,Koyie Hill, andTodd Hundley competed with him for playing time. Ross stayed with the team until 2004.[6]
The Dodgers sold Ross's contract to thePittsburgh Pirates on March 30, 2005.[7] After 40 games with the Pirates, he was traded to theSan Diego Padres on July 28, 2005, forinfielderJ. J. Furmaniak.[8] He played in 11 games with the Padres.[9]
The Padres traded Ross to theCincinnati Reds duringspring training for the 2006 season. On January 15, 2006, Ross signed a two-year, $4.54 million contract with the Reds.[9]
While Ross was most often used as the "personal catcher" for right-handerBronson Arroyo, whom the Reds received in a spring training trade with theBoston Red Sox foroutfielderWily Mo Peña, the consensus among Reds fans was that Ross had proven himself deserving of being the everyday catcher due to his better offensive numbers and that one of the other Reds catchers,Jason LaRue orJavier Valentín, should have been traded (possibly as part of a package deal) for arelief pitcher. LaRue was the one most frequently cited, but no deal was made by the July 31 trade deadline.
On November 20, 2006, LaRue was traded to theKansas City Royals for a player to be named later. Ross's 2007 season started with four hits in 38at-bats with no home runs and 17strikeouts. On April 21, 2007, his slump hit rock-bottom when with runners on first and second base, he grounded into a rare 5–4–3triple play against thePhiladelphia Phillies. Ross finished the 2007 season with a .203batting average and 17 home runs. On August 10, 2008, Ross was designated for assignment and was released on August 18.[9]
Ross signed a minor-league contract with theBoston Red Sox[10] on August 22, 2008. He came up to the MLB club on August 29 and became a free agent after the season.[11]
TheAtlanta Braves signed Ross to a two-year, $3 million deal on December 5, 2008.[12]
In 2009, Ross hit .273 in 54 games. On July 27, 2010, he signed a two-year extension to stay with the Braves through 2012.[13] He managed to hit a career-high .289 for the Braves in 59 games in 2010.
Ross was the Atlanta Braves secondary catcher behindBrian McCann for his four seasons with the Braves. His hot start in the 2011 season (hitting .333 after starting seven games, with three home runs) highlighted his strengths, as Ross has always been known as a strong defensive catcher (in 2009, he committed oneerror in 52 games). Ross hit the first ever home run in theWild Card Game when the new playoff format was introduced in 2012.[14]
Ross signed a two-year, $6.2 million deal on November 10, 2012, to return to the Red Sox as "more than a backup but not a starter"[15] behind primary catcherJarrod Saltalamacchia.
Ross suffered two concussions during the 2013 season and spent over two months on the disabled list; however, his health returned and he played a key role in Boston's run to theWorld Series championship over theSt. Louis Cardinals that year, starting in four games during the series and driving in the game-winning run with an RBI double in Game 5. He was also behind the plate to catch the series-clinching out in Game 6 whenKoji Uehara struck outMatt Carpenter.[16]
In 2014, Ross played asJon Lester'spersonal catcher.[17]
TheChicago Cubs announced on December 23, 2014, that they had signed Ross to a two-year, $5 million contract.[18]
On May 9, 2015, in his first appearance as a pitcher in his professional baseball career, Ross recorded a perfect inning against theMilwaukee Brewers.[19] On July 26, he repeated the feat against thePhiladelphia Phillies, then led off the next inning by hitting a home run off ofHéctor Neris.[20]
On April 21, 2016, Ross caught his first no-hitter, against the Cincinnati Reds, his former team, with starting pitcherJake Arrieta.[21] Ross hit his 100th career home run off ofAdam Morgan of the Philadelphia Phillies on May 27, 2016.[22]
Ross announced his plans to retire following the 2016 season, after playing 15 seasons in the major leagues. DuringGame 7 of the 2016 MLB World Series against theCleveland Indians, Ross hit a home run, making him the oldest player to do so in World Series history at 39 years old. The Cubs went on to win Game 7 8–7 in 10 innings, earning Ross his second World Series ring.[23] On January 14, 2017, the Cubs named Ross as a special assistant to baseball operations for the 2017 season.[24]
Following his retirement from MLB, Ross joined theKansas Stars, an independent baseball team made of former MLB stars who play an abbreviated tournament lasting a few weeks out of the year.[25]
The Cubs named Ross a special assistant after his retirement.[24]ESPN hired Ross as a baseballcolor analyst in January 2017.[26]
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On October 24, 2019, the Cubs hired Ross as their manager to replaceJoe Maddon, signing him to a three-year contract.[27] Ross began his managerial career on July 24, 2020, with a 3–0 win at home against theMilwaukee Brewers.[28]
On March 11, 2022, the Cubs announced they agreed to a contract extension with Ross through the 2024 season. The deal included a club option for the 2025 season as well.[29]
Ross was dismissed on November 6, 2023, andCraig Counsell was hired to be the Cubs’ next manager.[30]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CHC | 2020 | 60 | 34 | 26 | .567 | 1st in NL Central | 0 | 2 | .000 | LostNLWC (MIA) |
| CHC | 2021 | 162 | 71 | 91 | .438 | 4th in NL Central | ||||
| CHC | 2022 | 162 | 74 | 88 | .457 | 3rd in NL Central | ||||
| CHC | 2023 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 2nd in NL Central | ||||
| Total | 546 | 262 | 284 | .480 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||
On March 1, 2017, Ross was revealed as one of the contestants onseason 24 ofDancing with the Stars and was paired with professional dancerLindsay Arnold.[31] Ross is the first professional baseball player ever to compete on the show.[32] Despite only having the sixth-highest scoring average, Ross and Arnold outlasted higher-scoring couples and ended up placing runner-up to winnerRashad Jennings and partnerEmma Slater.[33]
Ross is divorced from Hyla Ross as of 2020.[34] Together they have three children.[2] As of 2016, they resided in Tallahassee, Florida.[2]
Ross is a Christian.[35] He has worked with several Chicago charities, including Cradles to Crayons, that benefits underprivileged Chicago youth.[36]
Ross worked with authorDon Yaeger, on a book titledTeammate: My Life in Baseball, which was published in May 2017.[37]
Ross has made an appearance onSaturday Night Live, along with some of his teammates, to celebrate the Cubs championship win.[38] Ross has also made an appearance in the recent commercials for "The Bryzzo Souvenir Company" as an intern trying to meet the standards and requests of his bosses,Kris Bryant andAnthony Rizzo.[39]
On May 8, 2021,Chicago Med starTorrey DeVitto announced viaInstagram that she and Ross were dating.[40] Per her March 8, 2023 guest appearance onUnqualified withAnna Faris, the two broke up recently.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Dancing with the Stars (US) runner up Season 24 (Spring 2016 withLindsay Arnold) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
