Cody Ross

Lore & Background

Ross was born in Portales, New Mexico. His father was a chiropractor and professional bull rider; as a youth, Ross wanted to become a rodeo clown. He attended his father's bull-riding matches in clown outfits. He gave up the aspiration after his family moved to Dallas, Texas. The family moved back to New Mexico, and Ross played high school baseball at Carlsbad High School. He also played football until ninth grade. During high school, he was a Baseball America All-American selection. As a senior, he threw a five-inning perfect game. He graduated in 1999. Ross was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 1999 MLB draft. He reached the Majors in 2003 but suffered a torn ACL. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. In 2006, he played for the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and Florida Marlins. With the Marlins, he established himself as a starting outfielder, playing center field or right field. In 2009, he hit a career-high 24 home runs and won the Marlins' Charlie Hough Good Guy award. During the 2010 season, the Marlins placed him on waivers, and he was claimed by the San Francisco Giants. He won the NLCS MVP Award and helped the Giants win the 2010 World Series. He re-signed with San Francisco in 2011. In 2012, he signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, hitting 22 home runs. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him to a three-year contract in December 2012, but a season-ending hip injury limited him to 94 games in his first year with the team.

In Their Own Story

The scoreboard says 6-4, Marlins up, top of the seventh. The sun is dropping behind the palm trees on the west side of the park, and the light is going gold across the warning track. Ross steps in, bat held high, the orange number on his back catching the last of the day. The pitcher fires. Ross swings, and for a half-second the whole ballpark holds its breath. Then the crack, that deep, wood-and-leather crack that carries all the way to the upper deck. The ball is gone. He's already running. The crowd is on its feet, a wall of noise rolling off the concrete. He rounds third, points to the stands, and the roar swallows everything else. It's not a World Series. It's not even a playoff game. But in that moment, in that light, with the smell of hot dogs and salt air hanging in the air, it's the best night the Marlins have had all year. And Cody Ross knows it.

Reader's Guide

Cody Ross is a right-handed batter and left-handed thrower. He played outfield, primarily center field and right field during his Marlins tenure. He was used mainly as a reserve outfielder in 2006 and 2007, but took over a starting role in 2008. He was a starting outfielder for the rest of his Marlins career. He won the 2010 NLCS MVP and the 2010 World Series with the Giants.

Did You Know?

• Ross is one of the few Major League players to bat right-handed and throw left-handed.
• He hit a grand slam off Cliff Lee for his first Major League home run in 2003.
• Ross won the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award in 2010.
• He was named the Tigers' Minor League Player of the Year in 2003.