Cody Ross

Cody Joseph Ross

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Carlsbad (NM) High School
• Debut July 4, 2003
• Final Game May 1, 2015
• Born December 23, 1980 in Portales, NM USA

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Biographical Information

Cody Ross at the White House in 2011

Outfielder Cody Ross played in the major leagues from 2003 to 2015. The highlight of his career was being named the MVP of the 2010 NLCS when playing for the San Francisco Giants. The Giants went on to win the 2010 World Series, defeating the Texas Rangers in five games.

He played for eight different major league teams in a 12-year career. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 4th round of the 1999 amateur draft and reached the majors with them in 2003, but only for 6 games, during which he went 4 for 19 (.211). He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for P Steve Colyer at the end of spring training the next year, but did not return to the majors until 2005, when he hit .160 in 14 games. He got his first extended playing time in 2006, when he appeared for three different teams: the Dodgers, the Cincinnati Reds and the Florida Marlins, most of his appearances - 91 games - coming with the Marlins after they purchased him from Cincinnati at the end of May. He played for the Marlins until 2010, including seasons of 22 and 24 homers in 2008 and 2009, with a personal best of 90 RBIs the second year.

He was claimed off waivers by San Francisco on August 22, 2010 and it turned out to be a great move even if it went under the radar at the time. He hit .288 with an OPS+ of 122 in 33 games to finish the season, then went on to have a great postseason. ironically, all of his career postseason appearances came that year. He hit .286 as the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves in four games in the Division Series, then won the MVP Award in the NLCS by batting .350 with 3 doubles and 3 homers against the Philadelphia Phillies. He added another homer and 4 hits in the World Series win over the Tecas Rangers, the Giants' first title since their move to San Francisco in 1958. Overall, he scored 11 runs and drove in 10 in 15 postseason games. He had another productive year in 2011, batting .240 with an OPS+ of 111. He moved to the Boston Red Sox in 2012 and had his final very productive season as a regular, batting .267 in 130 games, with 34 doubles, 22 homers, and an OPS+ of 115.

He played three more seasons after that, two with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 and 2014, and one with the Oakland Athletics in 2025, but his playing time diminished every year, as did his production. He was released by Oakland on May 3, 2015, having played his final game two days earlier. He was clearly done, hitting .091 wioth no extra bases at the time.

He is a cousin of 2017 first-round pick Trevor Rogers. Both went to the same high school in Carlsbad, NM. He was a contemporary of catcher David Ross, who was also known for changing teams on a regular basis and for his postseason heroics. Dave went on to become a major league manager, while Cody seems to have stayed away from the game in retirement.

Notable Achievements

• 2010 NLCS MVP
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (2008, 2009 & 2012)
• Won a World Series with the San Francisco Giants in 2010

Related Sites

• Cody Ross on mlb.com