Jason Jerome Ellison (born April 4, 1978) is a former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. He attended
Lewis-Clark State in
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States, in the state's north central region. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene, and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is ...
, and made his major league debut on May 9, . As of the season, he was an
area scout for the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
based in
Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 40,051 at the 2020 census. Located in a valley and bisected by Interstate 90, the city is bordered by the Sammamish Plateau to the north and the "Issaquah Alp ...
.
Ellison became one of the more recognizable bench players in the major leagues because he was frequently brought in to
pinch run
In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...
for
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...
. In , Ellison played
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...
for all games until the trading deadline, when the Giants acquired
Randy Winn
Dwight Randolph Winn (born June 9, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily as an outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He mad ...
and Ellison lost his starting job.
Early life
Ellison was born in
Quincy, California
Quincy (formerly, Quinsy) is a census-designated place and the county seat of Plumas County, California. The population was 1,630 during the 2020 Census, down from 1,728 during the 2010 Census, and 1,879 during the 2000 Census.
History
Quincy ...
. He attended
South Kitsap High School
South Kitsap High School is a public high school in the South Kitsap School District and is located at 425 Mitchell Ave Port Orchard, Washington. In 2018, the school had the largest student population in the state.
History and facilities
South K ...
in
Port Orchard, Washington
Port Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located due west of West Seattle and is connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth. It is named a ...
.
College career
Ellison attended
Lewis–Clark State College
Lewis–Clark State College is a public college in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States, located in North Central Idaho, north central Idaho at Lewiston, Idaho, Lewiston. Founded in 1893, it has an approximate annual enr ...
in
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States, in the state's north central region. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene, and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is ...
. He was drafted by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in the 22nd round of the
2000 Major League Baseball Draft
First round selections
Compensation picks
Background
The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...
.
Professional career
San Francisco Giants
Ellison was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 22nd round of the First
2000 Major League Baseball Draft
First round selections
Compensation picks
Background
The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...
. He began his professional career with rookie-league
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their home ...
where he led the
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
in
runs with 67, while ranking third in
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
with 90 and tying for seventh with .300
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
. He led Volcanoes in games with 74 played,
at-bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...
s with 300, runs, hits,
doubles with 15 and
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s with 13. He earned Salem-Keizer's Player of Month honors in his first month in pro ball, snagging the June award.
He spent his second professional campaign with the Class-A
Hagerstown Suns
The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home g ...
in , where he established career highs in runs with 95 and RBIs with 55. Ellison finished among
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
leaders in doubles, second with 38, runs, second and
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
, third with a .388 clip. His .291 batting average ranked second on Suns, while he paced club with 19 stolen bases. He went 3-for-8 with two
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and two RBIs in two South Atlantic League post-season games.
In Ellison split the season between the Class-A
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark.
Games
San Jose Giants ga ...
and the Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...
, skipping the Double-A level altogether. He combined to hit .286 with 71 runs, 21 doubles, one
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
, eight home runs, 48 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 130 games. His steals total led the Giants minor-league system. Ellison opened the year at San Jose, where he hit .270 with 40 runs, 13 doubles, five home runs, 40 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 81 contests. He earned promotion to Fresno in July and proceeded to hit
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
pitching at .311 clip with 31 runs, eight doubles, a triple, and three home runs, eight RBI and 16 stolen bases over 49 contests to close out the 2002 campaign. He was selected Grizzlies' Player of Month for August. Ellison was added to 40-man roster November 21.
Ellison spent the majority of the season at Fresno, but also made his Major League debut with Giants. He was recalled from Fresno May 9, taking roster spot of disabled outfielder
Marvin Benard
Marvin Larry Benard (born January 20, 1970) is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants.
Personal life
Benard moved to Los Angeles with his mother and father wh ...
. He made his big league debut that evening against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
, entering in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement in left field. He made his first career start on May 11 at
Turner Field
Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...
, going 1-for-5 with his first hit coming in the sixth inning off
Trey Hodges. He appeared in seven games for San Francisco, two starts, going 1-for-10 with a run scored. Ellison was optioned to Fresno on May 18, where he remained rest of campaign. Ellison led Grizzlies with 21 stolen bases, while ranking second in games with 119 played and runs with 74. He hit .295 with 22 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 39 RBIs. He earned Fresno Player of Month award for April and was honored by teammates as "Harry Jordan" award winner during spring training, an honor bestowed upon the best first year player in big league camp.
Ellison played in 125 contests for Fresno, boasting a .315 avg. He led Grizzlies in hits with 159, triples with 7 and stolen bases with 27, while ranking second in games with 125 and runs scored with 90 in . He was named Fresno's organizational Player of Month for both June and July. He was tabbed Fresno's Most Inspirational Player. Ellison was called up to San Francisco when rosters were expanded on September 1, marking the second time with big league club. He hit his first Major League home run off the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
Edwin Jackson, a two-run shot on October 3 at
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ( ...
. Ellison went 2-for-4 with four runs scored, a home run, three RBIs and two stolen bases in 13 contests for the Giants.
In Ellison emerged as a pleasant surprise for the Giants, earning the majority of club's starts in
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...
prior to trade-deadline acquisition of
Randy Winn
Dwight Randolph Winn (born June 9, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily as an outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He mad ...
and a late-season injury. Despite his limited play in the second half, still ranking among
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
rookie leaders in runs with 49, hits with 93, doubles with 18, triples with 2, steals with 14, and
outfield assists with 5. He made 82 starts overall, 64 in center field and 18 in right field, hitting .269 with 40 runs, 18 doubles, a triple, three home runs, 23 RBIs, 23 walks and 11 steals. He stole 14 bases, eighth-most ever by a Giants rookie and highest since
Marvin Benard
Marvin Larry Benard (born January 20, 1970) is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants.
Personal life
Benard moved to Los Angeles with his mother and father wh ...
swiped 25 in . He was the most productive during early season action, as his average stood above .300 for 66-game stretch from April 8 to June 25. He logged a career-high 8-game hitting streak from May 7 to 14 going 10-for-27, part of stretch in which he hit safely in 15 of 19 games going 23-for-58. Ellison suffered an
oblique
Oblique may refer to:
* an alternative name for the character usually called a slash (punctuation) ( / )
* Oblique angle, in geometry
*Oblique triangle, in geometry
*Oblique lattice, in geometry
* Oblique leaf base, a characteristic shape of the b ...
strain on left side, and appeared in just 17 games after September 1. He logged a brief 10-day stay with Triple-A Fresno, being optioned August 19 when
Moisés Alou
Moisés Rojas-Alou Beltré (; ; born July 3, 1966) is a Dominican-American former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the National League. In 1,942 career games, Alou had a batting average of .303 with 2,134 hits, ...
was activated from disabled list. He returned to the Giants on August 29 following the August 27 trade of
Michael Tucker.
The year was a season of ups and downs for Ellison as he was on the opening-day roster and logged 72 games prior to
All-Star Break, but was optioned to Triple-A Fresno before the July 14 second-half opener. He blistered Pacific Coast League pitching to the tune of a .406 average going 78-for-192 with 18 doubles and 18 RBIs in 46 games before being recalled September 1. Ellison appeared in 84 Major League games overall, seeing action at all three outfield positions and as both a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter. He struggled offensively in big leagues, hitting just .222, however he batted .250 as pinch-hitter. He hammered his second career leadoff home run on June 18.
Seattle Mariners
![Jason Ellison on April 10, 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Jason_Ellison_on_April_10%2C_2007.jpg)
On April 1, , Ellison was traded to the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
for
Travis Blackley
Travis Jarred Blackley (born 4 November 1982) is an Australian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. ...
, where he served much of the 2007 season as a fourth outfielder.
Ellison was a key part of an altercation between the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
and his Seattle Mariners that started after A's
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Joe Blanton
Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Pi ...
collided with Mariners outfielder
Ichiro Suzuki
, also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began his ...
while retrieving a ball that had gotten away from the A's catcher. Ellison responded by charging Blanton, and a bench clearing scuffle ensued. In spite of this, Ellison was not ejected from the game, and went on to record the first 4-
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
game of his major league career. In , Ellison and Blanton became teammates on the Philadelphia Phillies.
On August 3, , the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
designated Ellison for assignment, making room on their 25-man roster for rookie outfielder
Adam Jones to be called up from their Triple-A affiliate, the
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960. ...
.
Cincinnati Reds
On August 7, the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
claimed Ellison off waivers from the Mariners. He finished the season for the Reds and was outrighted to the minor leagues on October 11. He refused the assignment and elected
free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.
Texas Rangers
On January 24, , the
Texas Rangers signed Ellison to a minor league contract with an invitation to
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
. After spending most of the season in the minors, Ellison was called up on August 7. He was designated for assignment on August 25, and sent outright to the minors two days later.
Philadelphia Phillies
On January 7, , Ellison signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He was granted free agency after the '09 season.
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet o
Yahoo! Sports o
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellison, Jason
1978 births
Living people
Baseball players from California
Cardenales de Lara players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Cincinnati Reds players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Hagerstown Suns players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Lewis–Clark State Warriors baseball players
Los Angeles Angels scouts
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scouts
Major League Baseball outfielders
Oklahoma RedHawks players
People from Quincy, California
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players
San Francisco Giants players
San Jose Giants players
Seattle Mariners players
Texas Rangers players
People from Port Orchard, Washington