Robert Charles Ross Jr. (born June 24, 1989) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

for the

Wild Health Genomes The Wild Health Genomes were an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2022, they are a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an MLB Partner League. The Genomes are owned by the same grou ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in

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), ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Amateur career

Ross was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended Lexington Christian Academy, where he competed in both

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and soccer. Ross had a 1.98 career

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) with 176 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched, and also batted .404 with 52

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

and 33 stolen bases. During his senior year, Ross was selected as the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in Kentucky.

Professional career

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers selected Ross in the second round of the

2008 Major League Baseball draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

. In 2011, he had a 10-5

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

with a 2.34 ERA with the Class A

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...

and Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regime ...

Ross made the Rangers opening day roster out of spring training in 2012. He made his major league debut on April 8, 2012 against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. Robbie's first strikeout victim was

Paul Konerko Paul Henry Konerko (; born March 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a si ...

. His first major league victory came April 14, 2012 against the Minnesota Twins in relief of

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

. The very next day, he picked up his second victory, also against the Twins, in relief of

Neftalí Feliz Neftalí Feliz Antonio (; born May 2, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh ...

Boston Red Sox

On January 27, 2015, the Rangers traded Ross to the

in exchange for pitcher

Anthony Ranaudo Anthony Ronald Ranaudo (born September 9, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and Chicago White Sox. Prior to playing professionally, Ranaudo ...

. In his first season with the Red Sox, Ross appeared in 54 games, collecting an 0-2 record, with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 53 batters. In 2015, Ross had a solid season posting a 3.86 ERA in 54 appearances, and even serving as the Red Sox closer for a brief time. He would amass the only 6 saves of his MLB career in 2015. In 2016, Ross was an integral part of the Boston bullpen, appearing in 54 games, racking up 55.1 innings, to the tune of a 3-2 record and 56 strikeouts. Ross' 2017 season was cut short due to a back injury, he appeared in only 8 games. He was outrighted off the roster after the season and he elected to become a free agent.

Chicago White Sox

Ross signed a minor league deal with the

on March 4, 2018. He was released on June 9, 2018.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 4, 2019, Ross signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was released on March 25, 2019.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On June 19, 2019, Ross signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was released on July 22, 2019.

Sugar Land Lightning Sloths

In July 2020, Ross signed on to play for the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths of the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players. History The league consisted of ...

(a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

) for the 2020 season.

Detroit Tigers

On January 16, 2021, Ross signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

to begin the year. Ross appeared in 27 games for Triple-A Toledo, going 2-8 with a 7.03 ERA and 26 strikeouts. On August 6, 2021, Ross retired from professional baseball.

Wild Health Genomes

On May 3, 2022, Ross came out of retirement to sign with the

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.https://www.atlanticleague.com/stats/transactions/

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Robbie 1989 births Living people Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball players from Lexington, Kentucky Boston Red Sox players Charlotte Knights players Frisco RoughRiders players Hickory Crawdads players Major League Baseball pitchers Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Pawtucket Red Sox players Round Rock Express players Spokane Indians players Sugar Land Skeeters players Texas Rangers players