Robert Randolph Ellis (born December 15, 1970) is a former

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

who 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), ...

between and . He batted and threw right-handed.

Career

Listed at 6' 5", 220 lb., Ellis was selected by 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 p ...

in the 1990 Major League Baseball draft out of the

Northwestern State University of Louisiana Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

. From –, he pitched at five different

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

levels. Ellis began his pro baseball career in the minors with the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

Utica Blue Sox The Utica Blue Sox was the name of two minor league baseball teams based in Utica, New York. In the 2010s, the ''Utica Blue Sox'' is the name of a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) based in ...

in 1991. Ellis spent the next season playing for both the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...

White Sox and the Single-A South Bend White Sox of the Mid West League in . In , Ellis once again played for two different teams playing for the Single-A

Sarasota White Sox Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...

of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. And later for the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

of the Southern League. On July 27, 1996, Ellis was traded to the

California Angels 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 ...

for Pat Borders. Ellis reached the majors in 1996 with the Angels, spending one year with them before moving to the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

(),

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 ...

() and Texas Rangers (). His most productive season came in 2001 with Arizona, when he set career-highs in wins (6),

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s (41) and

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

(92.0). In a four-season career, Ellis posted a 7–7 record with 54 strikeouts and a 6.03

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 118.0 innings. After that, Ellis pitched in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

for the

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

organizations. On February 4, , Ellis was named the

Gulf Coast Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games a ...

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

. Beginning in late 2009, Ellis was the strength and conditioning and head baseball coach at Henderson High School in Henderson, Texas. In August 2012, Ellis became Assistant Athletic Director and head baseball coach at Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. In early 2021, Ellis starting coaching at Bullard High School in Bullard, Texas, where he is the head baseball coach and teaches Outdoor Education and Physical Education.

Personal life

Ellis is a family friend and mentor of pitcher

Philip Humber Philip Gregory Humber (; born December 21, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and Houston Astros in seven seasons in Major League ...

.Humber humble about recent success
''Chicago Tribune''

References

External links

, o
The Baseball GaugeMexican LeagueVenezuela Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Robert 1970 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball coaches from Louisiana Baseball players from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Birmingham Barons players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players California Angels players Gulf Coast White Sox players Las Vegas 51s players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Los Angeles Dodgers players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches Nashville Sounds players New Orleans Zephyrs players Northwestern State Demons baseball players Northwestern State University alumni Oklahoma RedHawks players Panola Ponies baseball players Sarasota White Sox players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Sportspeople from Baton Rouge, Louisiana South Bend White Sox players Sultanes de Monterrey players Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers players Tucson Sidewinders players Utica Blue Sox players Vancouver Canadians players