Mark Ellis, Retired


Date of Birth: 6/6/1977
Birthplace: Rapid City, South Dakota
College: University of Florida

Mark Ellis was a top player in college and he was known as an excellent fielder. He was first drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1999 and he played in their minor league system from 1999 through 2000. In January, 2001, the Royals traded him to the Oakland Athletics and he continued in the minor leagues through part of the 2002 season.

Ellis joined the Athletics for 98 games in 2002. The following season, he batted .248 with 137 hits and 31 doubles in 154 games. He had a shoulder injury in 2004 that caused him to sit out the entire season. He returned for 122 games in 2005 and he finished with a career high batting average of .316.

Ellis had his best season in 2007. That year, he had a .276 batting average and career highs in hits (161), doubles (33), and RBIs (76) in 150 games. On June 4, 2007, he hit for the cycle. The following season, he again suffered a shoulder injury that limited his playing time to 117 games.

In October, 2008, Ellis signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Athletics. Two and a half years later, they traded him to the Colorado Rockies. In 2011, he batted .248 with 119 hits in 62 games with the Athletics and 70 games with the Rockies.

Ellis signed a two-year, $8.75 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in November, 2011. He suffered a leg injury in his first season with the Dodgers, limiting his playing time in 2012 to 110 games. In 2013, he played in 126 games and he finished with a .270 batting average.

In December, 2013, Ellis signed a contract with the Cardinals. He finished the 2014 season with 32 hits and a .180 batting average in 73 games. He didn't play in the postseason with the Cardinals.

Ellis retired as a major league player on February 25, 2015.

Career batting statistics for Ellis through 2014 include:

  • 1,435 games played
  • 1,343 games played
  • 257 doubles
  • 550 RBIs
  • 801 strikeouts to 438 walks
  • .262 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Ellis at second base through 2014 include:

  • 1,364 games played
  • 3,907 assists
  • 903 double plays
  • 2,671 putouts
  • 60 errors
  • .991 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Mark Ellis
ESPN - Mark Ellis