Elvis Andrus, Shortstop, Chicago White Sox


Date of Birth: 8/26/1988
Birthplace: Maracay, Venezuela

Elvis Andrus, shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves in 2006. After a year, the Braves traded Andrus to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2007. The Rangers kept him in the minor leagues until 2009 when he became their starting shortstop at the age of 20.

In April, 2013, the Rangers showed their confidence in Andrus' talent by giving him an eight-year, $120 million contract extension. He finished the 2014 season with 163 hits, 35 doubles, 27 stolen bases, and a .263 batting average in 157 games.

Andrus, known for his speed on the bases, has had over 20 stolen bases in all six of his seasons in the major leagues, with a high of 42 stolen bases in 2013.

In 2015, Andrus batted .258 with 154 hits, 34 doubles, 25 stolen bases, and 62 RBIs in 160 games. As the Rangers' shortstop, he made 516 assists, 114 double plays, 248 putouts, and 22 errors in 160 games. In 22 at-bats in 5 postseason games, he had 4 hits, 1 RBI, and 4 strikeouts.

Andrus had a good season in 2016, btting a career high .302 with 153 hits, 31 doubles, 24 stolen bases, and a career high 69 RBIs. Defensively, as the Rangers' shortstop, he made 413 assists, 105 double plays, 229 putouts, and 17 errors. In the postseason, he batted .364 with 4 hits, including a home run and a triple, in 11 at-bats in 3 games.

Andrus had a strong 2017 season, finishing with a .297 batting average in 158 games. He had career highs in hits (191), doubles (44), home runs (20), and RBIs (88). He had 25 stolen bases and 101 strikeouts to 38 walks. Defensively, as the Rangers' shortstop in 157 games, he made 493 assists, 107 double plays, 245 putouts, and 17 errors. He had a .977 fielding percentage.

Andrus spent time on the DL in 2018 with a fractured elbow. It was the first time in his nine year major league career that he played in less than 145 games in a season. He finished the 2018 season with 101 hits, 20 doubles, and a career low .256 batting average in 97 games. As the Rangers' shortstop in 97 games, he made 263 assists, 77 double plays, 139 putouts, and 11 errors.

Andrus had a good season in 2019, batting .275 in 147 games. He had 165 hits, 27 doubles, 12 home runs, 72 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, and 96 strikeouts to 34 walks. Defensively, as the Rangers' shortstop in 146 games, he made 379 assists, 80 double plays, 205 putouts, and 13 errors.

Andrus played in 29 games in 2020. He finished the season with 20 hits, 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 RBIs, 15 strikeouts to 8 walks, and a .194 batting average. Defensively, he played 29 games at shortstop.

The Rangers traded Andrus to the Oakland Athletics on February 6, 2021. He finished the 2021 season with 121 hits, 25 doubles, 37 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 81 strikeouts to 31 walks, and a .243 batting average in 146 games. Defensively, as a shortstop in 143 games, he had 337 assists, 61 double plays, 161 putouts, and 15 errors.

The Athletics released Andrus on August 17, 2022. He signed with the White Sox on August 19th.

Career batting statistics for Andrus through 2021 include:

  • 1,798 games played
  • 1,864 hits
  • 328 doubles
  • 79 home runs
  • 317 stolen bases
  • 673 RBIs
  • 1,043 strikeouts to 547 walks
  • .272 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Andrus at shortstop through 2021 include:

  • 1,771 games played
  • 4,824 assists
  • 1,125 double plays
  • 2,690 putouts
  • 209 errors
  • .973 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Elvis Andrus
ESPN Sports - Elvis Andrus