| A. J. Ellis | |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 17 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: April 9, 1981 Cape Girardeau, Missouri |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 15, 2008 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Career statistics (through 2011 season) |
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| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 28 |
| Teams | |
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Andrew James Ellis (born April 9, 1981, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Ellis attended Paul Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky, and was a baseball letterman. In baseball, he was a two-time first team All-City selection. Ellis graduated in 1999.
Ellis earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first-team honors all four seasons while at Austin Peay University, only the fifth player in league history to accomplish that feat. He finished his college career with a .351 batting average, and ranks as Austin Peay's all-time leader with 263 hits.[1]
Ellis was selected by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2003 MLB Draft. He has played in the minors with the South Georgia Waves, Vero Beach Dodgers, Double-A Jacksonville Suns, and Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. On September 5, 2008, his contract was purchased by the Dodgers, and he made his debut on September 15.
On September 26, 2008, Ellis made his first appearance in a major league game when he pinch ran for Nomar Garciaparra in the 9th inning in a game against the San Francisco Giants. He then scored his first major league run when he was part of a two-run home run by the Dodgers' every day catcher Russell Martin.
In 2009, Ellis began the season as the starting catcher for the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes under the tutelage of journeyman veteran Danny Ardoin. He spent most of the season with the Isotopes and was called up to the Dodgers in September. He recorded his first Major League hit and RBI with a single in the final game of the season, on October 4, 2009 against the Colorado Rockies.
After starting the 2010 season in the Minors, Ellis was recalled back up to Los Angeles when teammate Brad Ausmus went on the Disabled List.[2] On June 6, Ellis had his first career walk off hit to beat the Braves 6-5 in the 11th. He appeared in 44 games with the Dodgers in 2010, hitting .278.
Ellis split the 2011 season between the Isotopes and the Dodgers. He was in 59 games for Albuquerque, hitting .304 and in 31 games for the Dodgers, hitting .271. On August 24th, 2011, he hit his first career home run off Jaime García of the St. Louis Cardinals.