Mark Ellis was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 9th round of the 1999 draft at the age of 21. He had a minor league career that included a couple of all-star games. He is another player who has carved out quite a major league career who never sniffed the Baseball America top 100 prospect list. He was involved in the biggest trade of 2001:
Per baseball reference:
January 8, 2001: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Kansas City Royals with Johnny Damon to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent Ben Grieve to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Oakland Athletics sent Angel Berroa and A.J. Hinch to the Kansas City Royals. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays sent Cory Lidle to the Oakland Athletics. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays sent Roberto Hernandez to the Kansas City Royals.
In the beginning the Royals thought they had made out by getting ROY Angel Berroa but the joke was on them as Berroa was a one year wonder, while Mark Ellis can make a claim for being one of the best overall 2nd baseman in baseball from 2005 - 2009. Ellis has the metrics to support his reputation as being one of the best defensive second baseman of his generation. In 2007, Ellis went 70 games without an error breaking the A's record as a 2nd baseman.
Once upon a time Mark Ellis was a someone I coveted. That time was 2008 when Mark Ellis was one of the top 10 2nd baseman in baseball. It is now 2012 and Mark Ellis is no longer close to that player. In 2011 Mark Ellis was the worst offensive everyday 2nd baseman in major league baseball. Even with the help of being traded to the Rockies at mid-season he could not escape the fact his bat was silent in 2011.
Mark Ellis needs to bounce back from a downward spike in his career in 2011. At 35 not many second baseman have ever made this leap. Second baseman do not age well and the Dodgers are not only on the hook for his age 35 year but his age 36 year. This does not bode well. The Rockies badly needed a second baseman for 2012 but they passed on the player they traded for. Don't be fooled by the numbers with the Rockies in the second half. At first glance they look solid .274 / .319 / .392 but Mark Ellis did most of his Rockie damage the first two weeks he was with the team when he exploded for an OPS of .978 in his first 12 games. After those 12 games - he played 58 games and put up a .647 OPS. Playing for the Rockies. In Coors.
Trivia
Mark Ellis was played by actor Brent Dohling in the movie Moneyball.
Mark Ellis hit for the cycle on June 4th, 2007
Contract Status
Per the TBLA Payroll Worksheet
Ellis signed a two-year deal worth $8.75 million on November 15, 2011, which includes a club option for 2014. Here is the payout schedule, per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:
2012: $2.5 million
2013: $5.25 million
2014: $5.75 million club option ($1 million buyout)
Previous Dodgers Player Profiles
None
Stats
| Year | Age | PA |
HR |
Runs | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | wOBA |
| 2009 |
32 | 410 | 10 | 52 | 61 | .263 | .305 | .403 | .310 |
| 2010 |
33 | 490 | 5 | 45 | 49 | .291 | .358 | .381 | .326 |
| 2011 |
34 | 519 | 7 | 55 | 41 | .248 | .288 | .346 | .283 |
| 2012 Projections - Age 35 Season | |||||||||
| Year | PA |
HR |
Runs | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | ||
| Bill James | 450 | 8 | 49 | 45 | .255 | .314 | .369 | ||
| ZiPS | 475 | 6 | 47 | 43 | .253 | .303 | .350 | ||
2012 Outlook
Starting 2nd baseman, might be adequate offensively, if reports are to be believed he might be the best defensive 2nd baseman we have had since Alex Cora. At 35 I'm a skeptic he still has those chops but looking forward to seeing the Dee and E defensive show.
I think the projections are about right a .640 - 680 OPS. The important question is will that come with above average defense from a 35 year old second baseman who like most second baseman has battled injuries much of his career.