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MARK ELLIS
Second Baseman
Oakland A’s
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 180 lbs.
Born: June 6, 1977, in Rapid City, South Dakota, U.S.A.
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PROFILE:
The Kansas City Royals in the ninth round of the 1999 draft originally selected Mark Ellis; Ellis was attending the University of Florida at the time, where he played mostly third base as a freshman and sophomore. He signed his first professional contract, including a small $1,000 bonus, with the Royals on June 3, 1999; the find of Royals’ scout Cliff Pastornicky. However, the young infielder was eventually traded by the Kansas City Royals along with OF Johnny Damon and a player to be named later, as part of a three-way deal, in which the Royals acquired C A.J. Hinch, SS Angel Berroa and some cash from the A’s, and P Roberto Hernandez from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, while the Devil Rays obtained OF Ben Grieve and a player to be named later from the A’s. The A’s, in turn, then also obtained P Cory Lidle from the Devil Rays on January 8, 2001. In his first year in the Royals’ minor leagues, Ellis proved to be quite a bargain, as he earned All-Star honors and lead the Carolina League in hits and on-base percentage. The Royals, however, were desperate to acquire a “pure” shortstop, so they shipped Ellis off to the A’s for SS Angel Berroa, even though Ellis can play shortstop in addition to second base. Mark is the prototypical “overachiever.” His skills are not dazzling, but he gets the job done. He is a very intelligent player with excellent instincts for the game. He gets on base and is a good contact hitter. He also knows how to take a walk and can steal the occasional base. He is a very steady defender both at shortstop and second base; however, because his arm is not particularly strong, he is better suited to play second. Like Cal Ripken, Jr. or Jay Bell in their primes, Ellis seems to have a knack for knowing where to position himself on the field. So, despite not have spectacular range, Ellis makes more than his share of plays. The A’s were so impressed with how Ellis handled his defensive responsibilities in the middle infield, that they kind of rushed him through the low minors, where he had to endure some offensive growing pains.
FINAL ASSESSMENT:
In the very least, we believe the Mark Ellis will have a long career as a major league utility infielder. However, if he can continue to hit and play defense as he did during his initial trial with the big league club last season, he may even end up being a starting player. Right now, he seems to have done just that. Ellis actually ended up taking most of the playing time that the A’s had envisioned veteran infielder Randy Velarde would perform when they signed him before the start of last season. We see Ellis going in the first round of the upcoming NABL draft. Perhaps a little earlier than his abilities would dictate, but his more than 300 at-bats will be very attractive to teams that need some more help up the middle.
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