Robbie Ross Jr.
Robert Charles Ross Jr. is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.
Amateur career
Ross was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended Trinity Christian Academy and later Lexington Christian Academy, where he competed in both baseball and soccer. Ross had a 1.98 career earned run average with 176 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched, and also batted.404 with 52 runs batted in and 33 stolen bases. During his senior year, Ross was selected as the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in Kentucky.Professional career
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers selected Ross in the second round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.In 2011, he had a 10-5 win–loss record with a 2.34 ERA with the Single–A Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.
Ross made the Rangers opening day roster out of spring training in 2012. He made his major league debut on April 8, 2012, against the Chicago White Sox. Robbie's first strikeout victim was Paul Konerko. His first major league victory came April 14, 2012, against the Minnesota Twins in relief of Yu Darvish. The very next day, he picked up his second victory, also against the Twins, in relief of Neftalí Feliz.
Boston Red Sox
On January 27, 2015, the Rangers traded Ross to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Anthony Ranaudo.In his first season with the Red Sox, Ross appeared in 54 games, collecting a 0–2 record, with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 53 batters. In 2015, Ross had a solid season posting a 3.86 ERA in 54 appearances, and even serving as the Red Sox closer for a brief time. He would amass the only 6 saves of his MLB career in 2015.
In 2016, Ross was an integral part of the Boston bullpen, appearing in 54 games, racking up innings, to the tune of a 3–2 record and 56 strikeouts. Ross' 2017 season was cut short due to a back injury, he appeared in only 8 games. He was outrighted off the roster after the season and he elected to become a free agent.