Kevin Ross

KEVIN ROSS
FIRST BASEMAN
  Born: September 17, 1993
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 8th Round, 256th Overall, 2012
How Acquired: Draft
High School: Niles West HS, IL
Agent: Jeffrey Borris, Beverly Hills Sports Council

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

Baseball America ranked Ross as the #225 prospect in the draft, characterizing him as having the potential to go as high as round five.  He played short in high school and has a good arm, but BA believes he’ll move to third, no doubt in part due to his size.  The Pirates announced him as a shortstop, although that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.  He has power potential but may need to tone down his swing.  Ross had committed to Michigan, but he signed just before the deadline, surprisingly for slightly less than the slot amount.

2012
R:  233/282/315, 73 AB, 3 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 10 K, 2-6 SB

Ross signed late enough that he played only half the season.  He spent about two-thirds of his time at third and the rest at second.  He went 3-for-27 in July, then hit 304/347/413 in August.

2013
R:  000/176/000, 14 AB, 1 BB, 4 K

Ross went back to the GCL and played in five early season games, all at first.  He went 0-14 and was then placed on the suspended list for undisclosed reasons.

2014
A-:  265/281/352, 162 AB, 11 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 13 K, 1-2 SB

Despite his limited experience, the Pirates sent Ross to Jamestown, where he shared first base duties with David Andriese and also played a few games at third.  For some reason he didn’t play much in August.  Ross had an odd season, rarely walking or striking out.  He was blistering hot during a three-week stretch starting at the end of June, going 24-54 (.444).  He hit only .176 the rest of the time.  He had a large platoon split, posting an OPS of .796 against LHPs and .583 against RHPs.

Ross seems to have at least some potential with the bat, especially if some doubles start turning into HRs.  He should have been in the mix for some sort of corner role at West Virginia.  He won’t be playing until well into the season, though, because he was suspended during the off-season for 50 games after testing positive for the second time for a drug of abuse.  Presumably, he’ll join the Power once the suspension is over.  He’ll play the season at 21, which would be a decent age for the level.

STATS
Baseball Reference–Minors
Fangraphs
MiLB.com
HS
BA
SLG
HR
BB
K
2012 .452 .753 2 14 2
CONTRACT INFORMATION
2015: Minor league contract
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: $130,000
MiLB Debut: 2012
MLB Debut:
MiLB FA Eligible: 2018
MLB FA Eligible:
Rule 5 Eligible: 2016
Added to 40-Man:
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 5, 2012: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round, 256th overall pick; signed on July 13.