Don Ross, baseball player, 1938-1946

Don Ross

Born: 7/16/1914 in Pasadena, CA, USA

Died: 3/28/1996 in Arcadia, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1938-04-19 | Final Game: 1946-09-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Donald Raymond Ross

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Biography

Don Ross, born in 1914, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1938 to 1946. Primarily known as a position player, Ross made a significant impact over 498 games in Major League Baseball. He recorded a total of 390 hits, contributing to a career batting average of .262. Throughout his time in the league, he demonstrated consistent offensive capability, notching 12 home runs and driving in 162 runs batted in (RBIs). Ross was also a threat on the bases, finishing his career with 10 stolen bases. Playing during a transformative period in baseball history that included the tail end of the Great Depression and World War II, Ross's contributions were vital to his teams. His ability to adapt to the evolving game and maintain a solid performance under varying circumstances underscored his role in the sport during these challenging years. Despite not being a household name, Ross's career remains a testament to the resilience and skill of players from that era.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
9.0 9.0 3.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.444 0.444 0.556 1.000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 9.0 9.0 3.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.444 0.444 0.556 1.000

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
498 1488 129 390 63 4 12 162 10 166 70 0.262 0.338 0.334 0.672 -649.0

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .338 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .334 vs. league average .364 across their career seasons — 8.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.672 vs. league average 0.694 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1938 DET AL 77 265 22 69 7 1 1 30 1 29 11 0.260 .272 (-5%) .341 (-2%) .392 (-22%) .734 (-13%) -569.9
1940 BRO NL 10 38 4 11 2 0 1 8 1 3 3 0.289 — — — — 0.0
1942 DET AL 87 226 29 62 10 2 3 30 2 36 16 0.274 .253 (+8%) .323 (+17%) .349 (+8%) .672 (+12%) 608.7
1943 DET AL 89 247 19 66 13 0 0 18 2 20 3 0.267 .255 (+4%) .324 (avg) .346 (-8%) .671 (-4%) -162.5
1944 DET AL 66 167 14 35 5 0 2 15 2 14 9 0.210 .261 (-20%) .325 (-16%) .357 (-23%) .683 (-20%) -548.8
1945 DET AL 8 29 3 11 4 0 0 4 2 5 1 0.379 — — — — 0.0
1945 CLE AL 106 363 26 95 15 1 2 43 0 42 15 0.262 .260 (avg) .328 (+3%) .354 (-8%) .683 (-3%) 0.0
1946 CLE AL 55 153 12 41 7 0 3 14 0 17 12 0.268 .256 (+4%) .328 (+4%) .358 (+4%) .687 (+4%) 112.1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 17 1 0 0
2B 7 0 14 19 4 3
3B 261 0 278 447 41 36
OF 115 0 207 9 7 3
SS 20 0 30 45 4 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 DET 3B 75 0 90 157 14 15
1940 BRO 3B 10 0 10 19 4 0
1942 DET 3B 20 0 17 26 4 2
1942 DET OF 38 0 77 4 3 2
1943 DET 2B 7 0 14 19 4 3
1943 DET 3B 1 0 1 2 0 0
1943 DET OF 38 0 62 3 1 0
1943 DET SS 18 0 29 41 4 7
1944 DET 1B 1 0 17 1 0 0
1944 DET OF 37 0 67 2 3 1
1944 DET SS 2 0 1 4 0 0
1945 DET 3B 8 0 6 18 1 0
1945 CLE 3B 106 0 119 175 13 14
1946 CLE 3B 41 0 35 50 5 5
1946 CLE OF 2 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 7
Third Base 261
Shortstop 20
Left Field 11
Right Field 104