April 23rd, 2013 at 6:11 am 
by Ron Cervenka In the year plus that Mark Ellis has been with the Dodgers, he has been referred to as many things – all of which are good. He has been called the consummate professional, a professional hitter, a solid defender, the perfect number two hitter and my personal favorite, the glue that holds the team together.
Although Ellis has never been known as a power hitter, he hit 7 home runs in 2012 – this in spite of being on the DL for nearly two months (more on that later) and playing in only 110 games in his first full season with the Dodgers. By contrast, Juan Uribe, who is considered a power hitter, is in his third (and final) season with the Dodgers and has hit a total of 8 home runs with the Dodgers.
Mark Ellis has a career batting average of .266 in 11 major league seasons, but it is his career .991 fielding percentage that makes him invaluable to the Dodgers. (Photo credit – Garrett Nichols)
Ellis was born in Rapid City, South Dakota and attended Stevens High School. As a 16-year-old, Ellis was the starting shortstop for the 1993 Rapid City Post 22 American Legion varsity “Hardhat” baseball team which had a 70–5 record and won the national title in Roseburg, Oregon. He was named the South Dakota American Legion Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995.
Ellis went on to play for the University of Florida Gators and was selected MVP of the Gainesville regionals at the 1998 College World Series. Although Mark has played his entire Major League career at second base, he was the starting third baseman for the Gators, which teammates affectionately nicknamed “Ellis Island” due to Mark’s tremendous range and fielding abilities at the hot corner.
Ellis was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the ninth round of the 1999 First Year Player Draft and played in the Royals farm system in 1999 and 2000. He was named to the Short-Season-A All-Star team and the Advanced-A Carolina League All-Star team respectively.
On January 1, 2001, Ellis was acquired by the Oakland A’s along with outfielder Johnny Damon and pitcher Cory Lidle in a three-team deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Royals for outfielder Ben Grieve, shortstop Ángel Berroa, and catcher A. J. Hinch. In 2001, Ellis hit .273 in 132 games with 10 home runs with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats .
Ellis made his major-league debut on April 9, 2002 with the Athletics as a pinch runner. He collected his first base hit in his first MLB start on April 18 against the Angels and his first home run on June 28, 2002 against the Giants. Ellis finished the 2002 season hitting .272 in 98 games. He followed that up by hitting .248 in 2003 but missed the entire 2004 season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder suffered in a collision with teammate Bobby Crosby in a spring training game. Upon his return in 2005, Ellis led the A’s in batting average (.316), on base percentage (.384), and slugging percentage (.477) as the team’s everyday second baseman.
In 2006, Ellis set a new AL single-season fielding percentage record for a second baseman with a .99685 FPCT. On June 4, 2007, Ellis became only the sixth player in A’s history to hit for the cycle and on August 5, 2007, he tied the A’s team record for consecutive errorless games by a second baseman at 70 games. Ellis missed the last two months of the 2008 season due to cartilage damage in his shoulder. He underwent successful surgery that also cleaned up his previously injured labrum.
In October 2008, the A’s signed Ellis to an $11 million contract through 2010, with an option for 2011.
On June 30, 2011, Ellis was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Bruce Billings and Eliezer Mesa. In his one season with the Rockies, Ellis appeared in 70 games and hit .274 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs. He became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2011 season.
On November 15, 2011, Ellis signed a two-year/$8.75 million contract with the Dodgers and was having a very good season until May 18, 2012 when Cardinals second baseman Tyler Greene took Ellis out trying to break up a double play. Ellis initially told Dodger head trainer Sue Falsone that he was okay, but the following morning he told Falsone that he was experiencing discomfort and swelling in his lower leg. Hearing this, Falsone insisted that he go immediately to the hospital. As it turned out, Ellis required an emergency fasciotomy on his leg, with doctors saying that had he waited another six or seven hours, he most likely would have lost his leg. Ellis recovered faster than expected from his injury and rejoined the Dodgers on July 4.
Had Mark Ellis not heeded the advice of trainers, he could have lost his leg.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
Through the first 18 games of 2013, Ellis is 19 for 61 (.311) with 7 RBIs, none bigger than the two that he picked up on a bases loaded single just over the head of Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy on an 0-2 pitch this past Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards. Those two key RBIs helped the Dodgers to an eventual 7-4 win and brought an end to their 6-game losing streak.
“We needed that a lot,” said Ellis after the game. “Obviously, we haven’t played good baseball. But when we fell behind by three, we didn’t roll over. We fought back.”
Having your number two guy hitting .311 is great, but it is Ellis’ defense that is causing a buzz among Dodger fans. Ellis made an absolutely impossible play in the bottom half of the 8th inning that prevented Orioles slugger Chris Davis from scoring from second base when he somehow got to a ball hit up the middle off the bat of Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. Ellis was able to get to the ball at the edge of the grass and make a leaping throw to get Wieters at first. And though Davis took third on the play, he was left stranded there when Hardy grounded out to short on the next play. That play exemplifies just how good the 35-year-old Ellis really is and how valuable he is to the struggling Dodgers.
After making an impossible stop of this Matt Wieters grounder up the middle, Mark Ellis made an even more impossible throw to get him at first, thus preventing a run from scoring.
(Video capture courtesy of Fox Prime Ticket)
The Dodgers have a $5.75 million club option on Mark Ellis for 2014 (with a $1 million buyout), so his status with the team next season is unknown. But with a lack of second base talent in the Dodgers farm system and with the way that Ellis has started off thus far in the young 2013 season, perhaps that $5.75 million option would be money well spent to bring Mark back for one more season.
After all, a 35-year-old second baseman who plays like 25-year-old second baseman is kind of hard to find.
Posted in 
Right you are 53. This team won’t be successful without Ellis or Hairston!
Great article, 53. Watching the final game of the Baltimore series I was thinking the exact same thing. Ellis has been our glue so far this season. Hopefully he will be an inspiration to the other guys.
Mark Ellis – solid player in almost all facets of the game. A professional ball player that leads by example, work ethic and effort. 35 years old and the glue that holds the team together. That’s my concern about this team. Not enough Ellises and too many Sellers, Cruzes and Uribes.
I guess this is simply an area where you and I must agree to disagree, Evan.
Sellers made the team based on his defense which, quite frankly, has been very good. Had Hanley not been injured in the WBC, Justin never would have made the team – we all know this.
Cruz is perhaps one of the best defensive third basemen in the league and it is disappointing that his offense fell off as badly as it has, especially after a very good spring training (don’t forget, he tied Castellanos for the most HRs on the team with 4).
Uribe? Well Uribe is Uribe and right up there with Andruw Jones as one of Colletti’s worst signings.
The point is, you aren’t going to have 8 guys in your line-up hitting .300 – period. I don’t even expect Mark Ellis to do this. A number two’s primary job is to advance the leadoff batter, which means a lot of sacs and a lot of ground outs the other way – that’s his job and Ellis is exceptional at it.
The problem as I see it is that nobody is hitting with RISP, not even the so-called power hitters, and this is absolutely killing the Dodgers. But to blame Cruz and Sellers (and Uribe) as the primary reason for the Dodgers’ shortcomings is unfair.
When Hanley returns (probably a week from today), the Dodgers will pick up a much needed bat, but they will be losing a better glove in either Sellers or Cruz – that’s just the way it goes. But if Hanley and the other power bats start hitting consistently and consecutively, and if the pitching can limit opponents to less than 4 runs per game, the Dodgers should at least be a .600 team, which should put them at least close to Wild Card range (although I still believe that neither Wild Card will come out of the NL West).
There are no power-hitting 3Bs on the farm (except for C.J. Retherford), so the only option will be for the Dodgers to trade for one either at the July 31 trade deadline or during the off-season. In the meantime, the Dodgers will have to rely on Cruz or Uribe (or Hanley if Cruz or Sellers play SS) and hope that the fearsome five-some become the fearsome five-some. These are the guys who need to hit .300+, not Cruz, Sellers, Uribe or even the Ellises.
Ron, I’m not necesarilly saying that the Dodgers failures are resting on the failure of Sellers, Cruz and Uribe’s lack of production. I didn’t elaborate out of the interest of time. I could have gone on and on about the entire team’s failure to hit with runners in scoring position, the injuries, the bullpen problems, the slumping of Kemp thus far and the additional cast of utility guys that aren’t impressing (Hairston, Schumacher, Hernandez, and others). Of course when guys like Sellers (.170) and Cruz (.090) are sitting in the dugout yucking it up over a pantamime routine in which Sellers pretends he’s rolling a joint, my ire raises to new levels. Let them laugh all they want in Albuquerque. No qualms with Seller’s defense, but frankly, I’d rather see Dee and his errors when I know his OBP will be better than Sellers and that he’ll be a base stealing threat, something this team doesn’t have much of.
Anyway, sorry about the rant. But the Sellers bench thing (w/Cruz) really ticked me off. The guy wasn’t much of a citizen in the off season, so you’d think he’d toe the line and really attempt to be on excellent behavior this year. Then he somehow makes the team due to his ST work ethic. He hits next to nothing, and he’s pulling this crap knowing full well that cameras are always rolling. What an idiot! I understand keeping guys for their defense, but geez, hit at least the Mendoza line. Mark Belanger, Enzo Hernandez, Johnny Lemaster, Ed Brinkman and yes, Mario Mendoza could at least hit .200. This guy might as well swing a strand of spaghetti noodles when he bats. He’s worthless offensively.
Yes this is a very very good article 53, about an excellent second baseman, one of the best the Dodgers have had in some time.
And to top it all off, he can hit too.
David Vassegh, Dodgers correspondent for MLB Net just referred to Ellis as ‘the unsung hero’.
There ya go.
As I was researching this article and looking through my photos of Mark to use, I realized that I had taken very few photos of him during spring training and none since. I then checked Google Images and found the same to be true there. Fortunately, you (Garrett) had taken a couple of good ‘uns last season when you were in the well.
My point is, Mark Ellis IS the unsung hero (or whatever other phrase you choose to describe him). He is much like John Shelby was when he was with the Dodgers – he went out and got the job done, but basically nobody paid attention to him – including the media.
Rest assured that beginning with this next home stand, I will never again be without Mark Ellis photos; and I will also be spending more time talking with Mark in the Dodger clubhouse as well.
I appreciate you using my photo. I have a bunch of him when he was with the Quakes that I’ve never put up. Some good ones of him playing second. I’ll send a couple your way when I get a chance. I like Ellis a lot, not only as a player but he’s a pretty nice guy, too.
I actually shot quit a few photos of Mark when he was rehabbing with the Quakes but wanted to use Dodgers photos for the article. He is indeed a great guy.
More Mark Ellis glue – http://t.co/BT7TRvAjPi
Possibly the best-timed blog EVER!!!
Props to @Think_BlueLA, who wrote at 6:11am this AM that Mark Ellis was “the glue that hold the Dodgers together” http://t.co/Z5RpvFjaeO
I was fortunate enough to get Mark’s autograph this ST and had a few seconds to say to him how much he is appreciated and that in my mind he represented the true definition of being a “gamer”. I thanked him for all that he gives to the team and you could tell he was very grateful for someone saying it and he responded with a few words about is recovery.
I also had a similar experience with AJ noting how much I can appreciate what he does given all the catching lessens, injuries and challenges I have seen my daughter go through as a catcher. I told him how much I wished I had all the money we’ve spent in catching, fielding and hitting lessens thus far for an 18 yr old girl heading off to play in college and he laughed and said his parents felt the exact same way and that he couldn’t have done it without them.
Unbelievable… timing, as they say, is everything!
Props, 53!
I think the Ellis duo .. Are the keys to our success this year.