Cody Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1980), nicknamed "Toy Cannon" and "Ross the Boss," is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons; with the Detroit Tigers (2003), Los Angeles Dodgers (2005–2006), Cincinnati Reds (2006), Florida Marlins (2006–2010), San Francisco Giants (2010–2011), Boston Red Sox (2012), Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–2014) and Oakland Athletics (2015). Ross won a World Series with the San Francisco Giants in 2010. He is one of the few Major League players to bat right-handed and throw left-handed.
Following high school, Ross embarked on his professional career, getting selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. He reached the Major Leagues in 2003, but suffered a torn ACL which caused him to miss most of September. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers following spring training in 2004, appearing in a handful of games with them in 2005. In 2006, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Florida Marlins. It was in Florida that he finally established himself, as he played with the Marlins through 2010. He was used mainly as a reserve outfielder in 2006 and 2007, but during the 2008 season he took over a starting role. He would be a starting outfielder for the rest of his Marlins career, playing center field or right field. In 2009, he hit a career-high 24 home runs and won the Marlins' Charlie Hough Good Guy award.
During the 2010 season, the Marlins placed Ross on waivers, and he was claimed by the San Francisco Giants. Named their starting right fielder for the 2010 playoffs, he went on to win the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award, hitting five home runs in the postseason while helping the Giants win the 2010 World Series over the Texas Rangers. He re-signed with San Francisco in 2011, batting .240 during the year. In 2012, he signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, hitting 22 home runs while playing every day despite the fact that the Red Sox originally expected him to be a reserve player for them. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him to a three-year contract in December 2012, but a season-ending hip injury limited Ross to 94 games during his first year with the team.
Cody Joseph Ross was born on December 23, 1980, in Portales, New Mexico. Ross's father was a chiropractor and professional bull rider; and as a youth, Ross wanted to become a rodeo clown. He used to attend his father's bull-riding matches in clown outfits, complete with makeup. He did not give up on the aspiration until his family moved to Dallas, Texas. The Ross family eventually moved back to New Mexico, and Ross played high school baseball at Carlsbad High School. Ross also played football until ninth grade. During high school, he was a Baseball America All-American selection. As a senior, he threw a five-inning perfect game. He graduated in 1999.
Ross was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. He began his minor league career that year with the rookie Gulf Coast League Tigers, batting .218 with 31 hits, eight doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 18 runs batted in (RBI) in 42 games. In 2000, he played for the A West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League, getting named the Midwest League Player of the Week from June 18–24 after he scored four runs, had two doubles and a triple, drove in six runs, and batted .636. In 122 games, he batted .267 with 116 hits, 17 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs, 68 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. His nine triples were tied for second in the league. After the season, Baseball America said he had the best outfield arm in the Detroit system.
Ross played for the A-advanced Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League in 2001. He was the league's player of the week from June 18–24 after stealing four bases and batting .516 with 11 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, and five RBI. Then, he was named Player of the Week from August 13 to 19 after batting .385. In 127 games (10th in the league), Ross batted .276 with 84 runs scored (fifth), 133 hits (eighth), 34 doubles (second to Matt Padgett's 37), five triples (tied with eight other players for seventh), 15 home runs (tied with Jason Jones for eighth), 80 RBI (seventh), and 28 stolen bases (tied with Josh McKinley for eighth). After the season, Baseball America ranked him the ninth best Tigers' prospect and again said he had the best outfield arm in the organization.
In 2002, Ross played for the AA Erie SeaWolves of the Eastern League, getting named to both the regular season and postseason All-Star teams for the league. He was named the Tigers' Minor League Player of the Month in June after hitting .336 with 29 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 30 RBI, and 10 stolen bases; he earned the same honor from Topps. A broken toe forced him out of action from July 1 through August 2 and limited him to 105 games. He finished the year with 112 hits, 28 doubles, three triples, 72 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. His 19 home runs were tied with Andy Phillips and Aaron McNeal for ninth in the league. After the season, he played for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. For the third year in a row, Baseball America said he had the best outfield arm in the Tigers' system.
Ross began 2003 with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens of the International League.
On July 4, he was called up by the Tigers. He made his Major League debut that day, going hitless in two at bats before exiting after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning as the Tigers lost 9–8 to the Kansas City Royals. He got his first hit on July 9, an RBI single against Bartolo Colón in a 4–2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. After he had one hit in four games, he was optioned back to Toledo on July 16 to make room for Danny Patterson, who was returning from the disabled list. From July 27 to 29, and again from August 17 to 18, Ross homered in three consecutive games for the Mud Hens. In 124 games for the Mud Hens, Ross batted .287 with 135 hits, 35 doubles (tied for sixth in the International League with Andy Abad and Luis Rodríguez), six triples (tied for fourth with Ross Gload and Coco Crisp), 20 home runs (tied for third with Brandon Larson behind Fernando Seguignol's 28 and Ernie Young's 21), 61 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. He was recalled to the big leagues in September when rosters expanded. On September 2, he hit a grand slam off Cliff Lee for his first Major League home run in an 8–6 victory over the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Tiger since Milt Cuyler in 1991 to hit a grand slam for his first home run. In that same game, he tore his ACL running to first base, which required season-ending surgery. In six games with the Tigers, Ross had four hits in 19 at bats, including five RBI. Ross was named the Tigers' Minor League Player of the Year, and he was named to Baseball America's postseason All-Star team. For the final time, he was rated as having the best outfield arm in the Detroit organization.
In 2004, Ross was supposed to begin the season in the minors for Detroit. However, with Detroit desperate for bullpen help, Ross was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 1 for relief pitcher Steve Colyer. He was assigned to the AAA Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League, where he was teammates with Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino, whom he went on to face in the 2010 National League Championship Series (NLCS). Injuries marred Ross's 2004 campaign; a knee injury kept him out for two weeks early in the season, he missed time from May 26 to July 15 after smashing his hand in a car door and breaking his finger, and he broke his wrist on August 25 which ended his season. In 60 games, he batted .273 with 65 hits, 17 doubles, 14 home runs, and 49 RBI. Ross spent most of 2005 with Las Vegas. From July 26 to August 11, he hit 10 home runs and had 25 RBI in 17 games. In 115 games, he batted .267 with 105 hits, 21 doubles, 22 home runs, and 63 RBI.