Jacoby ellsbury biography baseball camp

American baseball player (born 1983)

Baseball player

Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury (jə-KOH-bee; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseballcenter fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball.

Ellsbury was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 23rd round of the 2002 MLB draft, but did not sign. After having played college baseball for three years at Oregon State University, he was selected in the 1st round by the Red Sox, as the 23rd overall pick in the 2005 draft. He made his major league debut for the Red Sox in 2007. In 2011, Ellsbury was named American League Comeback Player of the Year, was named to the American League All-Star team, won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award, became the first Red Sox player in history to be a member of the 30–30 club, and was the runner-up to Justin Verlander for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. He led the American League in stolen bases three times (in 2008, 2009, and 2013) and won World Series championships as a member of the Red Sox in 2007 and 2013.

After the 2013 season, Ellsbury signed a seven-year, $153 million contract with the Yankees. He played for the Yankees from 2014 to 2017, but was unable to play in 2018 or 2019 due to injury. Ellsbury was released by the Yankees on November 20, 20

Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury (jə-KOH-bee; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseballcenter fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball.

Ellsbury was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 23rd round of the 2002 MLB draft, but did not sign. After having played college baseball for three years at Oregon State University, he was selected in the 1st round by the Red Sox, as the 23rd overall pick in the 2005 draft. He made his major league debut for the Red Sox in 2007. In 2011, Ellsbury was named American League Comeback Player of the Year, was named to the American League All-Star team, won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award, became the first Red Sox player in history to be a member of the 30–30 club, and was the runner-up to Justin Verlander for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. He led the American League in stolen bases three times (in 2008, 2009, and 2013) and won World Series championships as a member of the Red Sox in 2007 and 2013.

After the 2013 season, Ellsbury signed a seven-year, $153 m

A healthy 2013 season went a long way toward restoring Jacoby Ellsbury's free agent value.  He bounced back from a lost 2012 season to re-establish himself as one of the game's elite leadoff men and center fielders, and agent Scott Boras surely expects a contract well north of $100MM.

Strengths/Pros

Ellsbury is known for his blazing speed, and he led all of baseball with 52 stolen bases this year.  He previously picked up the American League stolen base crown in '08 and topped MLB in '09.  He has a strong career stolen base success rate of 84%, and was up near 93% this year.  FanGraphs' baserunning stat, which includes steals and a bunch of other baserunning skills, suggests Ellsbury was worth 11.4 runs on the basepaths this year.  That figure was the best in baseball.

To make an impact on the bases, a player needs first to reach base, and Ellsbury does well there with a .350 career OBP.  He has a high contact rate and a .297 career batting average, and draws enough walks to supplement his hits.  

Ellsbury also has more pop than the typical center fielder, with a career slugging percentage of .439 and isolated power of .141.  While his power is more of the doubles and triples variety, which is aided by his speed, he did hit 32 home runs in 2011.  As Baseball HQ likes to say, once you display a skill, you own it, so it's fair to say Ellsbury has the potential for double digit home runs.  

That 2011 season looks amazing on a resume, as Ellsbury led all of baseball with 9.1 wins above replacement.  He finished second in the AL MVP voting, won a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove, and made the All-Star team.

Defense is another strong suit for Ellsbury.  He won a Gold Glove in 2011 and has consistently posted above average UZR and DRS numbers in center field.  Ellsbury adds value in every conceivable way.

This year FanGra

As a kid growing up on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon, Jacoby Ellsbury dreamed of being a baseball player. He spent hours hitting balls off a tee made just for him by his father, igniting his passion for the sport.

“Living on the reservation I was always motivated to excel,” said Ellsbury, a member of the Navajo and Colorado River Indian Tribes. “People always told me the chance of playing was low; they said to pick a real job. I always wanted to play baseball, so I strived for it and worked hard for it.”

Ellsbury, 30, has spent his life chasing the dream and has two World Series championships to show for it, both with the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and 2013. He became a free agent in the offseason, and in December, he signed a seven-year, $153-million contract with the New York Yankees, where he’s the leadoff batter and center fielder. Among outfielders, only Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp have signed more lucrative contracts at $160 million.

Baseball plays an important part of his life, but serving as a role model to Native American kids does as well. Ellsbury combined those passions and teamed up with Nike in 2011 to run the N7 Jacoby Ellsbury Baseball Camp on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“This is a way to give back,” Ellsbury said. “If the kids take one thing from camp, it’s that they can work hard, go to school, get good grades and have a dream and a goal in mind.”

Nike N7 brings the benefits of sports to Native American communities. Proceeds from the purchase of N7 products support the N7 Fund, which helps physical fitness and sports programs on reservations.

“We want to bring the kids in for a fun and exciting experience with Jacoby Ellsbury and have them leave feeling inspired,” said Tessa Sayers, with Nike N7 operations. “The skills they learn at camp they can do at home; they don’t always need a lot of equipment. We want them to know being phys