Don Ross
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1946)
Don Ross was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946 for the Detroit Tigers, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 9 seasons. In 498 career games, he hit .262 with 390 hits, 12 home runs, and 162 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- Died
- 3/28/1996 in Arcadia, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1938-04-19
- Last Game
- 1946-09-22
Full name: Donald Raymond Ross
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 498 | 1,488 | 129 | 390 | 63 | 4 | 12 | 162 | 10 | 166 | 70 | .262 | .338 | .334 | .672 | -473 |
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 .672 vs. league average .694 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | .260 | .272 (-5%) | .341 (-2%) | .392 (-22%) | .734 (-13%) | -495.5 |
| 1940 | BRO | NL | 10 | 38 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | .289 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1942 | DET | AL | 87 | 226 | 29 | 62 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 2 | 36 | 16 | .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 | .267 | .255 (+4%) | .324 (avg) | .346 (-8%) | .671 (-4%) | -138.5 |
| 1944 | DET | AL | 66 | 167 | 14 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 14 | 9 | .210 | .261 (-20%) | .325 (-16%) | .357 (-23%) | .683 (-20%) | -486.3 |
| 1945 | DET | AL | 8 | 29 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | .379 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | CLE | AL | 106 | 363 | 26 | 95 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 0 | 42 | 15 | .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 | .268 | .256 (+4%) | .328 (+4%) | .358 (+4%) | .687 (+4%) | 112.1 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 498 | 1,488 | 129 | 390 | 63 | 4 | 12 | 162 | 10 | 166 | 70 | .262 | — | — | — | — | -399 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (498 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 244 | 709 | 73 | 197 | 9 | 88 | .278 |
| Away | 254 | 780 | 56 | 193 | 3 | 75 | .247 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-09-22 | CLE | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-22 | CLE | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-18 | CLE | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-15 | CLE | PHA | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-13 | CLE | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-12 | CLE | BOS | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-09-11 | CLE | NYY | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946-09-10 | CLE | NYY | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946-09-08 | CLE | SLA | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-09-08 | CLE | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
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
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 7 |
| Third Base | 261 |
| Shortstop | 20 |
| Left Field | 11 |
| Right Field | 104 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Don Ross (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Don Ross: the record in brief
Don Ross's major league career runs from a debut on April 19, 1938 to a final game on September 22, 1946. Ross played for the Detroit Tigers (1938 through 1945), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1940), and the Cleveland Indians (1945 through 1946). Listed as a third baseman, Ross batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The birth record reads July 16, 1914, in Pasadena, CA, USA. Ross died on March 28, 1996, in Arcadia, CA, USA. Ross's full given name, per the bio, is Donald Raymond Ross.
In 498 games and 1,488 at bats, Ross batted .262 with 390 hits, adding 12 homers and 162 runs batted in. Ross got on base at a .338 rate and slugged .334 (.672 OPS). The .262 career average is close to the .261 the league hit across the same seasons. The highest hit total in a season was 95, in 1945. Ross drove in a season-high 43 runs in 1945. 1942 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .274 against a league .253, an 8% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don Ross
- What years did Don Ross play?
- Don Ross played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1946.
- Was Don Ross a pitcher?
- No. Don Ross was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Don Ross hit?
- Don Ross hit 12 career home runs with 390 hits.
- What was Don Ross's career batting average?
- Don Ross batted .262 over his career, with 390 hits in 1,488 at bats.
- How many RBI did Don Ross have?
- Don Ross drove in 162 runs in his career.
- Is Don Ross in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Don Ross has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.