After not being heavily recruited out of his Ohio high school, Ross headed to Division II Notre Dame College near Cleveland to extend his career. He was the first two-time All-American in school history and made enough noise to get the Twins' attention, and they took him in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft, signing him for an under-slot $220,000. He put up relatively pedestrian numbers over his first couple of seasons, though he did spend a year-plus in Double-A. He went back to Wichita to start 2026 and raked, earning a bump to Triple-A in late April.
While Ross very much has a utility role profile, it comes with legitimate tools on both sides. He's reined in the swing-and-miss that plagued him a bit early in his pro career, draws a ton of walks and has been consistently hitting the ball hard. He can drive it to all fields for extra bases and has been tapping into his home run pop to his pull side more routinely. He really punishes fastballs, though he does have more trouble with soft stuff.
Ross' defense at a number of positions has always been an asset. The above-average runner plays a solid shortstop, with enough arm for the premium position. But he seamlessly moves around the dirt, seeing time at third and second as well this season, while also having turned himself into a quality defender in center and left field.
A soccer and baseball standout at his Ohio high school, Ross wasn’t heavily recruited and stayed in state, traveling northeast to Division II Notre Dame College outside of Cleveland. With a .405 average and an OPS north of 1.200, he became the first player in program history to be given All-American honors and left campus after the Twins took him in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft. He didn’t quite put up those kinds of eye-popping numbers in his first full season, but he was productive with High-A Cedar Rapids and earned a late bump up to Double-A.
Lanky and athletic, Ross has some legitimate tools on both sides of the ball. His profile changed a little bit during his first full season, as there was a bit more swing-and-miss than expected. But he also got to his excellent raw power a bit more, finishing tied for second in the Midwest League with 19 home runs. He’s working on refining his approach and swing angle as he especially had a tendency to hit the ball in the air too much on fastballs up in the zone, with the hope he can keep a line-drive angle on those.
Ross’ speed and arm do work well at shortstop, his primary position in college, and he’ll continue to see time as he nears the upper levels. He’s also shown the ability to move around the field as needed, even playing more first base than anticipated because of other high priority infielders in Cedar Rapids. His future is likely as a utilityman, but one who can stay up the middle at short and even in center field.
Notre Dame College is a Division II school that doesn’t exactly have a long track record of producing professional talent, with only lefty Travis Scott previously coming from the school, and he transferred to a junior college for his Draft year. So when the Twins took Ross, who was considered to be the best college hitter in Ohio in his class, in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft, he became the first Falcons product to be drafted. He left Notre Dame with a career .405 average and an OPS over 1.200, then held his own with Single-A Fort Myers in his pro debut.
Ross brings some twitchy athleticism, speed and a feel for the barrel to the Twins organization. The right-handed hitter doesn’t chase a ton and draws walks. He can drive the ball, but he entered the pro ranks with a setup at the plate with his lower half that made it difficult for him to cover the outer half. He’s made some small adjustments to have better direction to the middle of the field and a better bat path overall. Tall and lanky, he’s already added at least 10 pounds of strength, which could help him impact the ball more.
Primarily a shortstop in college, Ross has a strong arm and plus speed that not only should enable him to be a threat on the bases but give him range defensively. He’ll keep getting reps at the premium position, but like he did during his pro debut, he’s going to move around the infield and see more time in the outfield, where his athleticism might really play well.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
