Braves' Player Recap: David Ross

Today's Braves' recap will be over backup catcher David Ross.
Ross made his major league debut back in 2002 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox before coming to Atlanta before the 2009 season. He has been one of the most reliable backup catchers in the game and had been a huge asset for the Braves when starting catcher Brian McCann would go down with an injury.
In 2012, Ross had another good season backing up McCann. His only bad part of the year came in a five game stretch at the end of May and the beginning of June when he went hitless in five straight games. He also suffered a minor injury, but he over came that and was easily the best backup in the major leagues this season.
Ross' best game came against the New York Mets on July 13th, as he went one for two with a home run and four RBI's and three walks. Another great moment he had this year was when he hit a two-run home run in the wild card game over the St. Louis Cardinals. The only thing that would have made that day better for him is if the Braves could have held the lead that he staked them to. He also was a great defender and was really good at throwing out would-be base stealers. Ross finished the year batting .256 with nine home runs and 23 RBI's.
Ross has already left the Braves, signing a two year, $6.2 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Ross will most likely be a backup to another former Brave, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, next season. He could also see duties as the designated hitter on days that David Ortiz needs a rest. The Braves will have to find someone to replace Ross as the primary backup to McCann, which will be a nearly impossible task for general manager Frank Wren to accomplish.