A.J. Ellis homered and caught Alex Wood’s eight one-hit innings September 16 against Colorado. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
By Jon Weisman
A.J. Ellis is returning to the Dodgers for 2016 on a one-year deal that allows them to avoid an arbitration hearing.
Ellis had a .398 on-base percentage and .486 slugging percentage in 168 plate appearances after May 26, enabling him to finish the season at .355/.403 after a slow start. As Ken Gurnick of MLB.com notes, he hit all seven of his home runs last season in his final 35 games.
Drafted in 2003, Ellis has been in the Dodger organization longer than any other active player, and is the third-longest tenured player on the big-league roster after Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw. He made his MLB debut in September 2008.
With 461 career games behind the plate, Ellis is ninth all-time among Dodger catchers, and will pass Joe Ferguson and Paul Lo Duca to reach seventh if he catches at least 24 games in 2016.
Ellis’ negotiating power was no doubt boosted by his award-worthy appearance Tuesday on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” in which he also showed off his future coaching ability while working with ceremonial first-pitcher Lisa Vanderpump.
So this is why I'm watching Real Housewives of BH for the first time – moments like this, @AJEllis17 @Cindyluellis pic.twitter.com/i5joJxtEZ2
— Jon Weisman (@jonweisman) December 2, 2015
oldbrooklynfan
It’s good to see that A.J. is still with us.