Alexander Ross Dickerson (born May 26, 1990), nicknamed "Grandpa", is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

who is currently a free agent. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

. In college at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

he was a unanimous selection as the 2010 Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year. Dickerson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

. He was the 2012 Florida State League Player of the Year, 2013 Eastern League Rookie of the Year, and 2015 Pacific Coast League Rookie of the Year. He made his MLB debut with the

in 2015. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018.

Amateur career

Dickerson attended Poway High School in Poway, California, and played on the baseball team as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. He batted .354/.420/.686 as a junior, .455/.522/.851 as a senior, and was named All-San Diego Division I Player of the Year. At the age of fifteen Dickerson underwent back surgery, and first became known by the nickname Grandpa. The

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

selected Dickerson in the 48th round of the

2008 Major League Baseball draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

. He elected, however, to attend

, where he played outfield and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

for the

Indiana Hoosiers baseball The Indiana Hoosiers baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Indiana University Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are memb ...

team from 2009–2011. As a freshman, batting cleanup Dickerson hit .370/.428/.618 with 14

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. He was named the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

's Freshman of the Year and received Freshman All-American honors. Dickerson had a breakout season as a sophomore, slugging .805 (8th in the nation) and winning the Big Ten

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

by leading the Big Ten in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(.419), home runs (24; second in the nation), and

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(75). He was named the Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-American honors. In his junior season he batted .367/.440/.540. In 2009 and 2010, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Dickerson in the third round of the

. After signing for a signing bonus of $380,700, Dickerson spent most of the rest of the 2011 season with the

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. T ...

, batting .313/.393/.493 with an .886 OPS (9th in the New York-Pennsylvania League) in 150 at bats; his 16 doubles were second among all short-season batters. Dickerson spent the 2012 season with the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

, where he batted .295/.353/.451 with 31 doubles (4th in the league), 13 home runs (7th), and 90 RBIs (2nd) in 488 at bats and was named the Florida State League Player of the Year, a post-season All Star, and an MiLB organization All Star. Prior to the 2013 season, Dickerson was named the 7th-best first base prospect in baseball by MLB.com. He spent 2013 with the Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

, where he moved from first base to the outfield. He batted .288/.337/.494 with 36 doubles (2nd in the league), 17 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 451 at bats and was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year, a post-season All Star, and an MiLB organization All Star.

San Diego Padres (2013–19)

On November 25, 2013, the Pirates traded Dickerson to the

for

Jaff Decker Jaff Kyle Decker (pronounced "Jeff"; born February 23, 1990) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, and Oakland Athletics. Amateur car ...

and

Miles Mikolas Miles Tice Mikolas (born August 23, 1988), nicknamed "Lizard King", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers, ...

. Dickerson sprained his left ankle in 2014 spring training with the Padres when he stepped on a sprinkler head, and an

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

later found a bone

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and division compared with the nearby tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which water molecules group together to form a bubble) ...

in his left heel which required surgery and a

bone graft Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that replaces missing bone in order to repair bone fractures that are extremely complex, pose a significant health risk to the patient, or fail to heal properly. Some small or acute fractures can be cured wit ...

. The surgery delayed his start to the 2014 season, but he finished with 34 games with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, batting .321/.367/.496 in 137 at bats. On November 20, 2014, the Padres added Dickerson to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Dickerson spent most of 2015 with the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University Park, which opened ...

, hitting .307 (10th in the league)/.374/.503 with 82 runs (3rd), 36 doubles (6th), 9 triples (2nd), 12 home runs, and 71 RBIs in 459 at bats over 125 games, including 88 starts in left field. His performance earned him the

Pacific Coast League Rookie of the Year Award The Pacific Coast League Top MLB Prospect Award is an annual award given to the best rookie player in Minor League Baseball's Pacific Coast League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor Leagu ...

, and he was named a post-season All Star and an MiLB organization All Star. On August 6, 2015, Dickerson made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres with a pinch-hitting appearance in the 8th inning. He was called up to replace Will Venable, who went on paternity leave. The next day, Dickerson collected his first Major League hit with a pinch single in extra innings. Dickerson returned to the Padres when rosters expanded in September. A tweaked hip flexor limited his playing opportunities, but Dickerson appeared in eight more games as a pinch hitter, and once as a defensive substitute in left field. Dickerson started the 2016 season in Triple-A El Paso. On May 2, the Padres recalled Dickerson from Triple-A. On May 10 against the Chicago Cubs at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

, Dickerson hit a pinch-hit

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

off of Adam Warren for his first career home run and his first four career RBIs. He made his first Major League start in left field the following day, but was returned to El Paso on May 14. With the Chihuahuas, he continued a 28-game minor league hitting streak through the end of May. On June 28, Dickerson was recalled from El Paso when

Jon Jay Jonathan Henry Jay (born March 15, 1985) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is the first base coach for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Dieg ...

broke his forearm. Dickerson remained as the regular left fielder for the Padres for the remainder of the season. For the season, with El Paso he batted .382/.425/.622 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs in 217 at bats. He finished the season with the Padres with a .257/.333/.455 batting line and 39 runs, 10 home runs, and 37 RBIs in 285 plate appearances. He made 65 starts in left field. In spring training of 2017, Dickerson suffered a bulging disk. After initially trying to rehab the injury, Dickerson underwent back surgery by microdiscectomy to remove bulging disc material in his lower back which ended his season. In spring training of 2018, while trying to come back from his back surgery, Dickerson tore his UCL in his elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery, costing him another full season. He was outrighted off the roster after the season. He elected free agency on November 3, 2018, and later re-signed to a minor league deal on December 11. Playing for AAA El Paso in 2019, he hit .372/.469/.606 with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs in 94 at bats. Dickerson had his contract selected to the major leagues on May 3, 2019, but after 19 at bats with the Padres was designated for assignment on June 5.

San Francisco Giants (2019–2021)

On June 10, 2019, Dickerson was traded to the

in exchange for Franklin Van Gurp, one of the first trades with new Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi. He played seven games for the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

. On June 21, in his first game with the Giants, he hit a

and had a career-high 6

. With the Giants in 2019, he batted .290/.351/.529 with 28 runs, 6 home runs, and 26 RBIs in 155 at bats. On September 1, 2020, Dickerson had a historic game which came as part of a 23-5 victory against the Rockies at Coors Field. He went 5-6 with 3 home runs and 2 doubles and tied the franchise records for runs scored (5) and total bases (16) in a game. His double in his last at bat traveled 414 feet and would have been a home run in any other MLB ballpark; thus he fell just short of tying Willie Mays' 4 home runs in a single game. In 2020 he batted .298/.371/.576 with 28 runs, 10 home runs, and 27 RBIs in 151 at bats. He played 41 games in left field, and 5 games in right field. Avoiding arbitration, Dickerson and the Giants agreed on a $2.1 million salary for the 2021 season. During the season, he was on the injured list three times, with right shoulder, upper back, and right hamstring issues. In the 2021 regular season, he batted .233/.304/.420 with a career-high 13 home runs and 38 RBIs in 283 at bats. He played 82 games in left field, and his range factor per 9 innings of 1.78 was the fifth-best in the National League. On November 22, 2021, Dickerson was designated for assignment by the Giants to make room for pitcher

Anthony DeSclafani Anthony James DeSclafani (born April 18, 1990), nicknamed Disco and T-Bone, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds. ...

. On November 26, 2021, he was placed on unconditional release waivers.

Atlanta Braves

On March 16, 2022, Dickerson signed a non-guaranteed, major-league contract worth $1 million with the

. The Braves designated Dickerson for assignment on April 28. Two days later, Dickerson was outrighted to the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. On October 17, Dickerson elected free agency.

Personal

Dickerson and his wife Jennifer had a son in September 2020. They reside in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerson, Alex 1990 births Living people All-American college baseball players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Atlanta Braves players Indiana Hoosiers baseball players Wareham Gatemen players State College Spikes players Bradenton Marauders players People from Poway, California Baseball players from California Altoona Curve players Scottsdale Scorpions players Arizona League Padres players Eugene Emeralds players San Antonio Missions players El Paso Chihuahuas players Sacramento River Cats players Gwinnett Stripers players