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

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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 ...

for the High Point Rockers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

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

, 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

. In college at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

he was a unanimous selection as the 2010 Big Ten Conference Baseball Player of the Year. Dickerson was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

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 Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

in 2018. Dickerson played for Team Israel in the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

Amateur career

Dickerson attended Poway High School in

Poway, California Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census. Poway is part of San Diego's East ...

, 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 catch ...

. 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. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

selected Dickerson in the 48th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. 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. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

for the Indiana Hoosiers baseball team from 2009 to 2011. As a freshman, batting

cleanup Cleanup, clean up or clean-up may refer to: * Cleanup (animation), a stage of animation workflow * Clean-up (environment), environmental action to remove litter from a place * Cleanup hitter, a baseball position * Clean-up Records, a record la ...

, Dickerson hit .370/.428/.618 with 14

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s. He was named the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

's Freshman of the Year and received Freshman

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. Dickerson had a breakout season as a sophomore, slugging .805 (8th in the nation) and winning the Big Ten Triple Crown 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 or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...

(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 Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

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 The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

The

selected Dickerson in the third round of the

. After signing for a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

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 on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The team was fo ...

, 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 ...

, 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

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

for Jaff Decker and Miles Mikolas. 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 generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

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 bubb ...

in his left heel which required surgery and a

bone graft Bone grafting is a type of transplantation used to replace missing bone tissue or stimulate the healing of fractures. This surgical procedure is useful for repairing bone fractures that are extremely complex, pose a significant health risk to the ...

. The surgery delayed his start to the 2014 season, but he finished with 34 games with the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, 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 The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Dickerson spent most of 2015 with the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

, 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, 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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

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

, Dickerson hit a pinch-hit grand slam 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 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

, 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

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

. On June 21, in his first game with the Giants, he hit a grand slam 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 Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995 Major League Baseball season, 1995, the park is located in Denver's LoDo, Lower Downtown neighborhood, ...

. 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. 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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

, for whom he batted .239/.305/.426 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs in 322 at bats, playing 40 games in right field and 20 games in left field. He had four hits in 43 at bats for the Braves. On October 17, Dickerson elected free agency.

Acereros de Monclova

On April 8, 2023, Dickerson signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 12 games, he batted .261/.333/.370 with 12 hits and five RBI. Dickerson was released by Monclova on May 5.

Long Island Ducks

On May 12, 2023, Dickerson signed with the Long Island Ducks of the

. In 115 games for the Ducks, Dickerson hit .314/.389/.576 with career–highs in home runs (26) and RBI (91).

Chunichi Dragons

On December 22, 2023, Dickerson signed with the

. In 32 games for Chunichi in 2024, slashing .205/.314/.352 with three home runs and five RBI. On October 26, 2024, the Dragons announced they would not bring Dickerson back for the 2025 season, making him a free agent.

High Point Rockers

On June 18, 2025, Dickerson signed with the High Point Rockers of the

Team Israel; World Baseball Classic

Dickerson played for Team Israel in the

in Miami, in March 2023. He is eligible through his Jewish wife. He played for Team Israel manager and former All-Star Ian Kinsler, and alongside All-Star outfielder Joc Pederson and pitcher Dean Kremer, among others. He played right field and batted .250.

Personal life

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

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

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 Long Island Ducks players State College Spikes players Bradenton Marauders players 21st-century American sportsmen Chunichi Dragons players Sportspeople from Poway, California Baseball players from San Diego County, 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 2023 World Baseball Classic players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Acereros de Monclova players