Charles Irvin "Bubby" Rossman (born June 29, 1992) is an American-Israeli
professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
who is a free agent. He played college baseball for
Cerritos College
Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California. It offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions.
History
The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local ...
and
California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system.
In 2020, ...
. He was selected in the 22nd round of the
2014 Major League Baseball draft
The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...
by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...
. He made his MLB debut at 30 years of age with the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...
in July 2022.
Early life
Rossman was born in
La Habra, California
La Habra (archaic spelling of ''La Abra'', ) is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. A related city, La Habra Heights, is located to the north of ...
, to Charles (an actor) and Denyce Rossman, has a younger brother (Spencer), and is Jewish.
He attended
La Habra High School ('10), where he played baseball (batting .452 as a junior), football, and soccer (as the starting
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...
).
College
He then attended
Cerritos College
Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California. It offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions.
History
The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local ...
in California, where Rossman played baseball and as a freshman was named a 2nd team All Star.
In his two seasons at Cerritos, while playing the outfield he batted .307/.446/.432 his freshman year, and .341/.459/.549 his sophomore year.
Rossman transferred, and next double-majored in business and
kinesiology
Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health ...
while attending
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system.
In 2020, ...
.
Playing in 2014 in his senior season for the baseball team primarily in
right field
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...
and as a
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 ...
, he batted .261/.383/.455 while switch-hitting, and won a
Division II West Region Rawlings Gold Glove Award in right field where he had 7 assists and played error-less defense;
Kevin Pillar
Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Ne ...
was a prior winner of the award for the school.
He also pitched 8.1 innings when the team ran low on pitchers, sporting a 92 mph
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have t ...
.
Professional career
Los Angeles Dodgers
Rossman was selected in the 22nd round of the
2014 Major League Baseball draft
The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...
by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...
, as a pitcher.
While he "definitely did not want to be a pitcher ... I wanted to be an outfielder in the big leagues," and several teams were interested in him as an outfielder, the Dodgers insisted that he transition to pitcher.
In 2014 as a relief pitcher for the Rookie league
AZL Dodgers, he was 0-2 with one save and a 4.74 ERA in 19 innings, with 23 strikeouts.
In 2015 with the Class A
Great Lakes Loons
The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.
His ...
he was 3-1 with 4 saves and a 2.26 ERA in 51.2 innings over 29 games, in which he had 54 strikeouts.
In 2016 pitching all but one inning for the Class A+
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field.
The fra ...
, he was 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in 39.1 innings over 23 games, in which he had 34 strikeouts.
He was slow to recover from a
triceps
The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally responsib ...
injury, which impeded his velocity. Rossman was released by the Dodgers in August 2016.
Independent Leagues
Following his release, Rossman played in independent leagues for five seasons.
In 2017 he pitched for the
Sioux City Explorers
The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. S ...
of the
American Association, in 2019 (during which time he became
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
) he pitched for
Aguilas de Mexicali of the
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fi ...
,
Trois-Rivières Aigles of the
Canadian-American Association, and the
Cleburne Railroaders
The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays it ...
of the
American Association, in 2020 he pitched for the Nerds Herd in the City of Champions Cup league, and in 2021 he played for the
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseball ...
in the
Atlantic League.
In his years in the independent leagues, he was 9-5 with four saves in 106 relief appearances, and averaged 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings.
In 2021 Rossman played internationally, representing the
Israel national baseball team
The Israel national baseball team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בבייסבול) represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Israeli-American former Major League Baseball World Series champion, World Baseball Classic champion, ...
in the
2021 European Baseball Championship
The 2021 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2021 Championship was held September 12–19, 2021, in Turin, Italy.
Qualification
The 12 teams of the 2 ...
, debuting with a win against Team Russia. He helped the team win a
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, e ...
.
Philadelphia Phillies
Rossman was signed by the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...
to a minor league contract prior to the beginning of the 2022 season, at which point he was throwing his fastball in the high 90s, and touching 99 mph, along with an 88 mph
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* ''The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* S ...
.
[ He was assigned to the Double-A ]Reading Fightin Phils
The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...
at the beginning of the season, and before he was called up he pitched in 27 games (including 8 starts; the first of his professional career), with a 3.32 ERA in 40.2 innings in which he struck out 48 batters.
Rossman was promoted to the Phillies major league roster on July 13, 2022. He made his MLB debut that day, at 30 years of age, after five years out of affiliated minor league baseball. Pitching the 8th inning that evening against the Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, he first walked a batter and gave up a home run to Teoscar Hernandez. He then retired the next three batters on only nine pitches, however, including a 98 mph four-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ...
to strike out Matt Chapman
Matthew James Chapman (born April 28, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics.
Chapman made his MLB debut with Oakland in ...
. After the game, he was sent back to the minor leagues. In 2022, with Reading he was 2-2 with one save and a 3.02 ERA in 29 games (9 starts) in which he pitched 44.2 innings allowed 29 hits, and struck out 56 batters. With the Class AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in th ...
he was 3=3 with a 6.04 ERA in 15 games (5 starts) in which he pitched 25.1 innings and struck out 27 batters. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.
See also
*List of Jewish baseball players
This list of Jewish athletes in sports contains athletes who are Jewish and have attained outstanding achievements in sports. The topic of Jewish participation in sports is discussed extensively in academic and popular literature (See also: Lis ...
References
External links
Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros bio
Instagram page
Bubby Rossman home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossman, Bubby
1992 births
Living people
People from La Habra, California
Baseball players from California
Major League Baseball pitchers
Philadelphia Phillies players
Cerritos Falcons baseball players
Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros baseball players
Arizona League Dodgers players
Great Lakes Loons players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Sioux City Explorers players
Águilas de Mexicali players
Trois-Rivières Aigles players
Cleburne Railroaders players
York Revolution players
Reading Fightin Phils players
Israeli American
Israeli baseball players
Jewish American baseball players
Jewish Major League Baseball players