Raymond Payne "Chip" Ambres (born December 19, 1979) is a former
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
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) ...
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 ...
.
Florida Marlins
Ambres was born in
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont– Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston ( ...
. As a senior at
West Brook Senior High School
West Brook Senior High School is a high school in the city of Beaumont, Texas. It is operated by the Beaumont Independent School District and was formed in 1982 as a court-ordered measure to integrate the schools of the formerly separate South Par ...
in
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont– Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston ( ...
, Ambres was named a second team All-American by
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form ...
, a
USA Today All-USA high school baseball team
Each year, ''USA Today'', an American newspaper, awards outstanding high-school baseball players with a place on its All-USA High School Baseball Team. The newspaper names athletes whom they believe to be the best baseball players from high schoo ...
member, and was a highly recruited
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
.
Ambres signed a
National Letter of Intent
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ...
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, but opted for baseball after he was selected 27th overall by the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fra ...
in the
1998 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1998 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1998. A total of 1445 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds.
First round selections ...
and offered a $1.5 million signing bonus.
In , Ambres was named the No. 6 prospect in the Marlins organization by Baseball America. He was unable to make the majors with the Marlins, becoming a six-year minor league free agent at the end of the 2004 season, his second at the AA level.
Boston Red Sox
On December 21, 2004 Ambres signed a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...
contract with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...
. On July 19, 2005, they traded him, along with minor leaguer Juan Cedeno, to the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
in exchange for
Tony Graffanino
Anthony Joseph Graffanino (; born Graffagnino, June 6, 1972) is a former American Major League Baseball second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.
Career
Graffanino was primarily a contact hitter (just 481 strikeouts in 2787 big-league at- ...
.
Kansas City Royals
Ambres did not break into the Major Leagues until he was with his third organization, the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
. One day after being acquired from the Red Sox, he made his Major League debut at
Jacobs Field
{{Infobox stadium
, name = Progressive Field
, nickname = ''"The Jake"''
, logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, image =
, caption = Progressive Fiel ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
against the
Indians
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
, going 2-for-4 with a
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
.
Ambres' 2005 rookie campaign was his best and most active season to-date. He finished 2005 with a
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 i ...
of .241 with four
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 is ...
s and nine
RBI
RBI most often refers to:
*Reserve Bank of India
*Run batted in
RBI may also refer to:
Organisations
*Radio Berlin International
*Raiffeisen Bank International
*Reed Business Information
*Restaurant Brands International
*Ruđer Bošković In ...
in 53 games.
Ambres struggled with the Royals' AAA-franchise Omaha in and did not appear in any games with the parent club, becoming a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in October.
New York Mets
On December 27, 2006, the New York Mets signed Ambres to a minor league contract .
Ambres was called up on July 17, and had the game-winning hit on July 22, his first Major League hit since 2005. Exactly one week later, Ambres was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...
to clear a roster spot for
Damion Easley
Jacinto Damion Easley (born November 11, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player who is currently an assistant hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). While primarily a second baseman throughou ...
who returned from the bereavement list. He was assigned to Triple-A
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...
.
Ambres was called up on July 8, 2008 for a game against the Florida Marlins. On July 26, Ambres was designated for assignment and outrighted to the minors on August 1 after clearing waivers. The Padres brought him back on September 2. Ambres elected to become a free agent after the end of the season after being outrighted to the minors once again.
Boston Red Sox again
On January 24, Ambres signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox.
New York Mets again
On June 10, the New York Mets acquired Chip Ambres from the Boston Red Sox as part of a conditional deal. The veteran outfielder was assigned to the
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...
, where he finished the season and his professional playing career. In parts of 11 minor league seasons, Ambres batted .259/.358/.436, slugging 125 HR and stealing 175 bases.