Bryan Cody Ransom (born February 17, 1976) is an American former 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 ...

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

. He played for the

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 ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

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 ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

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 penna ...

, and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

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) ...

Early life

Ransom was raised in Mesa, Arizona. He attended Chandler High School in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

. He was selected by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

in the 43rd round (1,202nd overall) in the 1995

Major League Baseball draft The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...

but did not sign with the Indians. He instead attended South Mountain Community College. He was a survivor of a fatal van accident when his South Mountain Community College baseball team's van blew a tire on a team trip to

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, causing the van to roll over. Two of Ransom's teammates died. After spending two years at South Mountain, Ransom spent the 1997 season at Mesa State, helping the Mavericks to the

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 ...

regional. Ransom transferred to

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit Christianity, Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the lar ...

for the 1998 season, and was a key member of an Antelopes squad that won the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to most of ...

Northern Division. Ransom started every game at shortstop, hitting .330 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs while leading the team with 20 doubles.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Ransom was drafted again in 1998, this time by the

in the ninth round (278th overall). After signing, he spent his first professional season with the Single-A

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their h ...

. Ransom made his major league debut on September 5, 2001, against the

. For the next three seasons from 2002 to 2004, he played for the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

and the major league club. He was mainly used as a defensive replacement by the Giants. On August 8, 2003, he hit his first major league

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 ...

off

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...

Vicente Padilla Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977) is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball pitcher. Padilla played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and ...

. Following the 2004 season, he was granted free agency by the Giants. Cody Ransom

He was signed by the

on January 20, 2005. On March 30, 2005, he was acquired by the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. He played for the Triple-A

Oklahoma Redhawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

and played in 24 games in which he batted .261 with five home runs. He was released on May 25, 2005. He re-signed with the Chicago Cubs two days later and played with the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

for the rest of the season. He was granted free agency after the season.

Houston Astros

Ransom signed with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

on January 27, 2006, with an invitation to

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 ...

. He played in 19 games during Spring Training in which he batted .219 with no home runs. After being reassigned to minor league camp, he was acquired by the Houston Astros for cash considerations on March 30, 2006. He played for the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

for 2006 season. He batted just .247 with 21 home runs in 122 games. He returned to the Round Rock Express for the 2007 season. He played for the Express until the end of the minor league season. Ransom batted .263 in 134 games and led the Express in home runs (28) and

RBIs 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 batt ...

(90). He was also second on the team in hits with 131. His good performance earned him a call up on September 4, 2007. On September 16, 2007, against 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 (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

, Ransom hit a home run off

Paul Maholm Paul Gurner Maholm (pronounced Mah-HALL-uhm; born June 25, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. Earl ...

. It was Ransom's first home run in the major leagues since 2004.

New York Yankees

Ransom signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees before the 2008 season and was called up to the Yankees on August 15. He homered in both his first and second Yankee at bats, the first hitter in Yankee history to do so. The first occurred on August 17, 2008, against 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 ...

; the second was on August 22, 2008, against the Baltimore Orioles. On September 21, 2008, Ransom made the last putout in

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

history.

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

second baseman Brian Roberts hit a slow ground ball down the first baseline that Ransom fielded, then stepped on first for the deciding out in a 7–3 Yankees win. On September 26, Ransom had his first multi-home run game against 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 ...

. Both home runs came on the first pitch of the at bat. Ransom was one of only three Yankees to hit a home run while serving as a pinch hitter. Ransom started the 2009 season as the Yankees' starting third baseman due to the hip surgery recovery of

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

; however, Ransom too was put on the disabled list on April 25 after an injury to his right

quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

. On August 5, 2009, Ransom was designated for assignment. He was released August 7, 2009, but re-signed with the Yankees to a minor league contract on August 10, and was assigned to the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

. He was placed on the 7-day disabled list for an unknown injury on August 16, 2009.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 11, 2009, Ransom signed a minor league contract with the

. On July 3, 2010, the Phillies called him up to the majors after injuries to

Chase Utley Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978), nicknamed "The Man" and "Silver Fox", is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. He ...

and Plácido Polanco. Ransom played in 22 games in July and August, making starts at third, second and first base. He had eight hits and two home runs in 42 at-bats. One of them was a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on July 7.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 19, 2011, Ransom signed a minor league contract with the

. On July 21, 2011, Ransom was called up from the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009 ...

to replace an injured

Stephen Drew Stephen Oris Drew (born March 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Washington Na ...

. Ransom played in 12 total games at shortstop and third base in July and August. He elected free agency on October 10. The Diamondbacks re-signed Ransom to a minor league contract on December 11. He again started the year in Reno, but was called up on April 18 when Chris Young went on the disabled list. He made 13 starts at third base, hitting .269, before the Diamondbacks designated Ransom for assignment on May 21, 2012.

Milwaukee Brewers

On May 23, 2012, Ransom was claimed off waivers from the

by the

. On July 13, 2012, Ransom hit his first career grand slam against the

, lifting the Brewers to victory 10–7. Ransom made 33 starts at shortstop, nine at third base, and two at second for the Brewers, hitting .196 with six home runs in 168 total at-bats.

Return to the Diamondbacks

On August 31, 2012, the

claimed Ransom off waivers from the

. He played in nine games for Arizona in September, making starts at shortstop and third and picking up seven hits in 23 at-bats.

San Diego Padres

On December 21, 2012, Ransom signed a minor league contract with the

. With injuries to Chase Headley and Logan Forsythe in spring training, Ransom made his third Opening Day roster and second Opening Day line-up starting at third base. He 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 ...

on April 12, 2013.

Chicago Cubs

Ransom was claimed off waivers by the

on April 16, 2013. He was designated for assignment on September 8, 2013, and released on September 16.

Seibu Lions

Ransom signed a contract with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball for the 2014 season.

Personal life

Ransom is married to Ericka, and they have a daughter named Mackenzie and son named Jordan. A 2009

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

video of his 60-inch box jump in a training session has received almost 400,000 hits.Cody Ransom Box Jump

. February 13, 2009.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ransom, Cody 1976 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona Diamondbacks players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball players from Arizona Chicago Cubs players Fresno Grizzlies players Grand Canyon Antelopes baseball players Houston Astros players Iowa Cubs players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Brewers players New York Yankees players Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen Oklahoma RedHawks players Philadelphia Phillies players Reno Aces players Round Rock Express players Saitama Seibu Lions players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Shreveport Captains players Sportspeople from Mesa, Arizona South Mountain Cougars baseball players Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball players