CHICAGO – Former Auburn catcher and 15-year MLB veteran David Ross has been named the manager of the Chicago Cubs, the organization announced Thursday.
Ross and the Cubs agreed to terms on a three-year contract through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023.
Ross is one of 51 former Auburn players to make his MLB debut and becomes the second former player to be named a big league manager. Bill Hitchcock spent portions of five seasons as a manager for three different organizations from 1960-67.
Ross was a two-year letterwinner for the Tigers from 1996-97, appearing in 80 games and earning 41 starts. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, his most iconic moment in an Auburn uniform was hitting a walk-off home run against Florida State in the 1997 Tallahassee Regional, ultimately helping send Auburn to the College World Series.
After spending a season at Florida, Ross was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut for the Dodgers on June 29, 2002 and went on to enjoy a 15-year MLB career with seven different teams.
The veteran catcher won a pair of World Series, first coming with the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and culminating in his final season with the Cubs in 2016, hitting a home run in game seven to help the organization snap a 108-year World Series championship drought.
Ross has served as an analyst for ESPN and a special assistant in baseball operations for the Cubs since his retirement as a player.