John Ellis (baseball)
John Charles Ellis is a former professional baseball player who played first base and catcher in the Major Leagues from 1969 to 1981. He played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers.
He was a standout football and baseball player at New London High School. He later attended Mitchell College for a brief time. After hitting.333 at Triple A, the Yankees called him up in 1969.
In 1971 he was named a Topps All-Star Rookie. After being traded for Graig Nettles, he became the first DH in Cleveland Indians history in 1973. Ellis had his best season in 1974, when he hit.285, had a slugging percentage of.421, 23 doubles, and 64 RBIs in only 128 games. That year, Ellis caught Dick Bosman's no-hitter on July 19. While with the Indians, he was given the nickname "Moose" by Red Sox announcer Ken Coleman.
In the mid-1970s, Ellis joined the Spalding Sporting Goods Advisory Staff and had a signature catcher's mitt sold in retail stores. In 1987 he founded the Connecticut Sports Foundation Against Cancer. The Foundation has an annual dinner at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT each year. Recent attendees have included Roger Clemens and Don Mattingly.
His son, John J. Ellis, was a baseball standout and played at the University of Maine - Orono and in the Texas Rangers system for three seasons. His son also competed for the Eastern Tides of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in 1994.
