By: Sam Jellinek
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The past two months of Drew Ellis’s life have been so unpredictable, so unfathomable, that anyone writing a movie script would have dismissed the events out of hand as too unrealistic. Yet, Ellis has lived those events. He’s gone from unemployed to returning to Double-A at age 27 to dominating the International League to getting called up the Majors to then returning to Lehigh Valley. Did I mention this all happened in the span of a month?
To back the story up, this all began when Ellis was released by the Seattle Mariners on March 17. With the Phillies dealing with some injuries across their minor league rosters, Ellis was signed to a Minor League free agent contract on April 16 and eventually assigned to double-A Reading to help fill a position hole. Eventually, the IronPigs were a position player short and Ellis was promoted to Lehigh Valley on May 17.
In his own words, Ellis was basically sitting on the couch waiting for the phone to ring when the Phillies came knocking. Ellis was getting so desperate that he was starting to think about going and playing Independent baseball just to keep on playing. Call it divine provenance or good timing, but the Phillies answered Ellis’s prayers.
Ellis made an immediate impact with the IronPigs, driving in a run in his first game on May 18 against Worcester. The real fun began the next day though. He homered twice and drove in five runs before homering in both games of a doubleheader two days later, driving in seven more runs. With four homers and 13 RBI and just four games, Ellis was named the International Player of the Week.
“For me, I’m just trying to take every opportunity that I can to go out and have fun and play the game the right and enjoy the time in the clubhouse and on the baseball field with these guys. It’s been a great ride so far. I’m just trying to go out there and be as consistent as possible. Got some results early here and hopefully I can be consistent and continue to put up some results for the boys,” Ellis said.
Being in Ellis’s shoes would be hard for anyone who wasn’t him. Naturally, great play and homers will win you a lot of friends quickly in the clubhouse. But on top of that, Ellis has proven adept at fitting in quickly.
“The guys have been really good. It’s a really good atmosphere, great camaraderie. They play the game the right way and enjoy it. It’s been great to be around these guys and this group.”
Even still, there’s a good amount of poking and good-natured ribbing that goes on. Ellis has made fast friends with the rest of his infielders, but that doesn’t mean he lets Weston Wilson forgot what happened in college:
“Just for the record, when we were Juniors in 2017, Louisville, my team, actually swept Weston’s team, Clemson, right before ACC play. A reminder that the Cardinals were superior to the Tigers.”
Drew’s immediate results on the field grabbed headlines and turned heads, enough so, that the Phillies took notice. When Alec Bohm went on the Injured List at the beginning of June, it was Ellis who replaced him on the roster. Just two months after wondering if and where his baseball career would continue, Drew Ellis was back in the Major Leagues.
Just like he did in Lehigh Valley, Ellis made an immediate impact for the Phillies. On June 4, Ellis went 3-for-5 with two homers against the Washington Nationals in a 11-3 Phillies win. Ellis was optioned back to Lehigh Valley on June 11.
Ellis’s journey has continued to this point now with the IronPigs. A whirlwind journey has settled down just a little bit now with Ellis entrenched in the middle of the IronPigs lineup.
While he has settled in to his new reality, the transactional baseball life is one Ellis has been living for years. In the past two years, Ellis has been designated for assignment by both Arizona and Seattle, claimed off waivers by Seattle, and ultimately released by Seattle. He understands the business and has the mindset to match.
“I got the highest of highs in 2021 (making his Major League debut) and I selfishly got complacent with where I was at. I was happy and I didn’t work as hard to take care of the things I needed to take care of. You never want to get DFA’d or released, but sometimes it is a blessing in disguise to get another opportunity. I got this opportunity with the Phillies and I’m super grateful for it. If you would’ve told me that I would then have the week that I did have to kick it off here, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Having gone through the gauntlet, Ellis has the mindset ready for the trials and tribulations that the rest of the season is sure to hold. Ellis says, “Just have to take it one day, one at-bat at a time, and that’s been my mindset lately. Not focusing on the result, more so focusing on the connection with the guys here and the process.”