Addison Russell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Addison Russell |
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Russell with the Chicago Cubs in 2017
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| Acereros de Monclova – No. 27 | |||
| Second baseman / Shortstop | |||
| Born: January 23, 1994 Pensacola, Florida, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 21, 2015, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| KBO: July 28, 2020, for the Kiwoom Heroes | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2019 season) |
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| Batting average | .242 | ||
| Home runs | 60 | ||
| Runs batted in | 253 | ||
| KBO statistics (through 2023 season) |
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| Batting average | .269 | ||
| Home runs | 6 | ||
| Runs batted in | 73 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
Addison Wayne Russell (born January 23, 1994) is an American professional baseball player. He plays as a shortstop for the Acereros de Monclova team in the Mexican League. Russell was chosen 11th overall in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics. He later joined the Chicago Cubs in 2014. In 2015, Baseball America magazine called him one of the top young players in baseball. He started playing in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Cubs in April 2015. Russell was chosen as an All-Star in 2016. That same year, he helped the Cubs win the World Series. He has also played in the KBO League for the Kiwoom Heroes.
Early Life and Family
Addison Russell was born on January 23, 1994, in Pensacola, Florida. He is the oldest of four children. His mother is Milany Ocampo-Russell, and his stepfather is Wayne Russell. Addison's mother is from the Philippines. When he was a baby, he was very sick but got better. He was adopted by his stepfather, Wayne, when he was 13 years old. That is when he took the name Addison Wayne Russell.
Amateur Baseball Career
High School Achievements
Russell went to Pace High School in Florida. In 2010, he led his high school baseball team to win a state championship. They also finished as runner-up in 2012. Russell was chosen to play in important games like the 2010 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game. He was also named a First Team All-American in 2011. Experts ranked him as one of the best high school baseball players. In his last high school season, Russell had a batting average of .368. He also played football as a running back. In November 2011, Russell decided to play college baseball at Auburn University.
Playing for Team USA
Russell was part of the USA Baseball 18U National Team in 2011. His team won a gold medal at the COPABE 18U/AAA Pan American games. During the tournament, Russell hit for a .393 batting average. He had 11 hits, including three doubles, a triple, and a home run. He also brought in nine runs and scored 11 runs himself. In the championship game against Team Canada, Russell hit a grand slam. A grand slam is a home run hit when all three bases are loaded with runners. He was named the best shortstop of the tournament. Russell played alongside other future professional baseball players on Team USA.
Professional Baseball Journey
Starting with the Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics chose Russell as the 11th overall pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. This was right after he finished high school. Russell signed a contract with the A's for $2.625 million. He started his professional career with the Arizona League Athletics. He played very well, hitting .415 with six home runs in 26 games. He then moved up to other teams like the Vermont Lake Monsters and the Class-A Burlington Bees. In his first season, he hit .369 with seven home runs and 45 runs batted in. By 2013, Baseball America called Russell the Athletics' best young player.
Joining the Chicago Cubs
On July 4, 2014, Addison Russell was traded to the Chicago Cubs. This trade also included other players like Dan Straily and Billy McKinney. In return, the Cubs sent pitchers Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija to the Athletics.
2015 Season Highlights
Before the 2015 season, Baseball America ranked Russell as the third-best young player in all of professional baseball. On April 21, Russell was called up to play for the Chicago Cubs in MLB. He played second baseman against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 1, Russell hit his first career home run. This helped the Cubs win 1–0 against the Milwaukee Brewers. In August, he moved to his usual position at shortstop. He played very well, making only two errors in 52 games as the Cubs' regular shortstop.
In the 2015 postseason, Russell had three hits and one run batted in. He got slightly hurt sliding into third base in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This injury kept him from playing in the next series against the New York Mets. After the season, Russell changed his jersey number from 22 to 27.
2016 All-Star and World Series Champion
In 2016, Russell was chosen as the starting shortstop for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He was hitting .242 with 11 home runs and 48 runs batted in. By September 2016, Russell had 19 home runs and 88 runs batted in. He was especially good when the bases were loaded, getting 9 hits in these situations. Russell finished the year with 95 runs batted in. He was only the second Cubs shortstop to have over 90 RBIs in a season. The first was Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.
Russell hit important two-run home runs in Games 4 and 5 of the 2016 National League Championship Series. These hits helped the Cubs win the series and reach the World Series. This was a huge moment for the Cubs, as they had not won a World Series in 108 years.
On October 25, 2016, Addison Russell and his teammates Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, and Carl Edwards Jr. made history. They were the first African-American players to play for the Cubs in a World Series game. Russell hit the 19th grand slam in World Series history in Game 6. He also tied an MLB record by getting 6 runs batted in during a World Series game where his team was facing elimination.
2017 and 2018 Seasons
On April 19, 2017, Russell hit his first career walk-off home run. This was a three-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers that won the game. On August 4, Russell was placed on the disabled list because of a foot injury. He returned on September 16, 2017, and hit a home run in his first time at bat.
In 2018, Russell had a challenging season. He did not play after September 19. This was because Major League Baseball was looking into his conduct.
2019 Season and Free Agency
Russell was suspended for the first 29 games of the 2019 season. This completed a 40-game suspension from 2018 related to the investigation into his conduct. After his suspension, he played for the Iowa Cubs. He was called back to the Chicago Cubs on May 8. He then played as a second baseman. On December 2, 2019, Russell became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Playing in Korea and Mexico
On June 19, 2020, Russell signed with the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO League in South Korea. He made his debut on July 28, 2020. He finished the season with a .254 batting average. The Heroes decided not to bring him back for the 2021 season.
On April 1, 2021, Russell signed with the Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League. He played 66 games, hitting .319 with 8 home runs and 47 runs batted in. In 2022, he played 80 games for Monclova, hitting .348 with 24 home runs and 74 runs batted in.
Russell returned to the Kiwoom Heroes in South Korea on December 11, 2022. He played 59 games in 2023, hitting .286 with 4 home runs and 42 runs batted in. He was released by the team on July 13, 2023, due to a wrist injury.
On February 16, 2024, Russell signed again with the Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican League. He played 82 games, hitting .319 with seven home runs and 51 runs batted in. Russell has re-signed with Monclova for the 2025 season.
Personal Life
Addison Russell has a daughter born in May 2015. He also has a son born in August 2015 with Melisa Reidy, whom he married in January 2016. Russell's third child, a son, was born in October 2018. In 2017, Major League Baseball began an investigation into Russell's conduct. As a result of this investigation, MLB suspended Russell for 40 games. Russell accepted the suspension.
