[Terry D]

Mark Ross was the epitome of a 1980s fringe pitcher. A right-handed reliever, Ross spent 13 years in pro ball, nine of them in the Houston Astros system, and finished with a total ML record of 2-2, 1 SV, .3.83 ERA. The Astros kept calling him up from Tucson but they never gave him more than 13.1 innings in a season to prove himself. After leaving the 'Stros chain, Ross got brief looks from the Blue Jays and the Pirates (87, 90), and spent the 1991 season in the Braves system before finally hanging up his glove and spikes. Ross' minor league numbers (3.21 ERA, 103 saves) suggest that he could have helped a major league team if anyone had been willing to believe in him. Major league images of Ross are not at all common. I have seen a couple of small BW shots from his Houston years, one good color Astros image of him which was probably taken in '82 or '83 spring training, and a not very big color Blue Jays shot. I had been looking for him with the Pirates without success and had just about given up when I stumbled on this 1987 Topps image on picclick. It had been on ebay at one time but apparently is no longer, so this is the largest size/resolution still available. Quite a few Topps Vault shots seem to have escaped us.