Gavin James Cross (born February 13, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization. He played college baseball for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
| Gavin Cross | |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: February 13, 2001 Bristol, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left |
Amateur career
editCross attended Tennessee High School in Bristol, Tennessee.[1] As a junior in 2018, he hit 12 home runs alongside stealing forty bases, a Tennessee state record.[2] After graduating in 2019, he enrolled at Virginia Tech to play college baseball for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
As a freshman in 2020, Cross started 16 games in which he batted .369 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] He briefly played in the Coastal Plain League with the Peninsula Pilots that summer.[4][5] In 2021, as a redshirt freshman, he hit for the cycle during a game on April 6 versus East Tennessee State University, going 4 for 6 with seven RBIs and a grand slam.[6] Over 51 starts for the season, Cross slashed .345/.415/.621 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.[7] He was named to the All-ACC First-Team, making him the first ever Hokie freshman to earn the honor.[8] After the season's end, he was named to the USA Baseball National Collegiate Team.[9] He batted .431 with four home runs and 14 RBIs with Team USA.[10] He also played in seven games for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[11][12] Cross entered the 2022 season as a top prospect for the upcoming draft.[13][14] He appeared in 57 games for the season, slashing .328/.411/.660 with 17 home runs, fifty RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.[15] Following the season's end, he traveled to San Diego where he participated in the Draft Combine.[16]
Professional career
editThe Kansas City Royals selected Cross in the first round with the ninth overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the Royals, receiving a $5,202,900 signing bonus, the full slot value for the ninth pick.[18]
Cross made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Royals and was promoted to the Columbia Fireflies of the Single-A Carolina League after three games.[19][20] Over 29 games between both teams, he slashed .312/.437/.633 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs.[21] Cross was assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the High-A Midwest League to open the 2023 season.[22] In early August, he was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League.[23] In mid-August, he was placed on the injured list, ending his season.[24] Over 96 games, he batted .203 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.[25] After the season, he was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros.[26] Cross was assigned to Northwest Arkansas to open the 2024 season.[27]
Personal life
editCross's father, Adam, played three seasons in the minor leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres organizations.[28]
References
edit- ^ Krull, Jesse (July 10, 2021). "Tennessee High alum Gavin Cross continues hot streak in Elizabethton". WJHL-TV.
- ^ Fritz, Douglas (May 30, 2018). "Vikings' Presson heads Super 22 baseball team". Kingsport Times-News.
- ^ Goetz, Casey (March 18, 2020). "Bristol native Gavin Cross has freshman season cut short at Virginia Tech". WCYB-TV.
- ^ Hayes, Tim (July 18, 2020). "LOCALS IN COLLEGE: Virginia Tech's Gavin Cross spending some time at home". Bristol Herald Courier.
- ^ Teel, David (July 6, 2020). "Teel: Coastal Plain League draws top baseball talent eager for any opportunity to play ball". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- ^ Hayes, Tim (April 6, 2021). "COLLEGE BASEBALL: Slammed; Cross hits for cycle, 7 RBIs leads Hokies past ETSU". Bristol Herald Courier.
- ^ Avento, Joe (July 3, 2021). "Collegiate National Team to tour area next week". Johnson City Press.
- ^ Ferrell, Jermaine (May 24, 2021). "Virginia Tech's Gavin Cross earns First Team All-ACC and All-Freshman baseball honors". WFXR.
- ^ Hawkins, Kenny (July 7, 2021). "Bristol native Cross honored to be a part of the USA Collegiate National team". WJHL-TV.
- ^ Krull, Jesse (August 23, 2021). "Gavin Cross named one of Baseball America's Top 50 College Prospects". WJHL-TV.
- ^ "Gavin Cross". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ Hayes, Tim (July 7, 2021). "COLLEGE BASEBALL: 'Truly an honor'; Tennessee High graduate Cross proud to play for Team USA at DeVault Stadium". Bristol Herald Courier.
- ^ Hayes, Tim (February 21, 2022). "LOCALS IN COLLEGE: Virginia Tech's Gavin Cross sees his stock rising in baseball". Bristol Herald Courier.
- ^ Hawkins, Kenny (February 22, 2022). "Bristol native Gavin Cross talks about his rise in the latest mock MLB draft". WJHL-TV.
- ^ "Bristol native Gavin Cross named to the All-Region Second team". June 16, 2022.
- ^ "Everything you need to know: Draft Combine". MLB.com.
- ^ "'Pretty good haul' for Royals on Day 1 of Draft". MLB.com.
- ^ "Royals formally sign 1st round pick Gavin Cross from Virginia Tech". July 23, 2022.
- ^ "Royals first-round pick Gavin Cross: Exciting potential, calm demeanor". The Athletic. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
- ^ "Royals promote Gavin Cross (Tennessee High) promoted to Low-A Columbia".
- ^ "Gavin Cross Stats, Fantasy & News".
- ^ "Where Royals top prospects are starting 2023 season". www.mlb.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Royals Promote Cayden Wallace, Gavin Cross, Javier Vaz, and Tyson Guerrero to Northwest Arkansas". OurSports Central. August 7, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Royals' Gavin Cross: Lands on injured list". CBSSports.com. August 16, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article279660019.html [bare URL]
- ^ "Here are the 2023 Arizona Fall League rosters". MLB.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Where the Guardians' Top 30 prospects are starting the season". MLB.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Woodson, Brian (April 2, 2020). "Crossed: Father-son share a love for baseball". Bristol Herald Courier.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)