Thursday, March 31, 2011

Former Tigers Hudson, Ross on MLB rosters

Tim Hudson and David Ross begin the 2011 Major League Baseball season as former Auburn baseball players on Opening Day rosters.

Hudson is in his 13th big league season and his seventh with the Atlanta Braves. The 2010 National League Comeback Player of the Year and a two-time All Star, he went 17-9 for Atlanta last year with a 2.83 ERA. In 12 big league seasons he has gone 165-87 with a 3.42 ERA, striking out 1,541.

At Auburn, Hudson played from 1996-97 and was named the Rotary Smith Award Winner as the National Player of the Year after going 15-2 with a 2.97 ERA on the mound and hitting .396 with 21 doubles, 18 home runs and 95 RBI as Auburn advanced to the College World Series for the fourth time in program history. Last year he was a part of the inaugural class of Auburn Baseball’s Wall of Fame inductees.

Hudson is scheduled to make his first start of the season on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

Ross is beginning his 10th major league season and is in his third season in Atlanta. A career .233 hitter, he hit a career-best .289 in 2010.

Ross was a part of the 1996 and 1997 clubs with Hudson before transferring to Florida for the 1998 season. In his two-year stay at Auburn he hit .251 with nine doubles, a triple and two home runs, driving in 26 RBI. His second home run is one of the most memorable in Auburn history as it was the final blow in a five-run ninth inning that helped Auburn overcome a four-run deficit to Florida State in Tallahassee en route to an 8-7 win, which Auburn parlayed into a trip to the College World Series.

Other former Tigers to be on 40-man rosters but not active rosters include Josh Donaldson (2005-07) with the Oakland A’s and Clete Thomas (2003-05) with the Detroit Tigers.

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