Since 2009, Elvis Andrus has been the Texas Rangers’ starting shortstop. He is Erold Andrus’s younger brother.
At the age of 16, scout Rolando Petit signed Andrus to the Atlanta Braves. In 2005, he made his professional debut with the GCL Braves, hitting .295/.377/.398 and going 5 for 18 with four walks and a double for the Danville Braves.
With 63 putouts, he topped the Gulf Coast League shortstops. Behind Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce, and Chris Volstad in the GCL, Baseball America ranked him as the #4 prospect and the #2 Braves prospect.
As a teenager in a full-season league, Elvis hit .265/.324/.362 with 23 steals in 38 at-bats for the Rome Braves in 2006. With 208 putouts, he led the South Atlantic League shortstops and was nominated to the SAL All-Star team as a utility infielder.
Baseball America ranked him as the fourth-best prospect in his league once again.
In 2007, Andrus hit only .244/.330/.335 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, but he stole 25 bases in 32 attempts. Despite this, he was selected for the 2007 Futures Game.
In the fifth inning, he pinch-hit for Chin-Lung Hu and grounded out against Luke Hochevar, staying in to play shortstop. Andrus struck out against Clay Buchholz in the seventh inning.
Later that year, he was transferred to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay, along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Beau Jones, Neftali Feliz, and Matt Harrison.
Andrus hit .300/.373/.369 in 27 games with the Bakersfield Blaze, stealing 15 bases in 23 tries.
What Ethnicity Is Elvis Andrus?
Elvis Andrus is Venezuelan-American.