One of them starts fires and the other one puts them out.
That’s the succinct way to describe what Jackson Ross and Merrick Baldo do for the Fredericksburg Nationals.
Ross leads the club in several offensive categories, while Baldo hasn’t been scored on out of the bullpen.
On a roster filled with fresh faces, Ross has stood out the most through the season’s first two weeks. He’s first on the team in on-base percentage (.500), slugging (.810) and on-base plus slugging (1.054); tied for first in home runs (2), doubles (5) and RBIs (7); and second in batting average (.333) (behind fellow first baseman Roismar Quintana) and walks (5).
Ross’ impressive start has come despite sharing playing time at first base while acclimating to his first season in professional baseball.
“It’s just been all about getting settled in,” said Ross, who was drafted out of Ole Miss by the Washington Nationals in the ninth round of last July’s Major League Baseball draft. “In addition to adjusting to everyone being bigger, stronger and faster at this level, you have to get your living situation straight and obviously get to know your teammates and coaches.”
Ross didn’t play in the FredNats’ first two games, but he wasted no time showing what he could do in his professional debut at Carolina on April 6. He went 3 for 4 with a homer, double, walk, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored.
As if his debut wasn’t exciting enough, Ross followed it up with a walk-off solo home run in Fredericksburg’s 9-8 victory over Salem on April 8, which was the club’s home opener.
“I saw a lot of potential [during spring training] in Florida,” FredNats manager Billy McMillon said. “[Ross] was a part of that. It’s just a matter of what every young player has to learn at the Low-A level, which is to put in the work and play consistently fundamental baseball.”
Baldo has a head start on Ross in those areas. He was taken in the 17th round of the 2023 draft out of Loyola Marymount. After signing quickly, he appeared in nine games for Fredericksburg that year, posting an impressive 1.59 ERA over 17 innings of work. He returned last season, pitching to a 4.20 ERA and striking out 56 batters in 45 innings while recording six saves and six holds.
So far this spring, Baldo has struck out nine and allowed just one run over 6 2/3 innings of action, picking up a save along the way while posting a 1.35 ERA.
The only thing Baldo hasn’t done for the FredNats over the past two years is start. But he’s okay with that, because he’s settled into a role that he’s both familiar and comfortable with.
“I’m the fireman,” Baldo said. “Ever since high school, that’s kind’ve been my job. … Coming on in the back half of games, whether it’s the sixth inning or the ninth, and putting out fires and cleaning up messes. It’s picking up my teammates, whether I’m getting the final out of the game or coming in early because a start didn’t go as planned.”
After graduating from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California in 2019, Baldo played in 37 contests for Loyola Marymount from 2020-2023, working out of the bullpen in all but two of those. He put together a career 3.87 ERA for the Lions, tallying seven saves during his senior campaign in 2023.
“That’s how the game works now,” Baldo said of his role. “If you don’t have a pitcher that can get you out of those hot spots, it’s hard to win a lot of games.”
“He had a good spring,” McMillon said of Baldo. “He can do whatever we ask him to do, whether it’s to start or come out of the bullpen every other day. And that’s a mindset, because a lot of guys would rather do one or the other, and they struggle when they’re asked to step into really high-pressure situations. He seems unfazed by them.”
While Baldo has been putting out fires for years, Ross has been an igniter for every lineup he’s been penciled into.
Overlooked by most Division I schools, Ross elected to go the junior college route after graduating from George Jenkins High in Lakeland, Florida in 2018. He attended Pasco-Hernando (Fla.) State College for two seasons, hitting .346 with 12 homers and 90 RBIs in 84 career games.
Ross’ performance at the JUCO level earned him a spot at D-I Florida Atlantic, where he started 115 of a possible 116 contests from 2022-2023. During that time, he racked up 144 hits, 21 home runs and 90 RBIs while posting a .540 slugging percentage. In 2023, he was a first-team All-Conference USA selection.
Ross ended his collegiate career with a flourish at Ole Miss, where he slashed .280/.438/.492 with 11 doubles, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. He continued to showcase his durability, being the only player to start all 56 games for the Rebels.
“My true freshman year [at Pasco-Hernando], I got hurt and I had to sit out the whole season with an injury,” Ross recalled. “That changed my perspective on taking care of my body and doing the right things in terms of recovery, injury prevention, weight room routine and nutrition. I take all of that stuff very seriously, and it’s helped me stay healthy and allowed me to produce everywhere I’ve been.”
Trio also off to fast start
Ross isn’t the only member of Fredericksburg’s lineup who’s swinging the bat well early on.
First baseman Roismar Quintana is slashing .387/.375/.484, and is tied with Ross for the club lead in RBIs (6) and doubles (3).
Shortstop Jorgelys Mota has posted a .250/.325/.472 slash line, is tied with Ross and Nick Peoples for the team lead in home runs (2) and is third in RBIs with five.
Shortstop Randall Diaz is slashing .313/.405/.375 with five RBIs and a club-best six stolen bases.
The FredNats (8-7) return home to Virginia Credit Union Stadium for a six-game homestand against the Charleston RiverDogs from April 22-27.
