Ellison was drafted in the 12th round in 2015 out of one of the Atlanta Braves’ favorite community colleges to work with, Western Oklahoma State College, where they also once drafted a two-way shortstop/pitcher named Andrelton Simmons.
Ellison was initially sent to the Gulf Coast League, where he flashed a lot of tools, hitting .255/.315/.388 with 2 home runs and 5 stolen bases. That earned him a promotion to Danville in the Appalachian League, where he hit .238/.311/.450, flashing more power and less speed, but still a lot of tools with 3 home runs and a stolen base.