James Ramsey (baseball)


James Brogan Ramsey is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball outfielder. He is the outfield and hitting coach for the Georgia Institute of Technology. He played college baseball at Florida State University from 2009 to 2012 for head coach Mike Martin. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.

Amateur career

Ramsey attended Wesleyan School in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. In 2008, Wesleyan's baseball team won the state championship. He then enrolled at Florida State University from 2009–12, where he played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles baseball team. Ramsey was a three-year starter for the Seminoles, helping lead them to the 2010 College World Series and the 2012 College World Series.
As a junior, Ramsey led Florida State in nearly every offensive category and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in total bases, earning third-team All-American and first-team All-ACC honors. Ramsey was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft but opted to return to Florida State.
In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and was named the East division MVP at the league's annual all-star game.
Ramsey earned even more accolades his senior season when he was named the American Baseball Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year and the ACC Player of the Year and also earned unanimous First Team All-American honors. In total, he batted.378 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs in 67 games.

Professional career

Ramsey was drafted in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and signed.
Ramsey spent the 2012 season with the Palm Beach Cardinals, where he played in 56 games, batting.229 with one home run and 14 RBIs. He started 2013 with Palm Beach, and after batting.361/.481/.557 with one home run, seven RBIs, and five doubles in 18 games, he was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals of the Class AA Texas League and finished the season there, compiling a.251 batting average with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs in 93 games. He also played in one game for the Memphis Redbirds at the end of the season. Ramsey began the 2014 season with Springfield, and was selected to play in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
On July 30, 2014, the Cardinals traded Ramsey to the Cleveland Indians for starting pitcher Justin Masterson. The Indians assigned him to the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League After the 2015 season, the Indians added Ramsey to their 40-man roster. and he finished the season there. In 95 combined games between Springfield and Columbus he slashed.295/.382/.509 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs. Ramsey spent 2015 with Columbus where he posted a.243 batting average with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 126 games.
The Indians designated Ramsey for assignment on April 4, 2016. On April 10, the Indians traded him and Zach Walters to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash. The Dodgers assigned him to the Oklahoma City Dodgers. He was designated for assignment on May 28, 2016 but cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Oklahoma City on June 4. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners on August 4, 2016 and assigned to the Tacoma Rainers. In 110 games between Oklahoma City and Tacoma, he batted.265 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs. Ramsey began 2017 back with Tacoma but was released in April.
On December 15, 2017, Ramsey signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He began the season with the Rochester Red Wings and was reassigned to the Chattanooga Lookouts in May.
On June 27, 2018 Ramsey was released by the Twins.

Coaching career

James Ramsey has become a college baseball coach. He was an assistant at Florida State University starting in 2018 and moved to Georgia Tech in 2019. He "coaches the Yellow Jackets’ outfielders and is the team’s hitting coach, working on both team and individual hitting philosophies. He is also in charge of integrating technology and analytics into player development and evaluation."

Personal life

While at Florida State, Ramsey was a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship. Ramsey's father also played college baseball for the Seminoles whereas his mother played tennis.
He married Grace Snell on November 26, 2016.