James Brogan Ramsey (born December 19, 1989) is an American

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

coach and former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. He is the outfield and hitting coach for the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. He played college baseball at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

from 2009 to 2012 for head coach Mike Martin. The

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

selected him in the first round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

Amateur career

Ramsey attended

Wesleyan School Wesleyan School is a private college-preparatory nondenominational Christian school located 20 miles north of Atlanta in the suburban city of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1963 and has existed on its current ground ...

Peachtree Corners, Georgia Peachtree Corners is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, and is the largest city in Gwinnett County with a population of 42,243 as of the 2020 US Census. Peachtree Corners is the only ...

. In 2008, Wesleyan's baseball team won the state championship. He then enrolled at

from 2009–12, where he played

for the

Florida State Seminoles baseball The Florida State Seminoles baseball team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of college baseball. Florida State competes in NCAA Division I, and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conferenc ...

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 The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

in total bases, earning third-team All-American and first-team All-ACC honors. Ramsey was drafted by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in the 22nd round of the

2011 Major League Baseball Draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

but opted to return to Florida State. In 2011, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and was named the East division

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

at the league's annual

all-star game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

. Ramsey earned even more accolades his senior season when he was named the

American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest amateur baseball coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coaches. Now, the ABCA is composed of over 13,000 baseball coac ...

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. In a ceremony on August 26, 2022, Ramsey was inducted into the Seminoles' Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Ramsey was drafted in the first round of the

2012 Major League Baseball Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

by the St. Louis Cardinals and signed. Ramsey spent the 2012 season with the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

, 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 The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

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 The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

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 The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

Target Field Target Field is a baseball stadium in the historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. Since its opening in 2010, the stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. The stadium hosted the 2014 Major Leag ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. On July 30, 2014, the Cardinals traded Ramsey to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

for

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Justin Masterson Justin Daniel Masterson (born March 22, 1985) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. Drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2006 MLB draft from San Diego State University, he made his MLB debut two years later. ...

. The Indians assigned him to the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

After the 2015 season, the Indians added Ramsey to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

. 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 The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

for cash. The Dodgers assigned him to the

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Bal ...

. 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 The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

on August 4, 2016 and assigned to the

Tacoma Rainers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

. 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

. He began the season with the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

and was reassigned to the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

in May. On June 27, 2018 Ramsey was released by the Twins.

Coaching career

Ramsey continues his baseball career as a college coach. He was an assistant at Florida State University starting in 2018 and moved to Georgia Tech in 2019. Georgia Tech led the

(ACC) in hitting (.297) and finished second in run production (464), hits (702), slugging (.462), and finished third in home runs (418) and walks (356) with Ramsey as offensive coach. The Yellow Jackets shown brightly on the national scene in 2019, winning 43 games, 10-straight series (a program record) and nine-straight ACC series. The Yellow Jackets ended regular season and conference tournament play positioned as the No. 3 National Seed and hosts of the Atlanta 2019 NCAA Regional. Ramsey’s coaching, helped consensus all-American Tristin English to command the plate in ACC play, establishing a .381/.462/.825 record with 32 runs, 37 runs batted in and 11 home runs. In the postseason alone, English hit .500 for 16 hits, five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. Ramsey’s approach to hitting and his ability to convey strategy and technique succeeded quickly with Georgia Tech hitters. He imparted patience, strategy and process to the offense that saw ready adoption by the players. Seven players went on to hit better than .299, including designated hitter Michael Guldberg, who led the team at .355 and catcher Kyle McCann, who launched 23 home runs for 70 RBI. Baron Radcliff and Nick Wilhite, were of the greatest beneficiaries of Ramsey’s approach. They became monumental performers in the lineup by raising their averages 77 and 156 points, respectively, from 2018. McCann was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, while both Guldberg (third round) and Radcliff (fifth round) were selected in the 2020 MLB Draft. After the 2020 season was shortened due to the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the Yellow Jackets once again showed dominance at the plate in 2021, leading the ACC with a .300 average in 36 league games. In the expanded conference slate, Georgia Tech paced the ACC in runs (251), hits (384), doubles (91), triples (10), RBI (230) and on-base percentage (.383). Under Ramsey’s offensive instruction, Tech boasted four .300 hitters – Kevin Parada (.318), Luke Waddell (.309), Justyn-Henry Malloy (.308) and Andrew Jenkins (.302) – while Drew Compton hit .294 with 13 home runs. Waddell and Malloy were both drafted in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively. 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." In 2021, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach while retaining his roles as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. With Ramsey as the associate head coach and team's hitting coach, Georgia Tech led the nation in 2022 in team batting average (.327), sixth in slugging percentage (.551), and sixth in on-base percentage (.419). Six of his players were named to the All ACC Baseball Team in 2022. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, head coach of the Yellow Jackets, Danny Hall, stated “Do I think James Ramsey is capable of being the head coach here at Georgia Tech?... One hundred percent... he’s going to get my endorsement...” In the absence of an official "Head-Coach-in-Waiting" title in the

University System of Georgia The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates general ...

, “We gave him the title of associate head coach for a reason. We want to do everything we can to encourage him and keep him here.” said Hall.

Personal life

While at Florida State, Ramsey was a candidate for the

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

. Ramsey's father also played college baseball for the Seminoles whereas his mother played tennis. He married Grace Snell on November 26, 2016.

References

External links

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, James 1989 births Living people People from Alpharetta, Georgia Sportspeople from Fulton County, Georgia Baseball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state) Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) All-American college baseball players Florida State Seminoles baseball players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players Palm Beach Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Columbus Clippers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Peachtree Corners, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Tacoma Rainiers players Rochester Red Wings players Chattanooga Lookouts players Florida State Seminoles baseball coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball coaches Mat-Su Miners players