Albert Cartwright

Albert Cartwright

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
• School Polk Community College
• High School American Heritage High School (Delray Beach, FL)

• Born October 31, 1987 in Nassau, Bahamas

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Albert Cartwright grew up in Nassau but moved to Delray Beach, Florida, in his sophomore year of high school. He played baseball at American Heritage High School and then went to Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Florida, which gave rise to the misinformation that he was born there.

The New York Mets selected the second baseman as a "draft-and-follow" candidate in the 43rd round of the 2006 amateur draft, but they decided not to sign him. The Houston Astros then took him in the 36th round of the 2007 amateur draft, and this time he got the chance to turn pro. He hit .224/.333/.265 for the 2007 Greeneville Astros and .306/.410/.430 in 2008, with 13 steals in 17 tries. In 2009, he batted .236/.330/.368 for the Lexington Legends, stealing 23 bases in 31 tries while serving as their primary second baseman.

Cartwright rose to Double-A ball in 2010, his fourth pro season. He split that year between the Lancaster JetHawks (.319/.381/.551, 13 3B, 72 R in 92 G) and Corpus Christi Hooks (.229/.289/.271 in 35 G). For the year, he was 5th in the Astros chain in runs (87), 6th in doubles (30), led in triples (14, one ahead of Jay Austin) and was third in steals (behind Austin and Jose Altuve).

He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies organization for Sergio Escalona but tore his Achilles tendon a week into spring training in 2011. This was a serious injury, especially for someone whose game was based on (in his own words), "speed, speed, speed." He missed the entire season. Nonetheless, Cartwright vowed to come back strong and hopes to attain his goal of playing in the majors. He did return in 2012 with the Clearwater Threshers, producing at a .257/.324/.384 clip with 8 triples. He tied John Andreoli for 5th in the Florida State League in three-baggers and tied Tyson Gillies for third among Phillies farmhands in that department.

Cartwright was the starting shortstop for the British national team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. He had their lone run in their opening loss to Team Canada, a homer off Shawn Hill. He was 3 for 5 in their win over the Czech national team. Against Germany, Britain was being no-hit until the bottom of the 7th when he singled off Enorbel Marquez; he again helped the Brits avoid a whitewash when Bradley Roper-Hubbert singled him in later that frame. He hit .455/.455/.727 for the event, leading Britain in runs (4, one more than Roper-Hubbert), hits (5, 2 more than Roper-Hubbert or Sam Wiley), average (.122 ahead of those two guys), homers (tied for first with Roper-Hubbert at 1), OBP (tied for first with Roper-Hubbert) and slugging (.060 ahead of Roper-Hubbert). For all four qualifiers, he just missed the top 10 in average and slugging.

With the 2013 Reading Fightin' Phils, he hit .254/.314/.350 with 26 steals in 35 tries and 76 runs. He fielded .976 at 2B, a new personal high by .013. He tied Shannon Wilkerson for 8th in the Eastern League in runs and tied Kyle Hudson for 6th in swipes. In 2014, his batting line fell to .243/.295/.315 with Reading, with 54 runs and 28 stolen bases in 37 tries. He was 6th in the EL in swipes.

A free agent, he was signed by the Ottawa Champions and hit .304/.366/.409 in 2015. He just missed the top 10 in average. In 2016, he batted .292/.356/.387 for Ottawa and stole 26 bases while only being caught five times. He was third in the Canadian-American League in stolen bases, behind Junior Arrojo and Austin. He was also 10th with 61 runs in 91 games. He made the league All-Star team as the top second baseman.

Cartwright was back with Great Britain for the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, this time playing his usual 2B as they had Jasrado Chisholm at SS. He hit .308/.377/.615 with two triples and five runs in four games. He scored three runs in their romp of Pakistan and got the key insurance run in a one-run win over Brazil in the semifinals when he singled off Felipe Sales in the 7th, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Kyle Simmons. His error let Reinaldo Sato score the run that made the insurance run the margin of victory, though. In the finale, against Israel with a spot in the 2017 World Baseball Classic at stake, he had a two-out single off Jeremy Bleich to end a bid for a no-hitter. He scored on a Chavez Young single to avoid a shutout loss. He was second on Britain in slugging and OPS (both behind fellow Bahamanian Champ Stuart) and led the team in runs (two ahead of Stuart). For all four qualifiers, he tied Reynaldo Rodríguez for second in runs (two behind Anthony Phillips) and he was the only player with multiple triples (the triples coming off Muhammad Zohaib and Asrar Ahmad).

Reference

• "Albert Cartwright Interview: Phillies Prospect Returns to Baseball", MLBreports.com, September 18, 2011. [1]