Corey Ragsdale

William Corey Ragsdale

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Nettleton High School (Jonesboro)

• Born November 10, 1982 in Jonesboro, AR USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Shortstop Corey Ragsdale reached AAA briefly as a player and later was a coach.

He hit .402 with 38 steals as a high school senior, then was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2001 amateur draft by the New York Mets. The 76th overall selection, the pick was compensation for the loss of Bobby Jones to free agency. Ragsdale was signed by scout Larry Chase for a $550,000 bonus. He played in the Mets chain from 2001 to 2007, getting in 6 games in AAA in 2004. Looking badly overmatched in his pro debut with the Kingsport Mets, he hit only .141/.256/.282 while fielding .894. In 2002, he at least fielding much better (.953) at short; he hit .181/.272/.241 between the Brooklyn Cyclones and Capital City Bombers. He led New York-Penn League shortstops in assists (199), double plays (45) and fielding percentage (.966).

Corey hit .180/.297/.259 with 133 strikeouts in 355 at-bats for Capital City in 2003. He did show good speed (31 SB, 8 CS) and defense, being named the best defensive shortstop in the South Atlantic League by Baseball America. He finally topped the Mendoza Line in his fourth pro season, spent with the St. Lucie Mets (.219/.303/.337, 24 SB in 38 tries) and Norfolk Tides (5 for 20, 2B, BB). He led both Mets farmhands and the Florida State League in strikeouts (152 for St. Lucie, 4 for Norfolk). He also led FSL shortstops in putouts (237), assists (387), errors (39) and double plays (96). In 2005, he played for St. Lucie (.260/.347/.487 in 68 G) and the Binghamton Mets (.226/.305/.401 in 64 G), striking out 169 times in 490 at-bats but showing his best power ever (11 3B, 19 HR). His 84 runs tied Dante Brinkley for the most by a Mets farmhand but he also led in whiffs. He was third in the minor leagues in strikeouts behind Tim Battle and Mitch Jones.

Ragsdale repeated at Binghamton in 2006, hitting a more typical .204/.274/.330 with 182 strikeouts in 437 at-bats. He fielded .963 and led Eastern League shortstops in putouts (221) and double plays (81). He again was third in the minors in K's, behind Brandon Szymanski and Charlton Jimerson and just ahead of Ian Gac. In '07, he played briefly for Binghamton (.192/.347/.273 in 43 G) and the GCL Mets (1-0, 4 shutout innings) while falling under the Mendoza Line for the fourth time in seven seasons.

He then played in the Texas Rangers chain in 2008-2009, where he switched to pitching late in the 2008 season. He batted .217/.322/.379 for the 2008 Frisco RoughRiders and stole 9 bases in 10 tries and gave up 3 runs in 7 innings for the Spokane Indians, going 2-0. In 2009, he was with the AZL Rangers (5 R in 7 IP) and Hickory Crawdads (1-1, 2 Sv, 2.43, 18 H in 29 2/3 IP).

Overall, Corey had produced at a .207/.300/.332 rate with 890 strikeouts in 2,445 AB. He stole 136 bases in 193 tries and fielded .949 at short. On the mound, he had a 4-2, 2.83 record.

Ragsdale became a coach with the Hickory Crawdads in 2011 before going into managing. In 2019, he was named the Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America for his work at the helm of the Down East Wood Ducks of the Carolina League. In 2021, he was appointed first base coach of the Texas Rangers.

Sources: 2002-2010 Baseball Almanacs, 2011 Rangers Media Guide

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
2012	AZL Rangers	Arizona League	34-22	4th	Texas Rangers	League Champs
2013	Hickory Crawdads	South Atlantic League	76-63	5th	Texas Rangers
2014	Hickory Crawdads	South Atlantic League	80-59	5th	Texas Rangers
2015	Hickory Crawdads	South Atlantic League	81-57	3rd	Texas Rangers	League Champs
2019	Down East Wood Ducks	Carolina League	87-52	1st	Texas Rangers	Lost in 1st round

Further Reading

• Jeff Wilson: "2019 Minor League Manager Of The Year: Corey Ragsdale", Baseball America, December 5, 2019. [1]