Jeremy Ware

Jeremy Ware

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 190-210 lb.
• School Indian Hills Community College
• High School Centennial Collegiate and Vocational Institute

• Born October 23, 1975 in Orangeville, ON CAN

BR Minors page

Biographical information

Outfielder Jeremy Ware played 10 years in Organized Baseball and has also spent time in the independent leagues. Ware has played for Team Canada on and off for a decade, from the 1999 Pan American Games through the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, including an Olympic appearance in 2004.

Ware was picked by the Montréal Expos in the 25th round of the 1994 amateur draft out of high school. He did not begin his pro career immediately, playing in junior college for a spell. In 1995, he made his professional debut, hitting .241/~.343/.362 for the GCL Expos. In 1996, Ware returned to the same outfit and batted .363/~.472/.568 in 15 games; he also spent 32 games with the Vermont Expos, hitting .191/~.303/.213.

Ware had one of his best seasons in 1997, with the Cape Fear Crocs. He hit .263/~.318/.433 with 84 runs, 77 RBI, 32 doubles, 16 home runs and 32 stolen bases (in 39 tries). In 1998, the Ontario native batted .246/~.280/.390 for the Jupiter Hammerheads. He stole 21 bases while only being caught stealing five times and rapped 35 doubles, but drew only 23 walks in 127 games while striking out 102 times. He had six double plays, leading Florida State League outfielders.

In 1999, Ware split time between Jupiter (.320/~.370/.640 in 7 games) and the Harrisburg Senators (.262/~.342/.404 in 111 games). He also made his Team Canada debut, hitting .375 and slugging .594 as a DH/1B in the 1999 Pan American Games. He tied Ryan Radmanovich for third on Canada with 6 RBI and was 4th in average; he led the team with 4 doubles. He was 9th overall in the event in average.

Ware produced at a .278/.336/.407 clip for Harrisburg in 2000 and had 13 outfield assists, three behind Eastern League leader Eric Valent. In 2001, Jeremy played for Harrisburg (.287/.340/.460 in 27 games) and the Ottawa Lynx (.265/.294/.395 in his first 53 games at AAA). He hit .333/.400/.556 for Canada in the 2001 Baseball World Cup, leading a club that only batted .207 despite future MLB stars such as Jason Bay and Justin Morneau.

In 2002, Ware was still just 26 despite being in his 8th season in the minors. He hit .263/.320/.537 in 24 games for Harrisburg, homering six times and driving in 18, before the Expos traded him to the Cleveland Indians for Shane Arthurs. He hit .296/.326/.393 in 42 games for the Buffalo Bisons after the trade.

Picked up by Montréal after his release by Cleveland, the veteran minor leaguer spent 2003 with Harrisburg (.280/.320/.469 in 68 games; his 12 homers were third on the team) and the Edmonton Trappers (.300/.333/.450 in 12 outings). He played for Canada in the 2003 Olympic qualifier, helping them lock up a spot in the 2004 Olympics with a second-place finish.

Ware finished his Organized Baseball career in 2004 with Harrisburg (.222/.280/.307 in 53 games) and Edmonton (.250/.310/.281 in 26 games), putting in a disappointing season. In the 2004 Olympics, he shone. He was 5 for 14 with a double and two homers for a .857 slugging percentage, easily leading Canada, though he split time in left field with Jeff Guiel. His 2 homers tied Radmanovich and Pete LaForest for the Team Canada lead.

Let go by the Expos after 10 years, Ware remained in Canada by joining the Edmonton Cracker-Cats of the independent Northern League, for whom he batted .261/.301/.394. In the 2005 Baseball World Cup, he again showed his skills on the world stage, hitting .435/.552/.609 with 3 steals in 3 tries. Only Joey Votto had a better OPS for Team Canada. He was fourth in the Cup in average behind Michel Enriquez, Jennry Roa and Yung-Chi Chen and tied for 5th in steals.

In 2006, Ware hit .283/.342/.436 for Edmonton with a team-high 23 doubles. With Team Canada, he appeared in the COPABE qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics, hitting .320/.370/.640 with 8 RBI in 8 games to tie Radmanovich for Canada's lead. He was now the team's DH, no longer the guy who could steal over 30 bases in a minor league season.

Ware moved to the Guelph Royals of the Intercounty Baseball League in 2007 and hit .277 with 9 home runs and 31 RBI, leading his team in the latter two departments. In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Ware had his first less-than-stellar performance for Team Canada, hitting .222/.264/.389 while splitting left field duties with Nick Weglarz.

Ware was with Canada for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament as they clinched a return to the Olympics. He was 4 for 9 as a backup outfielder, behind Nick Weglarz in left, Adam Stern in center and Ryan Radmanovich in right. He returned to the independent leagues in 2008 with the Ottawa Rapidz, then was back in the Intercounty Baseball League the following seasons.

Sources

• IBAF site
• 1996-2008 Baseball Almanacs
• Guelph Mercury Article on Ware
• The Baseball Cube