G-Stros Record Watch - Best Season Batting Average

As this season wraps up, I started looking at how this years numbers compare to previous years. Jordan Scott, with three games left, leads the 2011 edition of the G-Stros with a solid .340 average. Let's see where that stands compared to previous seasons. The average listed required that the player played in over half of the teams games. I will also include what transpired in the rest of their career.

2004 - .316 Antonio Garcia (44 games) - The big 1st baseman returned to Greeneville in 2005, his third season in the Appy League. He was released before the 2006 season started.

2005 - .335 Josh Flores (59 games)- The speedy CF had a great year in the Appy League and was considered one of the top prospects in the Appy that season. He quickly climbed up the system ladder, playing half of the 2007 season in Corpus Christi. Then in a freak accident in the off season, he slipped on some ice and damaged both knees. He missed all of the 2008 season. He came back in 2009 and then was injured again. When he returned in 2010, he wasn't the player he had been before all the knee injuries. He was released during the 2010 season and is now playing indy ball for the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League.

2006 - .314 Ronald Ramirez (57 games) - The shortstop from Columbia went to Lexington to start the 2007 season and was off to a hot start when he was injured. He never got his bat back after that. He made it to Lancaster in 2009 but was released before the 2010 season.

2007 -.273 Ebert Rosario (59 games) - The lanky 3rd baseman came back to G'ville in 2008 and improved his season average to .304 in 47 games. He then steadily climbed the ladder to Lancaster where his development stalled. So in 2010, he was sent back to the GCL to learn how to pitch. He is with the Tri Cities ValleyCats this season pitching out of their bullpen.

2008 - .306 Albert Cartwright (39 games) - Cartwright was sharing time at second with a young Jose Altuve. He edged Rosario by .002 for the best average bragging rights in 2008. He moved on up to Lexington in 2009 where he struggled but something clicked in 2010. He started in Lancaster but after hitting .319 in 92 games, he was promoted to AA. During the off season, he was traded to the Phillies for relief pitcher Sergio Escalona. Cartwright then tore his Achilles tendon during spring training and he has missed the 2011 season as a result.

2009 - .324 Jose Altuve (45 games) - It was a surprise to see Altuve back in G'ville for the 09 season. He had hit .284 in 08. Since then, he has shot to Houston in just two seasons. He is the starting second baseman and quickly becoming a Houston Astros fan favorite.

2010 - .310 Chris Wallace (47 games) - Wallace started the 2011 season in Lexington but was promoted to Corpus Christi after he hit .285 in 66 games. He has had some learning to do in CC where during the month of July, he hit .272 with 5 HR. He suffered a right wrist injury and has not appeared in a game since 8/3/11.

Other players who finished with an average over .300:

2004 - .308 Mitch Einertson (63 games)
2005 - .333 Eli Iorg (35 games)
2006 - .306 Steve Brown (54 games)
2010 - .303 Marcus Nidiffer (43 games)
2010 - .303 Hector Rodriguez (43 games)
2011 - .335 Chase Davidson (43 games)

So if Scott plays in all three games the team has left, and gets four at bats a game, he just needs three hits to have the highest single season average for any player who has played in Greeneville. If he doesn't pull it off, Josh Flores will continue to hold the record by percentage points over Davidson.

Ronald Ramirez A Red Bird

Think back to the Greeneville Astros of 2006, who was the MVP? Yep, the guy mentioned in the headline. Ronald Ramirez, who played 44 games at SS and hit .314 with an OPS of .805. In the field, he finished with a fielding percentage of .919. He was #17 on the Baseball America Top 20 Appy League Prospects and made the Appy League All Star team.

He started 2007 in extended spring training and then just three games after a call up to Lexington, he dislocated his shoulder (other reports say broken collarbone). Then in 2008 he only played in 21 games after getting his arm strength back up. Two years of lost development put him behind and he was released after finishing the 2009 season in Lancaster.

He still played winter ball in Colombia along with fellow former G-Stros Steve Brown (Leones), Wilton Noel (Tigres) & Carlos Ladeuth (Tigres). Last fall, he played on the Colombian Pan American Qualifying team and he made some connections with the Cardinals. Here is what TheCardinalNation.com reports:

Ramirez also participated in the Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament in October 2010, where one of his coaches was Cardinals scout and VSL coach Neder Horta and Memphis infielder Donovan Solano was a teammate...

“Ramirez gives us a little insurance for Springfield in the event of injuries, and could help us avoid having to rush a player to Double-A prematurely if there’s a need at that level for an utility infielder,” explained the farm director (John Vuch).

Best of luck to Ronald with another chance in affiliated ball.