William Corey Ragsdale (born November 10, 1982) is an American

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

former player and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He is the

first base coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

and major league field coordinator for the Texas Rangers of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB).

Career

Ragsdale attended Nettleton High School in

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the ...

. Ragsdale committed to the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

but was drafted by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

in the 2nd round of the

2001 MLB draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban b ...

and signed. An infielder, Ragsdale played in the Mets organization from 2001 through 2007. Ragsdale joined Texas Rangers organization as a minor league free agent in 2008. He converted to pitching during the 2008 season and continued playing through the 2009 season. Ragsdale remained in the Texas organization as a coach and served as an infield instructor at their Arizona complex in 2010. In 2011, he served as an infield coach for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

. He served as the manager of the

AZL Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is composed ...

in 2012, leading them to an

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

championship. Ragsdale served as the manager for Hickory from the 2013 through 2015 seasons. Ragsdale led the Crawdads to the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

championship in 2015. Ragsdale served as the minor league field coordinator for Texas from 2016 through 2019. He served as manager of the

Down East Wood Ducks The Down East Wood Ducks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the owned-and-operated Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a local colorful wa ...

in 2019. Ragsdale was promoted to the major league staff, as major league field coordinator, on November 11, 2019. Ragsdale was named the Rangers

on July 2, 2020. Ragsdale was moved to third base coach on August 15, 2022, after manager

Chris Woodward Christopher Michael Woodward (born June 27, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, ...

was fired and Tony Beasley was elevated to interim manager. He returned to first base coach prior to the 2023 season.

Awards

Ragsdale received the Rangers 2015 Bobby Jones Player Development Man of the Year award. He was named the 2019

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 un ...

Manager of the Year. Ragsdale was named the 2019

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form ...

Minor League Manager of the Year.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ragsdale, Corey 1982 births Living people People from Jonesboro, Arkansas Baseball coaches from Arkansas Baseball players from Arkansas Baseball infielders Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball third base coaches Texas Rangers coaches Minor league baseball managers Minor league baseball coaches Gulf Coast Mets players Kingsport Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Capital City Bombers players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Norfolk Tides players Arizona League Rangers players Spokane Indians players Hickory Crawdads players Frisco RoughRiders players