Jim Ridley | |
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Outfielder / Coach / Scout | |
Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada | July 9, 1945|
Died: November 28, 2008 Burlington, Ontario, Canada | (aged 63)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Member of the Canadian | |
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Induction | 2014 |
James Beswick Ridley (July 9, 1945 – November 28, 2008) was a Canadian professional baseball outfielder, coach, and scout. He played two seasons in Minor League Baseball, then had a lengthy career as a scout. He coached the Canada national baseball team at both the Summer Olympic Games and Pan American Games, and was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
Ridley played in Minor League Baseball during 1964 and part of 1965, for three teams within the Milwaukee Braves organization. [1] In 1964, he spent time with the Sarasota Rookie League Braves in Florida, and the Greenville Braves of the Western Carolinas League. [1] In 77 games that season, he had a .263 batting average with 25 runs batted in (RBIs). [1] In 1965, he played 32 games for the West Palm Beach Braves of the Florida State League, batting .165 with seven RBIs. [1] Defensively, he appeared in 105 total games, all as an outfielder, with a .957 fielding percentage. [1]
Ridley later played in the Intercounty Baseball League of Southern Ontario from 1972 to 1975. [2] He had a .386 batting average in 1972 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, [3] and was named league MVP in 1974 as player-manager of the Stratford Kraven Knits. [4] [5] Stratford won that season's league championship, and Ridley was named manager of the year. [6] He underwent spinal fusion surgery after the 1975 season, [7] and did not resume his playing career. [2] He is considered one of the top 100 players in league history. [2]
Ridley first worked as a scout during the 1973 season, in a part-time role for the Detroit Tigers. [4] He joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a scout in 1976 and stayed with the team for 26 years. [4] He is credited with helping the team sign players such as Paul Spoljaric, Rob Butler, and David Corrente. [4] In 2002, he became a scout for the Minnesota Twins; he helped the team sign Rene Tosoni. [4]
Ridley also coached at multiple levels. He was a coach with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays, a minor-league team in the Pioneer League, for the team's first three seasons, 1978–1980. [4] He later coached the Canadian junior national team during 1983–1988, winning bronze medals at the World Junior Baseball Championship competitions of both 1983 and 1987. [4] He coached the Team Canada entries in baseball at the 1988 Summer Olympics and baseball at the 1991 Pan American Games. [4] [8] The team's participation in the 1988 Olympics is remembered for a win over Team USA in Seoul, [9] while at the 1991 Pan Am Games the team had a lengthy brawl with Team Mexico during a game in Havana. [10] [11]
In addition to his baseball career, Ridley was also a schoolteacher in Stewarttown, Ontario. [12] He died from cancer in November 2008, aged 63. [4] [12] He was survived by a daughter and two sons. [12] [13] Ridley twice won the Canadian Baseball Network's scout of the year award: first in 2004, and posthumously in 2009, when the award was renamed in his honor. [14] [15] [16] In 2014, Ridley was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. [4] In 2019, he was inducted to the Milton Sports Hall of Fame in Milton, Ontario. [17]
Jim Ridley | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Outfielder / Coach / Scout | |
Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada | July 9, 1945|
Died: November 28, 2008 Burlington, Ontario, Canada | (aged 63)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Member of the Canadian | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Induction | 2014 |
James Beswick Ridley (July 9, 1945 – November 28, 2008) was a Canadian professional baseball outfielder, coach, and scout. He played two seasons in Minor League Baseball, then had a lengthy career as a scout. He coached the Canada national baseball team at both the Summer Olympic Games and Pan American Games, and was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
Ridley played in Minor League Baseball during 1964 and part of 1965, for three teams within the Milwaukee Braves organization. [1] In 1964, he spent time with the Sarasota Rookie League Braves in Florida, and the Greenville Braves of the Western Carolinas League. [1] In 77 games that season, he had a .263 batting average with 25 runs batted in (RBIs). [1] In 1965, he played 32 games for the West Palm Beach Braves of the Florida State League, batting .165 with seven RBIs. [1] Defensively, he appeared in 105 total games, all as an outfielder, with a .957 fielding percentage. [1]
Ridley later played in the Intercounty Baseball League of Southern Ontario from 1972 to 1975. [2] He had a .386 batting average in 1972 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, [3] and was named league MVP in 1974 as player-manager of the Stratford Kraven Knits. [4] [5] Stratford won that season's league championship, and Ridley was named manager of the year. [6] He underwent spinal fusion surgery after the 1975 season, [7] and did not resume his playing career. [2] He is considered one of the top 100 players in league history. [2]
Ridley first worked as a scout during the 1973 season, in a part-time role for the Detroit Tigers. [4] He joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a scout in 1976 and stayed with the team for 26 years. [4] He is credited with helping the team sign players such as Paul Spoljaric, Rob Butler, and David Corrente. [4] In 2002, he became a scout for the Minnesota Twins; he helped the team sign Rene Tosoni. [4]
Ridley also coached at multiple levels. He was a coach with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays, a minor-league team in the Pioneer League, for the team's first three seasons, 1978–1980. [4] He later coached the Canadian junior national team during 1983–1988, winning bronze medals at the World Junior Baseball Championship competitions of both 1983 and 1987. [4] He coached the Team Canada entries in baseball at the 1988 Summer Olympics and baseball at the 1991 Pan American Games. [4] [8] The team's participation in the 1988 Olympics is remembered for a win over Team USA in Seoul, [9] while at the 1991 Pan Am Games the team had a lengthy brawl with Team Mexico during a game in Havana. [10] [11]
In addition to his baseball career, Ridley was also a schoolteacher in Stewarttown, Ontario. [12] He died from cancer in November 2008, aged 63. [4] [12] He was survived by a daughter and two sons. [12] [13] Ridley twice won the Canadian Baseball Network's scout of the year award: first in 2004, and posthumously in 2009, when the award was renamed in his honor. [14] [15] [16] In 2014, Ridley was inducted to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. [4] In 2019, he was inducted to the Milton Sports Hall of Fame in Milton, Ontario. [17]