{{short description|Australian baseball player}} {{EngvarB|date=June 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox MLB player |name=James Linger |image=Lingerstockman.jpg |caption=Linger (left) and Phil Stockman in 2006 |position=Second baseman |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{birth date and age|1990|09|06|df=yes}} |birth_place=Box Hill, Victoria, Australia }} '''James Linger''' (born 6 September 1990) is an Australian former professional baseball player. He was signed to the Atlanta Braves organisation and plays second base for the GCL Braves.
==Career== Linger played Baseball for Norths in the Far North Coast Baseball Association competition,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hallman |first1=Geoff |title= Linger caps big year with Mexico world titles berth |url= https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lismore/sport/linger-caps-big-year-with-mexico-world-titles-berth/news-story/2d3699bb75443a93d236a0a99a036369 |website=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney |accessdate=10 February 2024 |language=en |date=30 August 2005}}</ref> and also for the Queensland Rams in the 2008 Claxton Shield, batting at .394. He was then scouted by Phil Dale and signed with the Braves for $120,000 over five years.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=linger001jim Jim Linger] – Baseball Reference Minor Stats</ref>
James then joined the Australian national baseball team for the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament at just 17 years of age, making him the youngest player to play for Australia.<ref>[http://www.olympicbaseball.com/2008/03/04/australia-announce-olympic-qualifier-roster/ Australia Announce Olympic Qualifier Roster] – Olympic Baseball</ref> He was named as Young Player of the Year at the Baseball Australia Diamond Awards.<ref>[http://www.baseball.com.au/?page=57175&format= James Linger off to 2009 World Cup] – Australian Baseball Federation</ref>
In 2009, he had another solid tournament in the 2009 Claxton Shield, hitting .268 for the Rams. Later that year, he was a replacement call up to Australia's team for the 2009 Baseball World Cup, when Justin Huber was called up to the Majors.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} He was named Young Player of the Year in the 2009 Baseball Australian Diamond Awards.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
Linger's last national level baseball was at the 2010 Claxton Shield, where he hit .091 in six games.<ref>[http://www.claxtonshield.baseball.com.au/site/baseball/claxtonshield/downloads/Statistics/qld.htm 2010 Claxton Shield stats] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322200843/http://www.claxtonshield.baseball.com.au/site/baseball/claxtonshield/downloads/Statistics/qld.htm |date=22 March 2010 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|mlb= |espn= |br= |fangraphs= |cube= |brm=linger001jim }}
{{Australia 2009 Baseball World Cup roster}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linger, James}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:Baseball second basemen Category:Sportsmen from Victoria (state) Category:People from Box Hill, Victoria Category:Baseball players from Melbourne Category:Australian expatriate baseball players in the United States Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen