Keith Ginter

{{Infobox baseball biography

| image =

| name = Keith Ginter

| position = Second baseman / Third baseman

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|5|5}}

| birth_place = Norwalk, California, U.S.

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = September 20

| debutyear = 2000

| debutteam = Houston Astros

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = September 18

| finalyear = 2005

| finalteam = Oakland Athletics

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .243

| stat2label = Home runs

| stat2value = 38

| stat3label = Runs batted in

| stat3value = 140

| teams =

Houston Astros ({{Baseball year|2000}}–{{Baseball year|2002}})
Milwaukee Brewers ({{Baseball year|2002}}–{{Baseball year|2004}})
Oakland Athletics ({{Baseball year|2005}})

}}

Keith Michael Ginter (born May 5, 1976) is an American former Major League Baseball infielder. Ginter is a graduate of Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton, California.

College

Ginter attended and played baseball at Cypress College before transferring to Texas Tech University.{{Cite web|title=Cypress College professional baseball players|url=http://www.cypresscollege.edu/baseball/pro.aspx}} During his two years at Texas Tech University, Ginter was a two-time All-American and helped the Red Raiders in NCAA Regional action.{{Cite web | url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070901&content_id=2182546&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos | title=Keith Ginter 11 3B | work=MLB.com | access-date=2008-03-25 | archive-date=2012-02-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206204210/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070901&content_id=2182546&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos | url-status=dead }}

Professional career

Ginter was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 10th Round of the 1998 amateur entry draft and began his professional career playing for the Auburn Doubledays of the New York–Penn League and made his first major league appearance playing for the Astros on September 20, 2000.

In September 2002, Ginter was traded along with Wayne Franklin to Milwaukee Brewers for Mark Loretta and cash. Ginter played for the Brewers until December 2004 when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Nelson Cruz and Justin Lehr.{{Cite web

|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1947056| title=Seeking second base help, A's land Ginter | publisher=ESPN |date=2004-12-15 |access-date=2008-03-25}} During the 2004 season, Ginter had been named National League Player of the Week.{{Cite web

|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=1895087| title=Brewers IF Ginter named NL Player of the Week | publisher=ESPN |date=2004-10-06 |access-date=2008-03-25}}

Ginter split the {{Baseball year|2005}} seasons between Oakland and the team's triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats, and spent the entire {{Baseball year|2006}} season at triple-A.

On January 2, 2007, he was signed by Cleveland Indians to a minor league contract and invited to spring training, but spent the entire {{Baseball year|2007}} season playing for the Buffalo Bisons.

On December 13, 2007, he was signed by Boston Red Sox to a minor league contract, and attended the team's spring training session but was assigned to the team's minor league camp on March 19, {{Baseball year|2008}}.{{Cite web

|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/transactions/index.jsp?c_id=mlb&year=2008&month=3 | title=MLB Transactions: March 2008 | work=MLB.com |access-date=2008-03-25}} He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox on January 6, 2009. He was released by the White Sox on March 15, 2010.

On April 26, 2010, he was signed by the Orange County Flyers of the independent Golden Baseball League and was their starting third baseman for the 2010 season.

He is not related to Matt Ginter, a pitcher who pitched in the majors from 2000 to 2008.

Spring training incident

In spring training of {{Baseball year|2000}}, Ginter and five teammates from the Houston Astros organization were in a player's hotel room with a female guest when two gunmen burst in, tied them up and robbed them. The gunmen then went to the next room where Aaron Miles wrestled one of them to the ground while the other one fled. The other players involved were Morgan Ensberg, Derrek Nicholson, Mike Rose, and Eric Cole.{{Cite web

|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/02/26/2008-02-26_life_bats_first_for_morgan_ensberg.html | title=Life bats first for Morgan Ensberg | work=Daily News |author=Mark Feinsand |date=2008-02-28 |access-date=2008-03-25}}{{Cite web

|url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/031400/spo_astros.shtml | title=5 Astros robbed in hotel room | work=The Topeka Capital-Journal |date=2000-03-13 |access-date=2008-03-25}}