Nick Rickles

Nicholas Jay Rickles (; born February 2, 1990) is an American-Israeli coach for the Milwaukee Brewers organization, and a former professional baseball and current Team Israel catcher.

As a high school senior, Rickles was voted Florida All-State. At Stetson University, he was named a TPX Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, and in his junior year in 2011 was named First Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference and a College Baseball All America Honorable Mention. Rickles was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 14th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.

In 2011, he was voted a New York-Pennsylvania League mid-season All Star while playing for the Vermont Lake Monsters. Rickles was voted Midwest League Player of the Week on July 29, 2013, while playing for the Beloit Snappers. He missed the entire 2014 season after suffering a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. In February 2016, Rickles signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. He played that season for the Double–A Eastern League Harrisburg Senators, and the Triple–A International League Syracuse Chiefs.

Rickles played on Team Israel during the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, the qualifying round for the 2017 World Baseball Classic in September 2016, and for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic main tournament. In 2019, Rickles became a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He played for Team Israel at the 2019 European Baseball Championship. He also played for the team at the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament in Italy in September 2019, which Israel won to qualify to play baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He was the designated hitter for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

Early and personal life Rickles was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, grew up in Loxahatchee, Florida, and is Jewish. His parents are Linda and Ken Rickles. Nick Rickles is not married. In January 2018, he launched a blog, My Life & Baseball.

High school He attended Palm Beach Gardens Community High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a senior, when Rickles became a catcher, he batted .512 (third in Palm Beach County) with an .869 slugging percentage and 5 home runs and 32 RBIs (both second in Palm Beach County), while throwing out 80% of attempted base stealers, and was voted All-State. He was voted First Team All-Conference and All-Area as both a junior and a senior, and named "Player to Watch" by the Palm Beach Post. That season he had a streak of 178 at bats without striking out, led the Stetson Hatters into the NCAA Regionals, and was named First Team All-Atlantic Sun and a College Baseball All America Honorable Mention.

Professional career Oakland Athletics Rickles was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 14th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.

He made his professional debut in 2011 playing for the Rookie Arizona League Athletics and the Low-A New York-Penn League Vermont Lake Monsters, for whom in 47 aggregate games Rickles batted .310/.370/.458 with 2 home runs and 35 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases himself in 7 attempts, while throwing out 42% of stolen base attempts.

Rickles spent the 2012 season with the Single-A Midwest League Burlington Bees, for whom he threw out 43% of attempted base stealers. Rickles returned in 2015 with the Class A-Advanced California League Stockton Ports, Midland (throwing out 46% of attempted base stealers), and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Nashville Sounds.

Philadelphia Phillies On May 25, 2017, the Nationals traded Rickles to the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .274/.310/.484 in 95 at bats and caught 44% of attempted basestealers for the Reading Fightin Phils of the Double–A Eastern League, and then played 9 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the Triple-A International League. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

On December 23, 2017, Rickles re-signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Rickles played the entire 2018 season for the IronPigs in Triple-A. Rickles batted .245/.271/.394 in 188 at bats, with 7 home runs and 26 RBI.

Through 2018, in seven minor league seasons Rickles batted .246/.279/.377 with 34 home runs and 186 RBI in 1,420 at bats, playing 355 games at catcher and 12 games at first base. Rickles only appearance in the tournament was as a late-inning defensive replacement, and he did not record any at bats.

Rickles again played for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier in September 2016. During the opening game he went 1 for 3 with a strikeout, as the DH, before being pinch hit for by Ike Davis, and Rickles did not play in the final two games.

Rickles played for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

He played for Team Israel at the 2019 European Baseball Championship. In the tournament he caught every game, batted .316/.409/.632, and was tied for second in home runs (2) and tied for third in runs (5).

He was the designated hitter for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

Coaching career In January 2019, Rickles retired as a player and became a coach for the rookie-level Rocky Mountain Vibes in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.