Rick Sweet

Ricky Joe Sweet (born September 7, 1952) is an American former professional baseball catcher and current manager of the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. He played three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1978 and 1983 for the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners. Sweet became a major league coach in 1984 and spent two years as a scout before beginning his minor league managerial career in 1987.

Sweet has won four minor league manager of the year awards. His first was the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year Award in 1994 with the Tucson Toros. He has won the International League Manager of the Year Award three times. The first two were won back-to-back with the Louisville Bats in 2008 and 2009, while the third was won in 2022 with the Nashville Sounds. Sweet was the recipient of the Mike Coolbaugh Award in 2022.

Early life Rick Sweet was born on September 7, 1952, in Longview, Washington. After graduating from Mark Morris High School, Sweet served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War but never saw combat.

Playing career San Diego Padres (1975–1980)

Sweet was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft, but he elected not to sign and continued at Gonzaga. Splitting his time between catcher and first base, He was promoted to the Double-A Amarillo Gold Sox of the Texas League in 1976, primarily as a catcher. Coming to bat in the fifth inning, he grounded out against Jim Barr in his only plate appearance. After three more games pinch hitting, he made his first major league start at catcher on April 19 against the Houston Astros. Having split time behind the plate with Gene Tenace, he appeared in 88 games and accumulated a .221 batting average with 11 RBI by the season's end.

Seattle Mariners (1982–1983) The Seattle Mariners purchased Sweet's contract on May 21, 1982, and made him their starting catcher. Across the 1982 and 1983 seasons, he played more games behind the plate than any other Mariners' catcher, appearing in a total of 181 games, batting .238 with 46 RBI.

Coaching and managerial career After retiring as a player, Sweet was hired as the Mariners' bullpen coach for 1984. In 1985, he became an advance scout for Seattle. He remained in this position until June 1987, when he was given his first managerial post. Seattle made Sweet manager of their Class A Short Season Bellingham Mariners of the Northwest League in 1987. Though the 1994 team did not qualify for a return trip to the playoffs, Sweet was recognized as the PCL Manager of the Year. In 1996, Sweet was added to the Astros' major league coaching staff as first base coach under manager Terry Collins. After one season, he was let go along with Collins.

Sweet landed in the New York Mets organization for 1997 managing the Double-A Binghamton Mets in the Eastern League. Sweet led the team to win a second league crown in 1999 with a 3–2 defeat of the Norwich Navigators. He was promoted to the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx of the International League in 2000. Sweet won back-to-back International League Manager of the Year Awards in 2008 and 2009. From 2012 to 2013, he served as a roving catching instructor in the Reds' system.

Sweet joined the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2014 as manager of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in the PCL. which became known again as the International League in 2022. Sweet led the 2022 Sounds to a league-best 91–58 record and won the IL Manager of the Year Award for a third time. He was chosen for the 2022 Mike Coolbaugh Award in recognition for his "outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game, and skill in mentoring young players on the field."