Rick Sweet

Infobox MLB retired
name=Rick Sweet
position=Catcher


bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1952|9|7
city-state|Longview|Washington
debutdate=April 8
debutyear=by|1978
debutteam=San Diego Padres
finaldate=October 2
finalyear=by|1983
finalteam=Seattle Mariners
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.234
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=6
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=57
teams=
*San Diego Padres (1978)
*New York Mets (1982)
*Seattle Mariners (1982-83)

Ricky Joe Sweet is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played three seasons in the majors between by|1978 and by|1983, and has since had a long career as minor and major league coach and minor league manager. He is currently the manager of the Louisville Bats, the top farm club of the Cincinnati Reds.

Playing career

Sweet was drafted in the 3rd round of the secondary phase of the [1975 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Diego Padres. He spent six seasons in their organization, including one full season with the major league club in 1978, when he split time behind the plate with Gene Tenace. He batted .221 in 88 games, but in by|1979 he was replaced by Bill Fahey, who had been acquired from the Texas Rangers.

After two seasons with the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders minor league team, Sweet's contract was purchased from the Padres by the New York Mets. He spent another full season at Triple-A in by|1981, this time with the Tidewater Tides, then opened the by|1982 with the Mets. He played just three games in the first six weeks of the season before having his contract sold to the Seattle Mariners, where he was made their starting catcher.

In both 1982 and 1983, Sweet played more games behind the plate than any other Mariners' catcher, appearing in a total of 181 games, batting .238. In November of 1983, the Mariners acquired catcher Bob Kearney from the Oakland Athletics in a trade, and Sweet was released in March. Rather than return to the minor leagues, Sweet retired, and was named the Mariners' bullpen coach.

Post-playing career

After spending by|1984 as a Mariners coach, he was moved into the scouting department for the next two seasons. In by|1987, Sweet was named to his first managerial post, with the Bellingham Mariners of the Northwest League. He spent one more season managing in the Seattle organization with the Wausau Timbers, then moved to the Houston Astros system to manage the Osceola Astros.

Over the next seven seasons, Sweet moved his way up the Astros chain. In by|1993, while managing the Triple-A Tucson Toros, he won his first championship, as the Toros won the Pacific Coast League title. By by|1996, he was named to the Astros' coaching staff under manager Terry Collins. After one season as Houston's first base coach, he was let go along with Collins, and landed in the New York Mets organization for by|1997.

After a season managing the Binghamton Mets, Sweet changed organizations once more, moving on to manage the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A farm team of the Montreal Expos. In by|1998, Sweet won his second league championship as a manager, leading Harrisburg to the Eastern League title.

Over the next several years, Sweet continued to manage, moving from the Expos organization to the Padres' system in by|2001, the Detroit Tigers system for a season in by|2004, and then finally the Reds' organization in by|2005, when he was named to his current position as manager of their Triple-A farm team, the Louisville Bats. In by|2008, the Bats finished tied for first, but lost in the first round of the International League playoffs.

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