Rick Sweet Named International League Manager of the Year

[Seth Stohs]

From the Sounds... Congratulations Rick Sweet! 

 

RICK SWEET NAMED INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Nashville skipper led team to division title, 91 wins 

NASHVILLE – Minor League Baseball announced today that Rick Sweet has been named International League Manager of the Year as part of the 2022 Triple-A All-Star Teams and League Awards. Votes were cast by league managers.

Sweet led Nashville to the International West Division Championship with a 91-58 record and an appearance in the International League Championship Game. The Sounds were the only team in Minor League Baseball to surpass 90 wins in 2022.

Sweet has tallied 2,192 wins as a minor league manager, the fifth-most in the history of Minor League Baseball. In three seasons (2014, 2021-22) as Nashville’s manager, Sweet is 238-176. His .575 winning percentage is the second-best in franchise history among managers with at least two seasons at the helm.

The Manager of the Year award is the fifth of Sweet’s career. He was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year in 1994, International League Manager of the Year in 2008 and 2009 and Baseball America’s Manager of the Year in 2010.

Sweet is the sixth Sounds manager in franchise history to garner a Manager of the Year award. Prior winners include Steve Scarsone in 2016 (Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year), Frank Kremblas in 2007 (PCL Manager of the Year), Rick Renick in 1996 and 1993 (American Association Manager of the Year) and Carl “Stump” Merrill in 1980 (Southern League Manager of the Year). 

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. The 2023 season begins at home on Friday, March 31 against the Louisville Bats. Season ticket memberships are available now. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Well deserved! What 'Sweetie' (as Jeff Hem, and surely others, call him) and his staff did throughout the season was nothing short of phenomenal. They dealt with injuries; massive call-up activity; releases and trades; and a late-season mass-promotion from Biloxi. They handled the players with professionalism and class. The end result was their late playoff push and absolutely unfortunate final game versus Durham in Vegas. I said it at the time, that was probably only their 3rd (off the top of my head) clunker all season. It just came at the absolute worst time in with the highest stakes. They all deserved better. Unfortunately, there are no mulligans in professional sports.

This 'clunker', of course, came after 'must win' games for a  over a month as Columbus, and then the Toledo Mudhens and their insane winning streak, charged hard and fast for that pole position.  The Sounds never flinched. They always rebounded. Every player made an impact at different times. They revitalized so many Minor League AAAA veterans and they mixed in youthful upside with aplomb. I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting 2023.

[Mass Haas]

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