Rick Sofield

Rick Sofield
Outfielder
Born: (1956-12-16) December 16, 1956 (age 68)
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 6, 1979, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1981, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Batting average.243
Hits149
Home runs9
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
As player

As coach

Richard Michael Sofield (born December 16, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was the Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach from 2013 to 2016[1] and was the manager of their Class-A South Atlantic League team the West Virginia Power during the 2012 season.

Early life

Sofield was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming but moved to Morris Plains, New Jersey as a child. In New Jersey, he played multiple sports and was offered a scholarship to play college football at Michigan but turned it down in order to pursue a professional baseball career.[2]

Playing career

A first round draft pick (13th overall)[3] of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft, Sofield played for the Minnesota Twins from 1979 to 1981, appearing in 207 games and recording 612 at bats for a career average of .243.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, he became the assistant baseball coach at the University of South Carolina and later the head coach at the University of Utah (1988–1994). After leaving Utah, he was a minor league manager for the Harrisburg Senators, Las Vegas 51s, and Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Sofield with the Pittsburgh Pirates

He served as the head baseball coach at USC Beaufort and worked extensively with Baseball Factory, a player development and scouting service. His final day with USCB was Monday, November 14, 2011. Sofield's record with the NAIA Sand Sharks over three seasons was 101–56. In 2011, USCB was ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Top 25, the highest spot in program history.[4]

Sofield and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle first met in 1975 in the minor leagues and have stayed friends ever since. Sofield also previously worked with Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, assistant general manager Kyle Stark, Triple-A Indianapolis manager Dean Treanor, and pitching coordinator Jim Benedict.[5] He served as a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates under Hurdle from 2013 to 2016[1][5] In February 2018, Rick accepted the head varsity coaching position at Hilton Head Preparatory School, in HHI, SC.

References

  1. ^ a b "Pirates hire Jay Bell as hitting coach". TribLIVE. October 31, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  2. ^ Fowler, Bob (April 3, 1979). "Fate deals Twins' Sofield a chance at the big time". The Minneapolis Star. p. 14C. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Rick Sofield Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  4. ^ USCB Press Release
  5. ^ a b Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Sporting positions
Preceded by Colorado Springs Sky Sox Manager
2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach
2013-2016 		Succeeded by