# Milwaukee’s Rick Sweet Wins Mike Coolbaugh Award, St. Louis’ Gary LaRocque Wins Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/milwaukees-rick-sweet-wins-mike-coolbaugh-award-st-louis-gary-larocque-wins-sheldon-chief-bender-award/
- Published: 2022-12-06T15:45:00-06:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

**Milwaukee’s [Rick Sweet](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sweetri01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral)
Wins [Mike Coolbaugh](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/coolbmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral)
Award, St. Louis’ Gary LaRocque Wins Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award**

**SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6, 2022 —** Minor League Baseball announced the selection of Milwaukee
Brewers Minor League manager **Rick Sweet** as the recipient of the 14^(th) annual
Mike Coolbaugh Award and St. Louis Cardinals Assistant General Manager and Director
of Player Development **Gary LaRocque** as the 14^(th) winner of the Sheldon “Chief”
Bender Award.

The Mike Coolbaugh Award is presented annually to an individual who has shown outstanding
baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players 
on the field. The award was created by Minor League Baseball in 2008 to honor the
late Coolbaugh, a 17-year Minor League player who was in his first year as a coach
at the time of his passing. Coolbaugh appeared in 44 Major League games with the
Milwaukee Brewers (39 games in 2001) and St. Louis Cardinals (five games in 2002).

The Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award is presented to an individual with distinguished
service who has been instrumental in player development. The award honors Bender
as a longtime front office executive and consultant who spent 39 years with the 
Cincinnati Reds.

[[

**RICK SWEET – Mike Coolbaugh Award**
Rick Sweet, a veteran of 30 Minor League seasons
as a manager and the fifth-winningest manager in Minor League Baseball history with
2,192 wins, has been in professional baseball since 1975 when he was drafted as 
a catcher by the San Diego Padres.

Following a nine-year playing career, Sweet embarked on a storied career as a manager
and is a four-time Manager of the Year Award winner (1994 Pacific Coast League, 
2008, 2009 and 2022 International League). He was Baseball America’s Triple-A Manager
of the Year in 2010 with Louisville. Sweet has managed in the Triple-A All-Star 
Game three times (PCL in 1993 and 2003, and for the IL in 2009).

Sweet managed in the Minor Leagues with the Seattle Mariners (1987-88), Houston 
Astros (1989-95), New York Mets (1997), Montreal Expos (1998, 2000), San Diego Padres(
2001-03), Detroit Tigers (2004) and Cincinnati (2005-11). With the Brewers, Sweet
has managed Triple-A Colorado Springs (2015-18), Double-A San Antonio (2019) and
Nashville (2021-22).

His 2,192 wins are the second-most among active minor league managers, behind only
Myrtle Beach’s Buddy Bailey (2,282).

Sweet’s playing career (1975-83) included time in the big leagues with the San Diego
Padres (1978), New York Mets (1982) and Seattle Mariners (1982-83). He was first
drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 31st round of the 1974 amateur Draft but
did not sign. He was selected again the following year by the San Diego Padres in
the third round out of Gonzaga University.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to win the Mike Coolbaugh Award,” said Sweet.“
It is a true blessing to be amongst such a distinguished group of baseball professionals
and I can’t thank Minor League Baseball enough. There is no higher honor to receive
an award based on work ethic, knowledge of the game and mentoring young players.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to my family and the hundreds of players and staff
that have worked tirelessly beside me throughout my career.”

Sweet and his wife, Kimberly, have a daughter, Mary, and a son, Seth.

[[

**GARY LaROCQUE – Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award**
Gary LaRocque has 43 years of experience
in professional baseball with an emphasis in player development and scouting. He
just completed his 15th year in the Cardinals organization, where he started as 
a Senior Special Assistant to the General Manager in 2008 before ascending to his
current position prior to the 2014 season.

LaRocque’s career in professional baseball began in 1975 as a Minor League infielder
in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He entered the field of player development
in 1979 as a minor league coach and began a 19-year career in the Los Angeles Dodgers
organization. He began managing in 1981 and worked at the Rookie level, the Single-
A level and Double-A level before moving into the scouting department in 1989. LaRocque
served as an area scout and then from 1992-1997 was a regional scouting supervisor
for the Dodgers.

LaRocque then joined the New York Mets in 1998 as Scouting Director and Assistant
General Manager before being appointed Vice President of Professional Scouting in
2006.

LaRocque acquired his degree in Secondary Education (Mathematics) in 1975 from the
University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., and was elected to the Athletic 
Hall of Fame at the University of Hartford in 1993.

“Admiring all the accomplishments of Chief Bender, with his early years spent in
the Cardinals organization before his remarkable time in Cincinnati, it is humbling
to join the list of previous recipients of the award,” said LaRocque. “Chief Bender
was respected for setting the highest standards for Player Development systems and
I’m honored to have been selected, and it’s a privilege to share with our Player
Development staff and the Cardinals organization.’

LaRocque and his wife, Lynn, have a son, Chris, and a daughter, Ashley.

“Both Rick Sweet and Gary LaRocque are highly respected in the game and on behalf
of Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball, it is my pleasure to present
them with these awards,” said **Peter Woodfork**, Major League Baseball’s Senior
Vice President of Minor League Operations and Development.

**PREVIOUS MIKE COOLBAUGH AWARD WINNERS**
2008: [Bobby Jones](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=jonesbo04,jonesbo03,jones-013bob,jones-012bob&search=Bobby+Jones&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Texas Rangers2009: [Charlie Montoyo](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/montoch01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Tampa Bay Rays2010: Woody Huyke, GCL Pirates2011: Mike Jirschele, Omaha Storm Chasers2012:
[Johnny Goryl](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/goryljo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Cleveland Indians2013: Mike Guerrero, Nashville Sounds2014: [Tom Wiedenbauer](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wiedeto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Cleveland Indians2015: John Shoemaker, Los Angeles Dodgers2016: Donald “Spin” Williams,
Washington Nationals2017: Dennis Holmberg, Toronto Blue Jays2018: Steve Turco, St.
Louis Cardinals2019: Glenn “Goose” Gregson, Boston Red Sox2021: Roly de Armas, Philadelphia
Phillies

**PREVIOUS SHELDON “CHIEF” BENDER AWARD WINNERS**
2008: Jim Rantz, Minnesota Twins2009:
Keith Lieppman, Oakland Athletics2010: Mark Newman, New York Yankees2011: [Bob Gebhard](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gebhabo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Arizona Diamondbacks2012: Mitch Lukevics, Tampa Bay Rays2013: Brian Graham, Baltimore
Orioles2014: Lois Hudson, Cincinnati Reds2015: [Buddy Bell](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bellbu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Chicago White Sox2016: Dan Lunetta, Detroit Tigers2017: Grady Fuson, Oakland Athletics2018:
Steve Cobb, Arizona Fall League2019: [Junior Noboa](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/noboaju01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Arizona Diamondbacks2021: [Mike Bell](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=bellmi02,bellmi01,bell--004mik&search=Mike+Bell&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral),
Minnesota Twins

**###**

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