The Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team has played in Nashville, Tennessee, since being established in 1978 as an expansion team of the Double-A Southern League. [1] They moved up to Triple-A in 1985 as members of the American Association before joining the Pacific Coast League in 1998. [1] With the restructuring of the minor leagues in 2021, they were placed in the Triple-A East, which became the International League in 2022. [2] [3] In the 2024 season, the Sounds' coaching staff was led by manager Rick Sweet and included Al LeBoeuf (hitting), Patrick McGuff (pitching and bullpen), Eric Theisen (hitting), David Tufo (bench), and Ned Yost IV (general). [4] [5]
Six former Sounds players later served as coaches for the team. Wayne Garland of the 1982 starting rotation returned as pitching coach from 1987 to 1988. [6] Don Cooper, who pitched out of the bullpen in 1980, served as pitching coach from 1994 to 1996. [7] Reliever Steve Wilson retired from the Sounds during the 1995 season and became the team's pitching coach. [8] Fred Dabney, a reliever on the 1993 team, returned to coach pitchers from 2012 to 2014. [9] Éric Gagné, who made two major league rehabilitation starts in 2008, served as bullpen coach in 2019. [10] Jim Henderson, a reliever from 2011 to 2012 and in 2014, returned to the Sounds as pitching coach in 2021. [11] Outfielder Gene Roof (1986) and catcher Buddy Pryor (1987) were player-coaches who coached hitting while also playing on the team. Two coaches also managed the Nashville club. Pitching coach Wayne Garland filled in as interim manager for three games in 1988 after the dismissal of manager Jack Lind. [12] Richie Hebner, who was the hitting coach from 1998 to 2000, became the team's manager for the second half of the 2000 season when Trent Jewett was hired as the Pittsburgh Pirates' third base coach. [13] Four coaches have been selected to participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game: Stan Kyles (2006), Rich Gale (2011), Bob Skube (2014), and Rick Rodriguez (2017). [14] [15]
Pat Dobson's 1980 to 1981 pitching staffs had a 3.18 earned run average (ERA), the lowest recorded under all pitching coaches. Darold Knowles (2001–2004) and Stan Kyles (2005–2008) are the longest-tenured pitching coaches, having each served four full seasons. Hitting coaches Jeff Livesey (2001) and Sandy Guerrero (2009–2011) led their hitters to batting averages of .276, the highest under all hitting coaches. Al LeBoeuf (2012, 2021–2024), who coached hitting for five seasons, is the longest-serving hitting coach.
No. | A running total of the number of Sounds coaches. Thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms is only counted once. |
---|---|
W% | Team winning percentage: number of wins divided by number of games coached in the regular-season |
ERA | Team earned run average: earned runs divided by innings pitched times nine |
SO | Team strikeouts |
BA | Team batting average: hits divided by at bats |
HR | Team home runs |
RBI | Team runs batted in |
* | Player-coach |
† | All-Star while coaching the Sounds |
No. | Coach | Season(s) | Wins | Losses | W% | ERA | SO | Ref(s). | Stat ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | None | 1978–1979 | 147 | 138 | .516 | 3.32 | 1,630 | [18] | [19] [20] |
1 | Pat Dobson | 1980–1981 | 178 | 108 | .622 | 3.18 | 1,804 | [21] [22] | [23] [24] |
2 | Hoyt Wilhelm | 1982–1984 | 239 | 198 | .547 | 3.73 | 2,357 | [25] | [26] [27] [28] |
3 | Roger Craig [p 1] | 1985 | 71 | 70 | .504 | 3.84 | 783 | [29] | [30] |
4 | John Hiller [p 2] | 1986 | 68 | 74 | .479 | 4.25 | 755 | [31] | [32] |
5 | Wayne Garland | 1987–1988 | 137 | 145 | .486 | 3.89 | 1,833 | [33] | [34] [35] |
6 | Ray Rippelmeyer | 1989–1990 | 160 | 133 | .546 | 3.52 | 1,784 | [36] [37] | [38] [39] |
7 | Don Gullett | 1991 | 65 | 78 | .455 | 3.77 | 886 | [40] | [41] |
8 | Frank Funk | 1992 | 67 | 77 | .465 | 3.82 | 1,033 | [42] | [43] |
9 | Rick Peterson [p 3] | 1993–1994 | 164 | 123 | .571 | 3.70 | 1,951 | [44] [45] | [46] [47] |
10 | Kirk Champion [p 4] | 1994 | 83 | 61 | .576 | 3.53 | 1,041 | [48] | [47] |
11 | Don Cooper [p 4] | 1994 | 83 | 61 | .576 | 3.53 | 1,041 | [48] | [47] |
12 | Dewey Robinson [p 5] | 1994 | 83 | 61 | .576 | 3.53 | 1,041 | [48] | [47] |
— | Don Cooper [p 6] | 1995 | 68 | 76 | .472 | 4.04 | 931 | [50] | [51] |
13 | Steve Wilson [p 7] | 1995 | 68 | 76 | .472 | 4.04 | 931 | [52] | [51] |
— | Don Cooper | 1996 | 77 | 67 | .535 | 3.77 | 880 | [53] | [54] |
— | Kirk Champion | 1997 | 74 | 69 | .517 | 4.64 | 881 | [55] | [56] |
14 | Bruce Tanner | 1998–1999 | 147 | 136 | .519 | 4.73 | 1,894 | [57] [58] | [59] [60] |
15 | Jim Bibby | 2000 | 63 | 79 | .444 | 4.80 | 854 | [61] | [62] |
16 | Darold Knowles | 2001–2004 | 280 | 289 | .492 | 4.32 | 3,961 | [63] [64] | [65] [66] [67] [68] |
17 | Stan Kyles † | 2005–2008 | 299 | 273 | .523 | 4.13 | 4,327 | [69] | [70] [71] [72] [73] |
18 | Chris Bosio [p 8] | 2009 | 75 | 69 | .521 | 4.25 | 882 | [74] | [75] |
19 | Jim Rooney [p 9] | 2009 | 75 | 69 | .521 | 4.25 | 882 | [76] | [75] |
20 | Rich Gale † [p 10] | 2010 | 77 | 67 | .535 | 4.27 | 938 | [78] | [79] |
21 | Bill Castro [p 11] | 2010 | 77 | 67 | .535 | 4.27 | 938 | [77] | [79] |
— | Rich Gale † [p 12] | 2011 | 71 | 73 | .493 | 4.27 | 1,003 | [15] | [80] |
— | Bill Castro [p 13] | 2011 | 71 | 73 | .493 | 4.27 | 1,003 | [15] | [80] |
— | Chris Bosio [p 14] | 2011 | 71 | 73 | .493 | 4.27 | 1,003 | [81] | [80] |
22 | Fred Dabney | 2012–2014 | 201 | 231 | .465 | 4.22 | 3,353 | [82] | [83] [84] [85] |
23 | Don Schulze | 2015 | 66 | 78 | .458 | 3.95 | 1,037 | [86] | [87] |
24 | Rick Rodriguez † | 2016–2018 | 223 | 198 | .530 | 3.92 | 3,279 | [88] | [89] [90] [91] |
25 | Brian Shouse | 2019 | 66 | 72 | .478 | 5.48 | 1,158 | [92] | [93] |
— | Brendan Sagara [p 15] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | [95] | — |
26 | Jim Henderson | 2021 | 65 | 56 | .529 | 4.16 | 1,108 | [96] | [97] |
27 | Jeremy Accardo [p 16] | 2022–2024 | 252 | 191 | .569 | 4.30 | 4,216 | [98] | [99] [100] [101] |
28 | Patrick McGuff [p 17] | 2024–present | 78 | 68 | .534 | 4.40 | 1,286 | [5] | [101] |
No. | Coach | Season(s) | BA | HR | RBI | Ref(s). | Stat ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
— | None | 1978–1979 | .256 | 108 | 977 | [18] | [19] [20] |
1 | Ed Napoleon | 1980–1982 | .270 | 273 | 1,922 | [102] | [23] [24] [26] |
2 | Dick Sisler [h 1] | 1983 | .272 | 100 | 650 | [104] | [27] |
3 | Jim Saul [h 1] | 1983–1984 | .268 | 199 | 1,244 | [103] [105] | [27] [28] |
— | None | 1985 | .252 | 96 | 521 | [106] | [30] |
4 | Gene Roof * | 1986 | .274 | 85 | 600 | [107] | [32] |
5 | Jim Lett [h 2] | 1987 | .257 | 75 | 535 | [108] | [34] |
6 | Buddy Pryor* [h 3] | 1987 | .257 | 75 | 535 | [109] | [34] |
— | None | 1988–1990 | .253 | 246 | 1,594 | [110] [111] [112] | [35] [38] [39] |
— | Jim Lett | 1991–1992 | .255 | 199 | 1,086 | [113] | [41] [43] |
7 | Roger LaFrancois | 1993–1996 | .264 | 527 | 2,482 | [114] | [46] [47] [51] [54] |
8 | Von Joshua | 1997 | .269 | 153 | 659 | [55] | [56] |
9 | Richie Hebner [h 4] | 1998–2000 | .273 | 482 | 2,049 | [13] [58] | [59] [60] [62] |
10 | Dave Clark [h 5] | 2000 | .258 | 138 | 639 | [13] | [62] |
11 | Jeff Livesey | 2001 | .276 | 130 | 616 | [115] | [65] |
12 | Curtis Wilkerson | 2002 | .262 | 110 | 608 | [116] | [66] |
13 | Jay Loviglio | 2003 | .266 | 116 | 585 | [63] | [67] |
— | Jeff Livesey | 2004 | .272 | 180 | 642 | [115] | [68] |
14 | Gary Pettis | 2005–2006 | .269 | 272 | 1,279 | [117] | [70] [71] |
15 | Harry Spilman | 2007–2008 | .267 | 278 | 1,267 | [118] | [72] [73] |
16 | Sandy Guerrero | 2009–2011 | .276 | 394 | 1,978 | [119] | [75] [79] [80] |
17 | Al LeBoeuf | 2012 | .259 | 119 | 507 | [120] | [83] |
18 | Bob Skube † | 2013–2014 | .260 | 249 | 1,145 | [121] [122] | [84] [85] |
19 | Webster Garrison | 2015 | .265 | 84 | 548 | [86] | [87] |
20 | Eric Martins | 2016–2018 | .261 | 408 | 1,864 | [88] | [89] [90] [91] |
21 | Howard Johnson | 2019 | .261 | 179 | 658 | [92] | [93] |
— | Chase Lambin [h 6] | 2020 | — | — | — | [95] | — |
— | Al LeBoeuf | 2021–2024 | .254 | 621 | 2,778 | [4] | [97] [99] [100] [101] |
22 | Eric Theisen | 2024–2024 | .244 | 133 | 688 | [4] | [101] |
No. | Coach | Season(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Geno Petralli | 2019 | [92] |
2 | David Tufo | 2024–present | [4] |
No. | Coach | Season(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Éric Gagné | 2019 | [92] |
2 | Patrick McGuff | 2023–present | [123] |
No. | Coach | Season(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
— | Tyler Graham [o 1] | 2020 | [95] |
1 | Ned Yost IV | 2021–present | [96] |
2 | Liu Rodríguez | 2023 | [123] |
Coach | Season(s) | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Sean Isaac | 2022 | Development coach | [98] |
The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry, specifically the "Nashville sound", a subgenre of country music which originated in the city in the mid-1950s. The team plays their home games at First Horizon Park, which opened in 2015 on the site of the historic Sulphur Dell ballpark. The Sounds previously played at Herschel Greer Stadium from its opening in 1978 until the end of the 2014 season. They are the oldest active professional sports franchise in Nashville.
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Ricky Joe Sweet 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.
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The Redbirds–Sounds rivalry is a Minor League Baseball rivalry between Tennessee's two Triple-A baseball teams, the Memphis Redbirds and the Nashville Sounds. The teams compete in the West Division of the International League. Their games are played at Memphis' AutoZone Park and Nashville's First Horizon Park. From 2012 to 2015, the rivalry was incorporated into a promotion called the I-40 Cup Series.
The Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team was established in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1978, after Larry Schmittou and a group of investors purchased the rights to operate an expansion franchise of the Double-A Southern League. The Sounds played their home games at Herschel Greer Stadium from its opening in 1978 until the end of the 2014 season. In 2015, the Sounds left Greer for First Tennessee Park, now known as First Horizon Park, a new facility located on the site of the historic Sulphur Dell ballpark, home to Nashville's minor league teams from 1885 to 1963.
Nashville, Tennessee, has hosted Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams since the late 19th century but has never been home to a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. The city's professional baseball history dates back to 1884 with the formation of the Nashville Americans, who were charter members of the original Southern League in 1885 and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later renamed Athletic Park and Sulphur Dell. This ballpark was the home of Nashville's minor league teams through 1963. Of the numerous clubs to play there, the best-known and longest-operating was the Nashville Vols, who competed from 1901 to 1963, primarily in the Southern Association.