Rick Ray Mathews (born 1947) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

and former

bullpen coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decision ...

for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

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(MLB).

Education and early career

In 1969, Mathews graduated from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

, where he was a pitcher on the Drake baseball team. He was a high school and junior college baseball coach, as well as a part-time scout for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

(1971–74) and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

(1974–77). Notable members of the high school team he coached in Cincinnati Iowa include Michael Baughman. He then became a minor league manager in the Kansas City organization, with posts in Charleston (1981), Ft. Myers (1982–83),

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

(1984) and

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...

(1987). He also was Kansas City's Assistant Director of Player Development (1985–86). From 1988 to 1990, Mathews was the Royals' traveling minor league instructor. Mathews joined the Rockies in the summer of 1992 as the pitching coach at

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...

of the Arizona Rookie League. He was then slated to work at Bend the following season but coached in the big league bullpen for most of the year. He was Colorado's bullpen coach for a large portion of the inaugural season of 1993 and then again in 1995. He then spent seven years as Colorado's roving minor league pitching coordinator before his third stint on the Rockies' Major League staff.

Current career

Mathews is currently a pro scout for the Rockies based in

Centerville, Iowa Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,412 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,924 in 2000. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville's coal mining industry attracted ...

. During a ceremony at city hall on Friday morning, November 9, 2007, Mayor Greg Fenton proclaimed “Rick Mathews Day” in Centerville.

References

External links

Colorado Rockies profile
{{Template:Memphis Chicks (Southern league) managers Memphis Chicks (Southern League) managers 1947 births Living people Colorado Rockies (baseball) coaches Colorado Rockies scouts Eugene Emeralds managers Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Indian Hills Warriors baseball players Drake Bulldogs baseball players People from Centerville, Iowa