Ed Ricks

Edward Louis Ricks

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 200 lb.
• School Grambling State University
• Debut None (appeared on the active roster of the Yankees in 1977 but failed to get in a game)
• Born January 5, 1951 in Bastrop, LA USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Ed Ricks was drafted in the 6th round of the 1972 amateur draft by the New York Yankees. He led the 1972 Appalachian League with 97 IP, 100 H, 72 R, and 56 ER. Ricks spent 1975-1976 with the Syracuse Chiefs and was on the Yankees 1977 spring roster. The big club called him up on April 26, 1977 after Catfish Hunter went on the disabled list; Elrod Hendricks was sent down.

Ricks went back to Syracuse on May 10 before he got into a game. On April 27, the Yankees made a 3-for-1 trade with Oakland that brought Mike Torrez to New York. On April 29, manager Billy Martin expected to use Torrez against the Seattle Mariners, but Torrez was in Montreal with his wife, who was unwell. Martin (who had pulled a batting order out of a hat the previous week) had a choice: either Ed Figueroa on three days' rest, Ron Guidry, or Ricks. Guidry got the nod.

The Torrez deal opened up roster space; one spot was filled by the return of Hunter, but the Yankees chose to go with a 24-man roster. Ricks returned to the active roster that September, but did not get a chance to pitch with the Yankees that time either. He developed arm trouble and never did appear in a game at the Major League level.

Ricks pitched for the St. Lucie Legends in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989. "Baseball stays with you forever," he said in 1990, the SPBA's second season. "Why am I still here? It gets in your blood. Baseball is unique. You develop friendships. There are so many characters in this game."

In 2014, Ricks entered his sixth season as pitching coach at Academy of Art University. He is also a pitching coach at Future Pro Baseball, an academy he runs along with his old friend Terry Whitfield.

Related sites

• Daytona Beach News-Journal, November 7, 1990

• Academy of Art University page

• Future Pro Baseball page