Ricky Bennett Assistant General Manager/ Director of Player Development

Ricky Bennett begins his fourth season with the Houston Astros as the assistant general manager and director of player development. Ricky oversees the operation of the club's player development system and six minor league affiliates, while also fulfilling his duties as assistant general manager. In his first three seasons in Houston from 2005-07, 20 players from the club's minor league teams have made their Major League debuts. Ricky also assists General Manager Ed Wade with all aspects of Major League operations, including player trades and free-agent acquisitions, contract negotiations and coordination of Major League scouting efforts. Before joining the Astros, Ricky spent eight years with the Detroit Tigers, including serving as the club's director of minor league operations for three seasons. He first joined the Tigers front office in 1997 as the assistant to baseball operations, and was promoted to assistant director of player development and scouting in 2002. He was originally hired by the club in 1996 as an area scout in the Southeast, covering Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle. Ricky was signed by the Chicago White Sox and played five years of professional baseball, including three seasons in the White Sox farm system (1992-94). He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1992 with a degree in public administration and affairs and played for the OU baseball team, helping lead the Sooners to the 1992 College World Series. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Ricky graduated from Cincinnati's Moeller High School where he was a teammate of Ken Griffey, Jr. He was named all-state in both baseball and football in 1988 when he was runner-up for the Athlete of the Year award in the state of Ohio. He and his wife, Tracey, reside in Houston, with their two children, daughter Jessica (4/15/99), and son Ricky III (4/15/02).

< Close Window >	< Print >