Rick Albert

From BR Bullpen

Richard J. Albert

BR Minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Rick Albert has been in the Atlanta Braves system as a player, coach, and manager since 1972.

Playing Career[edit]

Signing with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent, Albert hit .326/~.441/.478 for the 1972 Wytheville Braves. He scored 53 runs in 65 games and drew 44 walks. HE was 6th in the Appalachian League in batting average, but fielded .883 at shortstop. In 1973, he moved on to the Greenwood Braves and batted .261/~.410/.355. He was second in the Western Carolinas League with 88 walks, two less than leader Willie Randolph and led the loop in sacrifice hits (12) and times hit by pitch (11). He stole 15 bases in 18 tries. His fielding also was much better and his .951 fielding percentage led the WCL's shortstops. He made the league All-Star team.

In 1974, Rick split the year between Greenwood (.291/~.390/.326 in 24 games) and the Savannah Braves (.225/~.368/.297 in 40 games). In 1975, he spent some time with Savannah (.245/~.330/.294 in 31 games) but spent most of the year with the Lynchburg Rangers, where he hit .281/~.420/.364. He was 7th in the Carolina League in average and was selected to the league All-Star team at shortstop.

Back in Savannah for 1976, Albert batted .229/~.351/.300 while splitting time between short and third. His 17 sacrifice hits led the Southern League. In his last year as a player, he was a utility man for Savannah and batted .221/~.256/.326.

Albert took over for Luis Salazar as interim manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2011, after Salazar lost an eye after being hit by a foul ball in the Braves' dugout during a spring training game. He managed the team for the season's first road trip, until Salazar took back the reins for the team's home opener on April 15th. He then returned to the dugout later that year with the Rome Braves after Matt Walbeck was fired in July. On May 17, 2016, he was appointed manager of the AAA Gwinnett Braves, following the appointment of manager Brian Snitker as skipper of the major-league Atlanta Braves but stayed only for a month before giving way to John Moses. Before and after that brief stint, he was a coach for the GCL Braves.

Coaching Career[edit]

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs Notes
1982 Pulaski Braves Appalachian League 36-33 3rd Atlanta Braves
1983 Anderson Braves South Atlantic League 64-79 7th Atlanta Braves
1984 Anderson Braves South Atlantic League 61-82 9th Atlanta Braves
1988 Burlington Braves Midwest League 40-58 11th Atlanta Braves replaced Grady Little (20-22) on May 24
1997 Danville Braves Appalachian League 30-38 7th (t) Atlanta Braves
1998 GCL Braves Gulf Coast League 25-35 12th Atlanta Braves
1999 GCL Braves Gulf Coast League 27-33 10th Atlanta Braves
2000 GCL Braves Gulf Coast League 26-34 10th Atlanta Braves
2001 GCL Braves Gulf Coast League 30-30 8th Atlanta Braves
2011 Lynchburg Hillcats Carolina League 1-4 -- Atlanta Braves interim for Luis Salazar until April 15
Rome Braves South Atlantic League 32-24 11th Atlanta Braves replaced Matt Walbeck (28-56) on July 7
2016 Gwinnett Braves International League 10-13 -- Atlanta Braves replaced Brian Snitker (19-20) and John Moses (1-1) on May 19 /
replaced by John Moses on June 14

Related Sites[edit]