Frederick Wayne "Rick" Honeycutt (born June 29, 1954,
Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
) is the current pitching coach for the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The team is in the Western Division of the National League. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming the Brooklyn...
. Honeycutt was a left-handed
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
for 21 years from 1977 to 1997. He played with the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
,
Texas RangersThe Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in Texas, representing the Dallas-Ft.Worth metropolitan area. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Rangers have played in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, located in...
,
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The team is in the Western Division of the National League. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming the Brooklyn...
,
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
,
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division...
, and the
St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball...
. He pitched in 30 post-season games, including 20 league championship series games and 7 World Series games, and never lost a game, going 3-0. Honeycutt gave up zero runs in the 1988 and 1990 post-seasons, and was a member of the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series championship team.
He played for the
University of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee , sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville...
from 1973-1976, where he was an All-American first baseman-pitcher and won the
Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
batting title with a .404 mark.
Frederick Wayne "Rick" Honeycutt (born June 29, 1954,
Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
) is the current pitching coach for the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The team is in the Western Division of the National League. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming the Brooklyn...
. Honeycutt was a left-handed
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
for 21 years from 1977 to 1997. He played with the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
,
Texas RangersThe Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in Texas, representing the Dallas-Ft.Worth metropolitan area. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Rangers have played in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, located in...
,
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. The team is in the Western Division of the National League. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming the Brooklyn...
,
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
,
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division...
, and the
St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball...
. He pitched in 30 post-season games, including 20 league championship series games and 7 World Series games, and never lost a game, going 3-0. Honeycutt gave up zero runs in the 1988 and 1990 post-seasons, and was a member of the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series championship team.
He played for the
University of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee , sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville...
from 1973-1976, where he was an All-American first baseman-pitcher and won the
Southeastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in , which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
batting title with a .404 mark. He also played semi-pro for the
Chattanooga LookoutsThe Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
during the 1970s.
Honeycutt was originally drafted in the 17th round of the
1976 draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by many to be the best collegiate team ever, played a major role in the draft. Floyd Bannister was picked number one...
by the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
. After 1 1/2 seasons in their minor league system, the Pirates traded him to the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League...
in August 1977.
He made his major league debut on August 24, 1977 against the
Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League.The "Blue Jays" name originates from the bird of the same name...
. He pitched two innings of relief, struck out 3, allowed 2 hits and no runs. His first start was against the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division...
on August 31. He pitched 7.1 innings in that start, allowing 3 runs. He finished the season 0-1, but got his first victory in his first start the following year, beating the
Minnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. They have played in the Hubert H...
on April 7, 1978.
He matured into a savvy
control pitcherA control pitcher is a pitcher who succeeds mostly by using accurate pitches, as opposed to a power pitcher who relies on velocity. By issuing a below average number of bases on balls he exhibits good control of his pitches...
, being selected to the
All-StarAll-star is a term with meanings in both the worlds of sports and entertainment.-Entertainment:In the chris sense , it is used to describe the cast of a movie in which most of the speaking parts, even relatively minor ones, are played by motion picture stars who are generally associated with...
team in 1980 and 1983. Honeycutt also led the American League in ERA in 1983 with 2.42, although he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers late in the season. Converted from a starting pitcher to relief in 1988 by
OaklandThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
, he became a valuable set-up man to
Dennis EckersleyDennis Lee Eckersley , nicknamed "Eck," is a former American Major League Baseball player. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career .He...
, posting a series of sub-3.7 ERAs from 1988 through 1993.
Struggling through a 17 loss season with the Mariners in 1980, Honeycutt was caught scuffing the ball by hiding a thumbtack within a bandage on his finger. He was subsequently suspended for 10 days.
He was the oldest major league player in both 1996 and 1997.
He made 268 starts and 529 relief appearances in his career, logging 2,160 innings pitched and compiling 109 wins and 38 saves.
Following his playing career, he spent a year coaching his kids' teams before joining the Dodgers as their minor league pitching coordinator.
Honeycutt joined the Dodgers coaching staff as Pitching Coach for the 2006 season. He has also launched a sporting goods and apparel business in
Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
, which continues today.
Honeycutt and
Mariano DuncanMariano Duncan Nalasco was a second baseman and shortstop for several Major League Baseball teams during his 12 year career. He is currently the infield coach and 1st base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers-Los Angeles Dodgers:Duncan was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted free agent...
were the only holdovers from
Grady LittleWilliam Grady Little is a former manager in Major League Baseball. He guided the Boston Red Sox from to and the Los Angeles Dodgers from to...
's 2007 coaching staff to return on new Dodgers' manager
Joe TorreJoseph Paul Torre is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a former Major League Baseball player. He played for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Upon his retirement as a player, he later managed all three teams.Torre also managed the New York Yankees...
's 2008 coaching staff.
See also
External links