Greg Sparks

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Greg Sparks

| image = File:Greg Sparks on April 30, 2016.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Sparks as a coach for the Chicago White Sox in 2016

| team =

| number =

| position = Coach

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|3|31}}

| birth_place = Chandler, Arizona, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| bats = Left

| throws = Left

| teams =

Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|2016}}–{{mlby|2019}})

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Joseph Gregory Sparks (born March 31, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and a former minor league player and manager. In 2016, Sparks was named assistant hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, a position he held through 2019.

Career

Born in Chandler, Arizona, he is the son of Joe Sparks,{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/post/_/id/26365/greg-sparks-expects-white-sox-reunion-to-be-a-blast|title=Greg Sparks expects Chicago White Sox reunion to be a blast – Chicago White Sox Blog- ESPN|work=ESPN.com|date=November 12, 2015 |access-date=November 24, 2015}} a retired professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. Greg Sparks served as a batboy for the White Sox in 1979 (when his father spent part of that year on the club's coaching staff), and was present on Disco Demolition Night. He went on to attend Mesa Community College, then forge a 13-year playing career, mostly at the Double-A level. In 1992, he hit 25 home runs as a member of the London Tigers of the Eastern League. An outfielder and first baseman, he threw and batted left-handed, stood {{convert|6|ft}} tall and weighed {{convert|185|lb}}.

He worked for the Oakland Athletics' organization for 19 years, beginning in 1997, as a minor league manager and hitting coordinator.{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/ct-white-sox-greg-sparks-20151112-story.html|title=A batboy on Disco Demolition Night, Greg Sparks returns to White Sox to put offense back together|author=Chicago Tribune|date=November 12, 2015|work=chicagotribune.com|accessdate=November 24, 2015}} The White Sox hired him as their assistant hitting coach after the 2015 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/ct-white-sox-rick-renteria-greg-sparks-20151110-story.html|title=White Sox add Rick Renteria, Greg Sparks to coaching staff|author=Chicago Tribune|date=November 10, 2015|work=chicagotribune.com|accessdate=November 24, 2015}}