Greg Sparks


Joseph Gregory Sparks 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, a retired professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. Greg Sparks served as a batboy for the White Sox in 1979, 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 tall and weighed.
He worked for the Oakland Athletics' organization for 19 years, beginning in 1997, as a minor league manager and hitting coordinator. The White Sox hired him as their assistant hitting coach after the 2015 season.