Ricky Bennett has been with the Houston Astros since 2005 and has held his current post as the director of professional scouting since 2010. He previously served as assistant general manager and director of player development.

Ricky assists General Manager Jeff Luhnow with all aspects of Major and minor league scouting, including player trades, waiver claims and free-agent acquisitions.

In his previous role, Ricky oversaw the club's player development system and six minor league affiliates, while also fulfilling his duties as assistant general manager. In his six seasons in this role (2005-10), 32 players from the club's minor league teams made their Major League debuts.

Prior to joining the Astros in 2005, 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 as a right-handed pitcher 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).