By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
After a seven-season professional baseball career since debuting in the Oakland Athletics' system in 2011, Philadelphia Phillies minor-league catcher Nick Rickles announced on Twitter Wednesday evening that he is retiring as a player to join the Milwaukee Brewers organization as coach.
We're starting the countdown of our Top 10 most-viewed videos of 2018 with this @NickRickles walk-off winner in Game 3 of the ILDS.
No @DinoBamBino1124's were harmed in the making of this video. pic.twitter.com/pBTl2hSj5N
— IronPigs (@IronPigs) December 21, 2018
"This isn’t a goodbye. It’s more of a see you later, except with turf shoes on and a coaching mindset," Rickles tweeted, as part of the following complete letter:
Dear Baseball,
You are the definition of love/hate, but man do I love you. Started at 6 years old hitting off a tee in my backyard, to hitting wiffle balls in my friend’s driveway, to playing in front of 50,000 fans in the World Baseball Classic in Japan.
You took me to every state in the United States and other places all around the world. You gave me friendships that I will cherish forever, life lessons that I will teach my daughter and knowledge I will share with my peers.
Baseball, you have taught me how to love, how to fight for myself, how to chase my dreams, how to achieve them and how to stand up for what I believe in, you taught me how to be a teammate, a friend, a fan… but now, it’s time for you to teach me how to be a coach.
You have given me memories that I will share for a lifetime, stories that most would not believe, and a thick skin. This isn’t a goodbye. It’s more of a see you later, except with turf shoes on and a coaching mindset.
I want to thank the organizations and coaches I’ve come across through my playing career. @Athletics for drafting me, the first organization to believe in me. I want to thank @Nationals for taking a chance on me when no one else would, and I want to thank @Phillies for treating me like family later in my career. Now I want to thank the @Brewers , for believing in my knowledge, personality, and commitment enough to bring me into their organization as a Coach.
It is not known what specific role and at what level Rickles will be coaching for the Brewers.
Rickles, 29, appeared in 58 games with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs last season, slashing .245/.271/.394 over 199 plate appearances with seven doubles, seven home runs, 26 RBI, seven walks and 43 strikeouts. The Phillies acquired the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native from the Washington Nationals in late May 2017.
