Rangers vice president of baseball communications Rich Rice was honored Monday as the winner of the 2023 Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence.
According to MLB, the annual award goes to the “active, non-uniformed representative of Major League Baseball whose ethics, character, dedication, service, professionalism and humanitarianism best represent the standards propounded by Robert O. Fishel.” Fishel, the award’s inaugural winner, was an executive for the Yankees, Cleveland and the St. Louis Browns. He won the award in 1981 while working for the American League.
Rice recently completed his 23rd full-time season in Major League Baseball, including his 21st overall with the Rangers. Rice has spent the majority of his professional career with Texas, though he also spent two years in the Rockies' media relations department in 2006-07. Rice, a Kansas City native, began his career as a Royals clubhouse attendant from 1994-99, later serving as an intern with both the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Cubs in 2000.
Rice is the second Rangers representative to win the Fishel Award, following John Blake in 1993.
The 30 clubs and officials from the American and National Leagues submit nominees for the Fishel Award, which is voted on by active past winners and MLB officials.