Mike Sweeney Royally Sucks

Mike Sweeney

Mike is partially the reason why I am writing this blog. On ESPN.com, page 2, there is an article on the best and worst values in baseball. Basically, it gives stats for players and the amount of money they are being paid to produce those numbers this year. I was surprised that Mike Sweeney was not on the list.

Mike Sweeney is the worst value in baseball history! I will go on record saying it. I don't think it was something anyone could see coming but it is a fact. I know many people would say that Juan Gonzalez was worse, and just within Royals history. I disagree. Juan had a body built out of chewing gum and aluminum foil but he came at a bargain $4,000,000 compared to Sweeney's $11,000,000 that year. To put it in perspective, Sweeney made more that year than: Troy Glaus, Jim Edmonds, Carlos Beltran, Scott Rolen, Johnny Damon, Tino Martinez, Albert Pujols, Ivan Rodriguez, Lance Berkman, Torii Hunter, Carlos Lee, Ichiro, Alfonso Soriano, etc.... Crazy. If you look, all of those guys could field their position as well. Sweeney was splitting time with Ken Harvey at the intimidating position of first base.

Sweeney's contract ate up a lot of salary every year allowing players like Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Joe Randa (twice) to walk. Hmmm, Damon and Dye both went on to win world championships and legitimately start All-Star games. Not saying that Sweeney couldn't have signed on with a winning team, had he not gotten that big contract. Would he have been healthy when the World Series rolled around in October? Joe Randa was always the best bargain in Royals history. He loved KC, was loved by the fans, lauded by baseball writers, produced defensively and at the plate, and was paid in hotdogs and Sluggerrr plush dolls.

Sweeney is, and always has been best suited to DH. He is a worse fielder than some of our single-A prospects and he is as durable as a gas station vending machine condom. Don't get me wrong, when healthy, he is as dangerous at the plate as anyone in the game now (minus Ortiz and Guerrero). Sweeney just has been snake-bitten by the bad luck associated with the Royals since '85. He is untradeable at this point, eats up a ton of salary, has been associated steroids (fairly or unfairly), and now he is getting old.

You can tell the nice-guy antics are over. Sweeney use to be the smiling face of the organization and now he doesn't dismiss the idea of being traded. The Royals should run a promotion where the first 15,000 (hahahaha, RIGHT) fans receive commemorative milk cartons with Sweeney's face on them since no one ever sees him on the field or in the batter's box.

I use to love the guy and something in me still roots and feels for him. He has been loyal and great in the community. But $11,000,000 for an injured thirty-something DH on a losing team. Worst deal in baseball.

-BenG