Yardbarker: Mark Sweeney

2008 Season In Review: Left Fielders

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:28:15 -0500

Manny Ramirez

When he was first acquired, I warned everybody not to fall in love with his immense talent. Still, the guy went above and beyond even my wildest expectations. He hit. He united the clubhouse. He made watching the Dodgers fun (even for me). Heck, the guy even fielded well.

I ...

As of 12:01am ET, MLB Free Agency Season Arrives. Here's the Complete List

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:09:46 -0500

As of 12:01am ET, clubs may now negotiate with the 171 players that filed for free agency this year. Big revenue making clubs will undoubtedly throw huge sums of cash at the likes of Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and Francisco Rodriguez.Clubs with the most players that filed for FA? For the American League, it's Boston with 9. For the National League, it's 11 for the Mets.Here is your complete listing of all those who filed between Thursday, October 30, and Thursday, November 13, pursuant to Article XX B (2) of the Basic Agreement. The last two that filed on Thursday should be familiar: Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks, and A.J. Burnett of the Blue Jays.AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (4) -- Juan Castro, ss; Alex Cintron, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Jay Payton, of.BOSTON (9) -- Paul Byrd, rhp; Sean Casey, 1b; Bartolo Colon, rhp; Alex Cora, ss; Mark Kotsay, of; David Ross, c; Curt Schilling, rhp; Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c.CHICAGO (6) -- Orlando Cabrera, ss; Joe Crede, 3b; Ken Griffey Jr., of; Toby Hall, c; Horacio Ramirez, lhp; Juan Uribe, 3b.CLEVELAND (4) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Scott Elarton, rhp; Sal Fasano, c; Juan Rincon, rhp.DETROIT (7) -- Kyle Farnsworth, rhp; Casey Fossum, lhp; Freddy Garcia, rhp; Todd Jones, rhp; Edgar Renteria, ss; Kenny Rogers, lhp; Vance Wilson, c.KANSAS CITY (1) -- Mark Grudzielanek, 2b.LOS ANGELES (6) -- Garret Anderson, of; Jon Garland, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Juan Rivera, of; Francisco Rodriguez, rhp; Mark Teixeira, 1b.MINNESOTA (4) -- Adam Everett, ss; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Nick Punto, ss; Dennys Reyes, lhp.NEW YORK (8) -- Bobby Abreu, of; Jason Giambi, 1b; Chad Moeller, c; Mike Mussina, rhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Andy Pettitte, lhp; Sidney Ponson, rhp; Ivan Rodriguez, c.OAKLAND (4) -- Emil Brown, of; Alan Embree, lhp; Keith Foulke, rhp; Frank Thomas, dh.SEATTLE (3) -- Willie Bloomquist, of; Miguel Cairo, inf; Raul Ibanez, of.TAMPA BAY (4) -- Rocco Baldelli, dh; Cliff Floyd, dh; Eric Hinske, of; Trever Miller, lhp.TEXAS (4) -- Milton Bradley, dh; Jason Jennings, rhp; Ramon Vazquez, 3b; Jamey Wright, rhp.TORONTO (4) -- A.J. Burnett, rhp; John Parrish, lhp; Brad Wilkerson, of; Gregg Zaun, c.NATIONAL LEAGUEARIZONA (7) -- Tony Clark, 1b; Juan Cruz, rhp; Adam Dunn, of; David Eckstein, ss; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Randy Johnson, lhp; Brandon Lyon, rhp.ATLANTA (8) -- Elmer Dessens, rhp; Tom Glavine, lhp; Mike Hampton, lhp; Jorge Julio, rhp; Greg Norton, of; Will Ohman, lhp; John Smoltz, rhp; Julian Tavarez, rhp.CHICAGO (8) -- Henry Blanco, c; Ryan Dempster, rhp; Jim Edmonds, of; Chad Fox, rhp; Bob Howry, rhp; Jon Lieber, rhp; Daryle Ward, 1b; Kerry Wood, rhp.CINCINNATI (9) -- Jeremy Affeldt, lhp; Paul Bako, c; Josh Fogg, rhp; Jerry Hairston Jr., of; Mike Lincoln, rhp; Kent Mercker, lhp; Corey Patterson, of; Javier Valentin, c; David Weathers, rhp.COLORADO (6) -- Brian Fuentes, lhp; Matt Herges, rhp; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Adam Melhuse, c; Scott Podsednik, of; Glendon Rusch, lhp.FLORIDA (4) -- Luis Gonzalez, of; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Paul Lo Duca, c; Arthur Rhodes, lhp,HOUSTON (4) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Doug Brocail, rhp; Mark Loretta, 2b; Randy Wolf, lhp.LOS ANGELES (14) -- Joe Beimel, lhp; Gary Bennett, c; Casey Blake, 3b; Rafael Furcal, ss; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Jason Johnson, rhp; Jeff Kent, 2b; Derek Lowe, rhp; Greg Maddux, rhp; Pablo Ozuna; Chan Ho Park, rhp; Brad Penny, rhp; Manny Ramirez, of; Mark Sweeney, 1b.MILWAUKEE (10) -- Russell Branyan, 3b; Craig Counsell, 3b; Ray Durham, 2b; Eric Gagne, rhp; Gabe Kapler, of; Mike Lamb, 3b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; CC Sabathia, lhp; Ben Sheets, rhp; Brian Shouse, lhp.NEW YORK (11) -- Moises Alou, of; Tony Armas Jr., rhp; Luis Ayala, rhp; Damion Easley, 2b; Orlando Hernandez, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramon Martinez, 2b; Trot Nixon, of; Oliver Perez, lhp; Ricardo Rincon, lhp; Matt Wise, rhp.PHILADELPHIA (4) -- Pat Burrell, of; Tom Gordon, rhp; Jamie Moyer, lhp; Rudy Seanez, rhp.PITTSBURGH (4) -- Chris Gomez, 3b; Jason Michaels, of; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Luis Rivas, ss..ST. LOUIS (8) -- Juan Encarnacion, of; Jason Isringhausen, rhp; Cesar Izturis, ss; Braden Looper, rhp; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Mark Mulder, lhp; Russ Springer, rhp; Ron Villone, lhp.SAN DIEGO (2) -- Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Mark Prior, rhp.SAN FRANCISCO (2) -- Rich Aurilia, 1b; Omar Vizquel, ss.WASHINGTON (2) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Odalis Perez, lhp. lhpSource: MLBPA Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.

2008 Season In Review: First Basemen

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:34:20 -0500

First base is a position that people heavily associate with power hitters, and the Dodgers were hoping that James Loney's power had finally emerged late in the 2007 season. Unfortunately, the power surge never continued into 2008, and everybody is now left wondering whether it will ever come. Loney's still 24, but his line of .289/.338/.434/.772 is simply unacceptable for a first baseman on a contending team. His OPS was 20th out of 24 qualifying MLB first basemen, and his value in other metrics didn't fair much better. He was 19th in RC (81), 19th in VORP (17.0), and was a paltry 3.50 bRAA. I'm sorry, but that's simply not acceptable production from a first baseman. I still have high hopes for Loney, but I think some people set the bar much too high after his 2007. I know I wasn't...

Stories From The Clubhouse And The Importance Of Kuo

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:03:16 -0500

According to a story by T.J. Simers, Jeff Kent is still a real piece of work. "JIM BELUSHI not only made good on his losing wager on the Cubs, sending a check to Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, but significantly increased his donation. The Dodgers, meanwhile, briefly thought about voting a share of playoff money for Page 2 with it all going to Mattel's -- the emphasis on 'briefly.' Derek Lowe raised it at the players-only meeting, but said he got the 'stink eye' from Jeff Kent, and that was that. 'We were there for you,' said Sweeney. 'Talk to Kent.' Now why would anyone want to do that?" You can't make this...

Furcal to Royals?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:13:36 -0500

The Royals have been unsuccessful in their pursuit for help in the past two offseasons, and they are ready to come back and make some moves in 2008. While going after CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira would be nice, Royals GM Dayton Moore has the money to spend on a couple second tier free agents. That could mean going after shortstop Rafael Furcal, along with pitcher Jon Garland or Braden Looper. Maybe Moore will focus in on hitting and attempt to land Furcal and Raul Ibanez, while choosing to upgrade the bottom end of the rotation with a starter like Mark Hendrickson.

The Royals certainly have some pieces to make a good team, but it needs to be helped by a couple solid veterans, bullpen, and bench depth. If they could add a pitch hit specialist like Mark Sweeney or Daryle Ward, that would put them in good shape on the bench. As for the bullpen, they could take a gamble on struggling reliever Bob Howry, who has a career 3.64 ERA. Dayton Moore is very aware of the situation and will likely spend his money carefully and wisely.

A...Winning...Streak?

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:08:07 -0500

Okay, so two games isn't really a winning streak, but i'll take anything at this point.

For those who haven't noticed, Andre Ethier is playing great since he took over regular playing duties from Juan Pierre. On August 11th, Joe Torre named Andre the starting right fielder. Since then, all Ethier has done is put up a line of .286/.337/.636/.973. And while the power numbers are bound to come down to reality a little bit, the chances of Juan Pierre ever putting up a line like that is about the same as a quadrapelgic Nigerian midget genie falling out of the sky and granting me 3 wishes. Slim.

In other news, Jeff Kent is going to have surgery on his knee.

"Second baseman Jeff Kent will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, but the Dodgers actually expect him back before September is over, at least in a pinch-hitting role."

The article also mentions that Chin Lung Hu is being called up as a response. Not that it really matters anyway, since rosters expand today.

As far as Kent goes, it sucks to lose his bat to injury, but the dude was basically a DH that was forced to play in the field. And other than an extremely hot bat for a few weeks, he generally stunk it up offensively this year too. So while it could be a pretty big blow, if the Dodgers manage to insert a superior defender who can contribute a decent offensive punch, they may not miss Kent as much as people think. Well, at least the pitching staff won't.

In that same article, there's also a bit of potentially disasterous news:

"So the front office spent part of Sunday trying to make a waiver deal for a middle infielder. One intriguing fit could be San Francisco's Omar Vizquel, particularly because of Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti's relationship with San Francisco GM Brian Sabean. Colletti was Sabean's assistant for 12 years."

WHAT THE FUCK?! Did I take a DeLorean back to 1999 or something? Jesus, my head just exploded. Okay, it doesn't even confirm that the Dodgers are pursuing him, but the guy has an OPS of fucking .466, so please allow me a little time for overreaction here. Plus, you have to take the rumor somewhat seriously, especially when you consider that Vizquel is the exact type of guy that Uncle Ned loves to acquire.

There's also good and bad news regarding the guys coming back to the team for September.

"The Dodgers will recall pitchers Eric Stults and James McDonald and outfielder Jason Repko from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday, when rosters expand to 40.

In addition, outfielders Andruw Jones and Delwyn Young and pitcher Scott Proctor will return from Minor League rehab assignments and are expected to be activated off the 15-day disabled list."

I think they just forgot to mention Clayton Kershaw, who is still scheduled to make his start on Tuesday.

Anyway, so besides Kershaw, the good news is that I finally get to see what James McDonald can do on the major league level. The bad news is that now Torre has the temptation of an activated Andruw Jones and Scott Proctor sitting in the dugout again. Seriously though, if Jones ever gets another start in center field on this team, I just may drown in my own tears. I equate it to what happens everytime I see Mark Sweeney stepping up to the plate to pinch hit with runners on 2nd and 3rd: a little piece of my soul dies.

Down On The Farm: End Of The Season

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:18:07 -0500

Since I want to think as little as possible about how the major league club is currently doing, this 'Down On The Farm' is quite long. Enjoy.

Ivan DeJesus|SS|AA|21-I was high on him coming into this year, but he has since surpassed even my expectations. DeJesus has maintained his high OBP (.413), but he's now hitting the ball harder with more consistency (17.9 LD%).

The most impressive part about his development is the recent increase in power. For the month of August, DeJesus has already hit 3 home runs, which eclipses his total for all the other previous months combined. He also carries a .620 SLG and a 1.125 OPS in the month. I don't think i've ever seen him show that kind of pop before, so even though this is more than likely a temporary power surge, it's very promising for his future.

James McDonald|RHP|AAA|23-As we all already know, James has been promoted to AAA, and he was even considered for the rotation spot that Greg Maddux eventually got. Despite getting shelled in the start that Ned Colletti went to watch, McDonald has excellent numbers at AAA thus far. He has struck out 27 batters in 17 1/3 innings, and has only walked 5.

From a scouting perspective, things look extremely positive. The development of his changeup is one of the keys to his future success, and it was recently voted by Baseball America as the best in the Southern League. High praise, indeed.

Chris Withrow|RHP|A+|19-I'm actually now concerned about a few things with him. He's still only pitching 1 inning at a time, he seems to need a lot of days off between appearances, and he hasn't struck out anybody yet in 3 innings. Plus, he's given up 4 walks.

Yeah, I know, sample size. Still though, it's not exactly the return I expected after already missing almost all of the season and claiming to be ready to go upon activation.

Chin Lung Hu|SS|AAA|24-After being activated and getting off to a fast start, I had high hopes for his progression. Unfortunately, he seems to be regressing more than anything else. He isn't showing the pop that he did in the minors last year, and he has 18 strikeouts against just 6 walks. He's not hitting the ball hard either, as his LD% is just 9.

Greg Miller|LHP|AAA|23-I'm pretty disappointed in his performance as of late. In May and June, he actually showed signs of being somewhat usable as a reliever because his BB rates were improving. For those months, he walked 15 batters in 28 innings, which is not remarkable, but is an excellent showing by his standards. However, in July and August, Miller has now walked a ridiculous 28 batters in 15 2/3 innings. Seriously, that is absolutely fucking atrocious.

Lucas May|C|AA|23-I sure am glad that the Dodgers traded away Carlos Santana now! May is hitting .228 with a .692 OPS, and he has 105 strikeouts in less than 400 plate appearances. Joy.

Scott Elbert|LHP|AA|23-He's still only pitching one inning at a time down in AA. I'm not sure if he's still hurt, if the Dodgers want him to be a reliever, or if they're just afraid of stretching him out. At any rate, none of it really bodes well.

The good news? His statistics are showing signs that he's gradually getting better. He had 16 walks against 26 strikeouts in June and July, but he has since struck out 17 batters and only walked 4 in 10 2/3 innings.

Josh Lindblom|RHP|AA|21-The Dodgers' second round pick in 2008, Lindblom has already been promoted to AA after a very impressive showing in A- ball. He was supposed to be polished coming out of college, so skipping a level isn't really that big of a deal, but it's usually not something that the Dodgers do. In 29 innings, he has struck out 33 batters and walked only 4. He also carries an excellent FIP of 2.44.

Andrew Lambo|OF|AA|19-He was also promoted to AA, but his promotion was much more surprising than Lindblom's. As it is, Lambo was already quite young for A- ball, but now he's extremely young in AA. I still don't think it's likely that he starts there next season, but the fact that the Dodgers would even do this shows how highly they think of his talent. If he continues to thrive, his ETA could be bumped up a year.

John Lindsey|1B|AAA|31-Okay, this is a little out there, but why the hell not? Does Lindsey have team destroying AIDS or something? Come on, the dude hit 30 HR last year, and he now has 25 HR this year. He currently sports a .944 OPS, and that's actually down from the 1.010 he posted last year. He doesn't strike out a ton (14.8% K), he walks at a decent rate (10.9% BB), he makes solid contact (17% LD), and has a ton of power (.243 ISO).

Yes, I know he's a 31-year-old career minor leaguer who will probably suck balls in the long run. However, he will also probably suck less balls than Mark Sweeney currently does. Honestly though, the most Sweeney can do is hit a groundball dribbler for a single. At least Lindsey gives the Dodgers hope that he'll hit a double or something. So yeah, I hope he gets called up and is used to pinch hit, he deserves a shot for once in his life.

Blake DeWitt|2B|AAA|23-Instead of pouting, Blake has gone down to AAA, learned a new position, and improved on his AA numbers from last year. His ISO is still about the same (~.180) but his BB% is way up (3.7% to 8.1%), his K% is down (13.9% to 11.3%), and he's hitting the ball ridiculously hard (18% LD to 23% LD). Also, considering his LD%, his .849 OPS is actually lower than expected.

Yes, he's currently benefitting from the hitter's park in Las Vegas, but he still barely has over 100 PA, so i'll postpone judgement on that aspect.

Xavier Paul|OF|AAA|23-Like DeWitt, Paul has also put up better numbers in AAA than he did in AA. However, Paul is not benefitting very much from his home park. His OPS is .830 at home, and .820 on the road, suggesting that his improvement is completely legit. Also in his favor is the fact that his ISO has increased (.138 to .147), and he has cut down on his strikeouts (23.2% to 19%).

Kyle Russell|OF|R|22-The Dodgers' 3rd round draft pick in 2008 is lighting up rookie league, and quite frankly, he should be. While his .985 OPS and .287 ISO are impressive, the 29.8% K rate in Rookie ball is not a very good sign. If he strikes out that much against obviously inferior pitching, I cringe to think what he would do against even AA guys.

Over/Under: Nearing The End

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:44:23 -0500

.800 OPS For Casey Blake As A Dodger, 1 Hit More Than Derek Lowe For Mark Sweeney, 15 Home Runs For James Loney, 4.00 ERA For Clayton Kershaw, 550 Plate Appearances For Andre Ethier, 15 Saves For Jonathan Broxton, .200 Batting Average For Andruw Jones, 2.00 ERA For Hong Chih Kuo, 1 Trip To The Disabled List For Nomar Garciaparra

Joe Torre Loves To Ride Russell Martin

Tue, 27 May 2008 22:16:33 -0500

There are many constants in this world; among them are the speed of light, pi, and the gravitational pull of Joe Torre's nose. This year, the aforementioned Torre has been on a mission to establish Russell Martin as one of the constants of the universe by having him play in every single Dodgers game for the rest of eternity. Continued...

Fans In San Francisco Witness History

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:31:52 -0500

The fans at AT&T Park were treated to a dose of history during last night's game. A player who has been recently mired in controversy, who nevertheless remains a fan favorite in San Francisco positioned himself on the precipice of a record that will surely define his career. The drama unfolded last night against the Florida Marlins and in his first at bat of the night, their beloved hero brought them to their feet with one perfect swing. I'm speaking of course of Mark Sweeney, who moved into second place on the all-time pinch hits list, with an RBI single in the sixth inning. It was Sweeney's 151st career pinch hit, putting him 61 behind Lenny Harris' all-time mark. Sweeney, known as one of baseball's "good guys," is probably best known for being thrown under the bus by Barry Bonds this offseason. That's the sad part, because he's had a long, solid career. He's played for six different franchises, including the Padres three times. When a team brings a guy back that much, it's obvious they enjoyed having him around. He's a great clubhouse guy, is all about the team and is the kind of guy who would run through a wall if his manager asked him to. He even took the high road after his teammate tried to save his own ass by tossing Sweeney in the gutter. Basically, he's the anti-Bonds. And frankly we think it's oddly appropriate that he had his brief moment in the spotlight last night with all the Bonds hoopla surrounding the game. It was almost like the universe was balancing itself. We have two Padres fans here at R&R, and on behalf of us we say congratulations Mark. You're a great player and an even better guy and we couldn't be happier for you. Feel free to come back to the Padres any time, we'd love to have you. And we promise no one will accuse you of providing them with the amphetamines found in their system.

Hometown joy: Sweeney hits Fenway

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 21:15:21 -0500

It took 17 seasons of professional baseball - 13 in the big leagues - before Mark Sweeney got a chance to bat at Fenway Park. And as he stepped up to the plate Friday night, it occurred to the Holliston native that he could have been playing for his hometown team three years ago...

Bonds Drags Sweeney Out From Under Bus

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 20:25:58 -0500

We all heard the Barry Bonds' amphetamines story, and how he took those nasty little pills out of Mark Sweeney's locker. Well, true to Barry form, the denial has begun. Bonds has come out saying that he never took any Greenies, and that he never took anything from his teammate Mark Sweeney. Now who is lying here? The New York Daily News who first reported the failed test results, or the controversial Bonds? I am not sure, but one thing did not seem right when I first heard this. Bonds has never pulled a "Canseco," and named other players, even with all the allegations that have been thrown at him. When the "news," broke and Mark Sweeney was mentioned, I was weary of the truthfullness behind the article. I am not alone. Gene Orza, the Player Union's Chief Operating Officer, said "I've never heard Barry Bonds blame anybody for anything." Just as with the book "Game OF Shadows," this may have just been a pathetic sports writer (s) who got dissed by Bonds and decided to drag his name through the mud even deeper. At least Bonds has the balls (even though they may have steroid shrinkage), to go out and clear Sweeney from any involvement. You may not like the guy, but I dont think Bonds would break the #1 clubhouse rule. He is no Jose Canseco.

Bonds fails drug test, blames teammate.

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:39:55 -0500

Are we supposed to be suprised at the fact Bonds failed a drug test? Or how bout him blaming a teammate instead of owning up to what he did? Does the son of Bobby Bonds and godson of Willie Mays really need to cheat, he hasn't grown up with enough advantages already? Growing up surrounded by some of the greatest players of all-time, you'd think he'd have learnt more respect for the game and his teammates. But it's not Barry's fault, the book he read on baseball etiquette was from a teammate's locker, not his own.