Catching up with Mike Sweeney
Former Phillie Mike Sweeney had a short but sweet stay in the City of Brotherly Love. He was acquired in a trade to fill in for the injured Ryan Howard.
Sweeney’s baseball career began in Ontario, Canada, where he was a 10th-round Draft pick by the Royals in 1991. Drafted as a catcher, Sweeney rose through the Royals’ organization, including a final stop in Class A Wilmington. Playing for the Blue Rocks under future Phillies coach John Mizerock, Sweeney was called into the manager’s office on the final day of the season. Sweeney was absolutely stunned when Mizerock gave him the good news that he was being promoted all the way up to the Major Leagues. Going from the Carolina League to the bigs was simply unheard of.
“I couldn’t wait to pack up my gear and share the news with my host family, the Testas,” recalled Sweeney.
He made his Major League debut on Sept. 4, 1995. The following year, he hit his first career home run. It came off Jamie Moyer. Years later when he joined the Phillies, Moyer requested that Sweeney’s locker be next to his.
Sweeney caught for a while, but back injuries eventually forced him to first base and later to designated hitter. In 1999 he had the highest fielding percentage of any first baseman in over 20 years.
His run in Kansas City lasted 13 seasons. He was an All-Star five times and the Royals team captain.
He became a free agent in 2008 and signed with the Oakland A’s. However, he got injured and was subsequently released. In 2009 he signed with Seattle, where he remained until being traded to the Phillies on Aug. 4, 2010 -- for a “bag of balls,” as he mused.
The trade to the Phillies was a true blessing as he joined a team that had just finished back-to-back World Series appearances. The opportunity to possibly get into the postseason was very enticing.
Sure enough, the Phillies clinched their fourth consecutive NL East title in Washington in late September.
“I had never been in the playoffs before and now it was going to happen,” said Sweeney. “I will never forget when we all got back in the clubhouse, and I saw all the champagne laid out ready for the celebration. The team would not open the bubbly until Roy Halladay, Brian Schneider and I were all in the clubhouse. Then they showed us the ultimate respect for our being in the postseason for the first time and let us open the first bottles. I will never ever forget that moment.”
Among Sweeney’s favorite moments that season was a home run in his final at-bat in San Diego in front of his family and friends. He also homered a month later in the division-clinching game; it turned out to be his final big league homer.
“I will never forget rounding the bases in Washington and seeing that sea of red Phillies fans who had traveled down to see us clinch,” said Sweeney.
The following season Sweeney returned to Kansas City, where he ceremoniously retired as a Royal. Following that he spent a year as an analyst for MLB Network. In 2014, the Royals brought him back as a special assistant in baseball operations, a role he remains in today.
Sweeney remains extremely popular in the Kansas City area. The Royals established an award in his name for the Royals player that best represents the club on and off the field.
A devout Catholic, Sweeney founded a baseball program in the San Diego area, the SD Saints. The purpose of the program is “to use the greatest game ever played to tell the greatest story ever told.” Among the players on that team was Jamie Moyer’s youngest son, McCabe.
Sweeney resides in the San Diego area with his wife, Shara (daughter of former MLB player Jim Nettles) and their six children.
When he’s not busy with his large family, he hosts Catholic baseball camps around the country with 100 percent of the proceeds going to local charities.
It’s been great catching up with one of the truly great people in the game, former Phillie Mike Sweeney No. 5.