Mike Sweeney

Michael John Sweeney (born July 22, 1973, Orange, California) is a first baseman/designated hitter in Major League Baseball who has played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals.

Sweeney made his major league debut on September 14, 1995, as a catcher. While his ability with the bat impressed the Royals, they were less than enamored with his skills behind the plate.

His big break came in 1999 when the Royals tried unsuccessfully to trade him during spring training. Riddled with injuries and with no other viable options, the Royals started using Sweeney as their regular designated hitter. After the sudden retirement of Jeff King, the Royals first offered the first base job to rookie Jeremy Giambi, but when he showed reluctance, they gave the job to Sweeney, who responded by posting the lowest fielding percentage by a regular first baseman in more than 20 years. His .322 batting average led the team and his 22 home runs and 102 RBI were second and third on the team, respectively. From July 18 to August 13, Sweeney had a hit in 25 consecutive games, collecting 42 hits total. The 25-game hitting streak is tied for third longest in Royals history behind George Brett's 30-game streak in 1980 and José Offerman's 27-game streak in 1998 and tied with Brett's 25-game streak in 1983.

In June 2001, Sweeney hit .392 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI with a .794 slugging average and was named the American League Player of the Month for the only time in his career.

On July 22, 2004, Sweeney hit a grand slam and later hit an insurance 3-run home run in a 13-7 Kansas City win. The seven RBI are a career-high for Sweeney.

Through the 2004 season, Sweeney has compiled a .305 average with 161 home runs and 683 RBI in 1026 games. He has made the American League All-Star team five times, from 2000-03, and in 2005.

In 2005, Sweeney managed to hit 21 homers, and bat an even .300, in just 122 games, which still lead the team.

On October 24, 2006, Sweeney was featured in a political advertisement opposing a bill supporting stem cell research in Missouri. The ad was in response to a pro-research ad featuring Michael J. Fox. Sweeney appeared in advertisement with James Caviezel, Patricia Heaton, Jeff Suppan, and Kurt Warner.

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