DBAHO Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 From Phil "I want Griffey" Rogers, TEMPE, Ariz. -- Ryan Sweeney dug into the batter's box, his 6 feet 4 inches in a powerful, upright stance. The first fastball he saw from Bartolo Colon was a good one, barely missing the strike zone. Sweeney took it for ball one. The next one came in on the inside part of the plate, seemingly destined to break Sweeney's bat if he swung. He not only made good contact but also somehow pulled the ball toward the right-field corner. It one-hopped the Tempe Diablo Stadium, allowing him to cruise into second base with a double. Two pitches, two bases. Pretty impressive for any major leaguer facing an intimidator like Colon for the first time. But this wasn't any hitter. It was a 19-year-old who at this time a year ago was attending Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This was no fluke either. "I'd just as soon see him come up against a right-handed pitcher as anybody we have," White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said before Tuesday's 9-7 loss to Anaheim. Sweeney, who was the 52nd pick overall in last year's draft, is baseball's newest phenom. Roland Hemond, the Sox's resident sage, practically gets misty-eyed talking about Sweeney's sweet swing from the left side of the plate. He laments that if his sister had not passed away in December then he could show off Sweeney for her like he once did another young Sox slugger. That would be Harold Baines, he of 2,866 career hits. "I probably shouldn't put that on the kid but it's true," Hemond said. "I'm getting goose bumps just talking about him. It was the same way with Harold." Because the Sox brought only seven outfielders to camp, then lost Joe Borchard to a strained quadriceps and released Marvin Benard, Sweeney is getting an unexpected opportunity. He has responded in a way rarely seen by someone with so little experience, hitting .333 with three doubles in 21 at-bats. It's almost as if no one told him these are big leaguers pitching. In Sweeney's first game, he had a single, stole a base and from right field threw out a runner who was trying to go first to third. His confidence has seemed to grow. Against Kansas City, he worked left-hander Jeremy Affeldt for a walk, fouling off several two-strike pitches, and then got a hit. He looked so good at the plate in a game against San Diego that Bruce Bochy pulled Brian Lawrence and brought in a lefty reliever to face him. Playing the Cubs last Saturday, and knowing full well that friends and family would be watching the telecast on WGN, he collected hits off Carlos Zambrano and LaTroy Hawkins. "My parents were watching on TV and they said it was wild," Sweeney said. "The phone was ringing off the hook. Guys I played with in high school were calling and saying they couldn't believe it." Even though he has seen Sweeney for a few weeks, Walker sounds as if he's having a hard time believing it. "Where do you want me to start?" he said. "He's a physically talented guy, a mechanically sound guy and he has ice water in his veins." Jeremy Reed came to Arizona as the White Sox's outfield prospect on the fast track. He is 22, had been a star player at Long Beach State and hit .373 in his first full season as a pro. Some expected him to challenge for a job this spring, which would be his first in a big-league camp. But Sweeney has outplayed Reed, who is hitting .130, as well as Brian Anderson, the power-hitting University of Arizona center fielder who was the Sox's first-round pick last June. Walker says Reed isn't quite 100 percent physically (he hurt his wrist playing for Team USA in December) and may have put too much pressure on himself. He says Anderson has been impressive, as was Borchard before trainers decided to be careful with his minor injury. But it's Sweeney who is stealing the show. A two-way star in Iowa—his left-handed fastball clocked around 90 m.p.h.—he was disappointed to slide into the second round in the draft. He had committed to play for Tony Gwynn at San Diego State but took $785,000 to sign with the Sox. Sweeney knows his days with the varsity are numbered. He's going to head to the minor-league camp soon. He's on the roster with low-A Kannapolis but some in the organization fear he'll be pitched around too much there. They believe he could hold his own, even at Double-A Birmingham. So, it seems, does this kid, only one year removed from his prom. "I don't think I've surprised myself," Sweeney said. "I worked hard in the off-season. I wanted to come here ready." Mission accomplished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted March 17, 2004 Author Share Posted March 17, 2004 My bad, I didn't see it was already up, one of da mods can delete or merge it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Sleeping on the job? Someone beat you to the punch on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 DBAH0, are you guys in a time warp down there??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I saw Sweeney hit in 4 games last week in Tucson and came away very impressed. He's definitely not intimidated out there. His mechanics look very good and he stays back on the breaking pitches nicely. If a guy is that good, even at a young age like Sweeney, they tend to come very fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UofIChiSox Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 IF Sweeney and Reed are for real, maybe losing Maggs next year won't be so bad. We'll get $$$ for pitching, which we could definitely use, though none of our pitching investments have worked out too well thus far. Either way, after last year with Reed and this spring with Sweeney, I'm very excited about the future of the White Sox outfield, even if we lose MAggs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Sweeney is going to be a great major league hitter. Sweeney-Anderson-Reed are a great 1-2-3 lefty combo for many years to come. I can't wait for these guys to shine in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 C'mon people. Get a grip on reality. They are still PROSPECTS. Jon Ruach was minor league player of the year. He should win the Cy Young at anytime. Joe Borchard was supposed to be the next Mickey Mantle by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Joe Borchard was supposed to be the next Mickey Mantle by now. That's a joke right... :headshake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 That's a joke right... :headshake Remember the hype? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Remember the hype? Yea, but he'll never have the eye of the plate like Mantle, and I don't think Borchard can hit homers consistantly from both sides of the plate like Mantle. That's a ridiculous comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Yea, but he'll never have the eye of the plate like Mantle, and I don't think Borchard can hit homers consistantly from both sides of the plate like Mantle. That's a ridiculous comparison. I didn't originally make that comparison. It was all part of the hype when we drafted and signed this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxAce Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I didn't originally make that comparison. It was all part of the hype when we drafted and signed this guy. Oh I get it. My apologies. But that still wasn't a good comparison if he never had a good walk/strikeout ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Oh I get it. My apologies. But that still wasn't a good comparison if he never had a good walk/strikeout ratio. You see what's happened here? You have validated my point. Borchard is not Mantle. Yet, Sweeney is already being compared to Harold Baines by Roland Hemond. Baines had 2800 career hits. Let's give this kid a chance to grow up before the future of the franchise is put on his shoulders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted March 17, 2004 Author Share Posted March 17, 2004 DBAH0, are you guys in a time warp down there??? That's what happens when u drink too much on St. Patty's Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillieHarris2 Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 I remember hearing those exact comparisons. Funny how a few years can change things. But, With the few prospects OF that do look good,(Reed, Anderson, Sweenny) I say if the Sox actaully do have a plan, trade maggs this season and dont let him just walk when the season starts. trading maggs would at least get us something in return but i wouldnt trade maggs until i made him a contract offer. i really dont wanna see this guy go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Rector Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 I saw Sweeney hit in 4 games last week in Tucson and came away very impressed. He's definitely not intimidated out there. His mechanics look very good and he stays back on the breaking pitches nicely. If a guy is that good, even at a young age like Sweeney, they tend to come very fast. Just curious ... aren't you that same guy over on the Blackhawkzone.com Forum who tries to jam his opinion down everyone's throat and manages to get into an argument frequently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 Just curious ... aren't you that same guy over on the Blackhawkzone.com Forum who tries to jam his opinion down everyone's throat and manages to get into an argument frequently? No, I'm a mod over there ... prick. Shove it, C. Rectum. PS - Instead of just copying and pasting my post from over there, come up with an original thought ... preferably one that doesn't come from your C. Rectum like all the rest of your crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Rector Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 No, I'm a mod over there ... prick. Shove it, C. Rectum. PS - Instead of just copying and pasting my post from over there, come up with an original thought ... preferably one that doesn't come from your C. Rectum like all the rest of your crap. Guess you haven't been taking your medications lately? The reason why I copied/pasted your post at BHZ was that I can't see any real difference between my posts and most of the other posts made by folks here at Soxtalk and over at BHZ other than that I don't use either vulgarity or bad grammar/mispelled words. I also did a search for your posts on both forums and franky I can't tell any real difference between the way you post and the way I post. So, I can't figure out just what this "crap" you're talking about is. For what its worth, I've never been notified by any of the moderators either here at Soxtalk or at BHZ about any specific posts that I've made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 In the best interest of all, I'm locking this thread so that nobody says anything that they don't mean in the heat of an argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts