Sweeney proves to be a sweet find for A’s
By john • Jul 20th, 2008 • Category: major leagues, nick swisher, oakland a's, ryan sweeney, top storyAfter getting a few sniffs of big league action the last two years Ryan Sweeney knew he could play in the majors. All he needed was a chance to play his position. That chance came this winter when the team that drafted him, the Chicago White Sox, traded the then 22-year old and others to the Oakland A’s for Nick Swisher.
Never known for his power swing Sweeney has compiled a solid .291 average and has shown a knack for getting on base as evident by his .353 on base percentage in the minors.
The A’s who have had a liking for players with high on base percentages inserted the youngster into their lineup.
Considering that as of Sunday Sweeney was hitting a steady .304/.356/.407 on the season I don’t expect there to be be too many complaints out of the front office in Oakland.
Sweeney has appeared at all three outfield positions with the team, though the bulk of his time has been split between center and left field. While he started the year batting at the bottom of the order he’s been penciled anywhere from first to ninth for the A’s. Ideally he’ll turn into a guy the team can count on to hit first or second somewhere in the mold of the guy he replaced in Nick Swisher. Though the power numbers likely will not be there.
As for Swisher he’s having a down year hitting just .235/.359/.399 with 12 homers while a member of the White Sox. Gio Gonzalez the other big prospect acquired by the A’s has had some tough times while at Triple-A but after 20 games has a respectable 4.34 ERA.
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