When the Red Sox traded Josh Reddick and two minor-league prospects for to the Oakland A’s over the winter for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney, I admit I was a little sad. Reddick was always one of those players I enjoyed watching and felt like he was on the verge of something, much like I felt with Justin Masterson before the Sox traded him to the Cleveland Indians for Victor Martinez. I liked Reddick, and I’m still a little sad to see him go.
When I look at the Reddick for Baiely and Sweeney trade, I keep scratching my head because I had no idea what Billy Beane was trying to accomplish here. Really, I’m not understanding many of Beane’s moves this year. I was convince when he traded away Bailey, Gio Gonzalez, and Trevor Cahill, I thought it was to get young talent, rebuild, basically continue doing what the A’s do. But, then they signed CoCo Crips to a 2 year/ $14 million deal, Cespedes to a 4 year/ $36 million deal, and Manny Ramirez to a 1 year, minor-league deal. Huh?
Anyway, when the Reddick- Bailey and Sweeney trade took place, I immediately looked up Ryan Sweeney on the internet. I knew I had heard that name before, and I was right. He was from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and graduated high school in 2003, same as me. I have a cousin who is my age, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, and went to high school in Solon, Iowa… not too far from Cedar Rapids. I quickly texted his sister and asked if she remembered Ryan Sweeney from the Cedar Rapids team. Long story short, my cousin played against Ryan Sweeney in high school.
Fast forward to last week, and I was at my grandparents house trying to get their Blu- Ray player hooked up to watch MLB.TV. My grandpa started telling me how Ryan Sweeney could never hit off my cousin, in high school or while they played Rookie-ball in Arizona. I haven’t been able to back up that claim with the stats, but it’s interesting to think about.
This past weekend while I was doing some cleaning, I cam across the newspaper article that listed Iowa players drafted by Major League players in 2003, again because my cousin was drafted this year by the Royals. It showed that Ryan Sweeney was drafted in the 2nd round by the Chicago White Sox. If the opportunity ever comes up, I think it would be kind of cool to have Sweeney sign this.
While was I was trying to find that stats on Ryan Sweeney and my cousin, I came across and interesting article from The Globe Gazette about accomplishments and selected teams of the high school players in 2003. If you’re interested in it, here’s the link:
http://globegazette.com/sports/article_88432cf3-162d-5e77-a5a3-56555feb8822.html?print=1
Ryan Sweeney was named the player of the league in his respected class, 3A, and was named the captain of the squad. He hit .489 as a senior for Cedar Rapids Xavier. This article was published on August 6, 2003. I also have to note something interesting as I scrolled through this article. Jeremy Hellickson, who is now in the Rays rotation, made the second team, 4A team as a sophomore for Des Moines Hoover. He was 6-1 with a .63 ERA. Last year with the Rays, Hellickson was 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.145 WHIP. Iowa has talent.
In 2007, Ryan Sweeney was listed as the Chicago White Sox top prospect, as ranked by Baseball America. In 2008, he was traded along with Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos to the A’s for Nick Swisher. This year, Sweeney is said to be platoon-ing with Cody Ross in Right Field.
Sweeney’s career stats in six years in the Majors are: .283 BA, .342 OBP, .378 SLG, .720 OPS. I think given the chance, Sweeney could emerge as one of the good, surprise stories of the 2012 Red Sox. I always try to root for the Iowan (except for when they play against the Red Sox- like Hellickson- but I still want them to do well), and I think it’ll be fun to watch someone with ties to Iowa strive on the Red Sox.
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