Mike Sweeney
Designated Hitter · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1995-2010)
Mike Sweeney was a designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2010 for 4 teams, including the Kansas City Royals, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,454 career games, he hit .297 with 1,540 hits, 215 home runs, and 909 RBI. Mike Sweeney was a 5-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 13,315.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Designated Hitter
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1995-09-04
- Last Game
- 2010-10-03
- Awards
- 5× All-Star
Full name: Michael John Sweeney
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,454 | 5,188 | 759 | 1,540 | 325 | 5 | 215 | 909 | 53 | 522 | 613 | .297 | .366 | .486 | .851 | 13,315 |
Career AVG .297 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +11.7% above league average.
Career OBP .366 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +9.0% above league average.
Career SLG .486 vs. league average .422 across their career seasons — +15.0% above league average.
Career OPS .851 vs. league average .758 across their career seasons — +12.3% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | KCA | AL | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1996 | KCA | AL | 50 | 165 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 18 | 21 | .279 | .269 (+3%) | .340 (+5%) | .426 (-3%) | .767 (avg) | 34.3 |
| 1997 | KCA | AL | 84 | 240 | 30 | 58 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 31 | 3 | 17 | 33 | .242 | .266 (-9%) | .336 (-9%) | .419 (-14%) | .756 (-12%) | -453.9 |
| 1998 | KCA | AL | 92 | 282 | 32 | 73 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 35 | 2 | 24 | 38 | .259 | .266 (-3%) | .335 (-4%) | .420 (-3%) | .755 (-4%) | -175.4 |
| 1999 | KCA | AL | 150 | 575 | 101 | 185 | 44 | 2 | 22 | 102 | 6 | 54 | 48 | .322 | .271 (+19%) | .344 (+12%) | .433 (+20%) | .778 (+17%) | 2095.1 |
| 2000 | KCA | AL | 159 | 618 | 105 | 206 | 30 | 0 | 29 | 144 | 8 | 71 | 67 | .333 | .270 (+23%) | .344 (+18%) | .437 (+20%) | .782 (+19%) | 2754.5 |
| 2001 | KCA | AL | 147 | 559 | 97 | 170 | 46 | 0 | 29 | 99 | 10 | 64 | 64 | .304 | .263 (+15%) | .332 (+13%) | .426 (+27%) | .758 (+21%) | 2423.7 |
| 2002 | KCA | AL | 126 | 471 | 81 | 160 | 31 | 1 | 24 | 86 | 9 | 61 | 46 | .340 | .261 (+30%) | .331 (+26%) | .416 (+35%) | .747 (+31%) | 3081.0 |
| 2003 | KCA | AL | 108 | 392 | 62 | 115 | 18 | 1 | 16 | 83 | 3 | 64 | 56 | .293 | .264 (+11%) | .332 (+18%) | .422 (+11%) | .754 (+14%) | 1250.8 |
| 2004 | KCA | AL | 106 | 411 | 56 | 118 | 23 | 0 | 22 | 79 | 3 | 33 | 44 | .287 | .266 (+8%) | .335 (+4%) | .427 (+18%) | .762 (+12%) | 922.1 |
| 2005 | KCA | AL | 122 | 470 | 63 | 141 | 39 | 0 | 21 | 83 | 3 | 33 | 61 | .300 | .264 (+13%) | .330 (+5%) | .418 (+23%) | .749 (+15%) | 1312.3 |
| 2006 | KCA | AL | 60 | 217 | 23 | 56 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 33 | 2 | 28 | 48 | .258 | .269 (-4%) | .336 (+4%) | .431 (+1%) | .768 (+2%) | 124.8 |
| 2007 | KCA | AL | 74 | 265 | 26 | 69 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 38 | 0 | 17 | 29 | .260 | .268 (-3%) | .335 (-6%) | .422 (-4%) | .758 (-5%) | -250.2 |
| 2008 | OAK | AL | 42 | 126 | 13 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 6 | .286 | .263 (+8%) | .333 (-1%) | .416 (-5%) | .749 (-3%) | -62.9 |
| 2009 | SEA | AL | 74 | 242 | 25 | 68 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 34 | 0 | 17 | 31 | .281 | .262 (+7%) | .332 (avg) | .417 (+6%) | .750 (+3%) | 130.5 |
| 2010 | SEA | AL | 30 | 99 | 11 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 14 | .263 | .257 (+2%) | .325 (+1%) | .402 (+18%) | .728 (+10%) | 160.2 |
| 2010 | PHI | NL | 26 | 52 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 7 | .231 | .257 (-10%) | .325 (-5%) | .402 (-5%) | .728 (-5%) | 160.2 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,454 | 5,188 | 759 | 1,540 | 325 | 5 | 215 | 909 | 53 | 522 | 613 | .297 | — | — | — | — | 13,507 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1454 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 739 | 2593 | 393 | 763 | 105 | 473 | .294 |
| Away | 715 | 2595 | 366 | 777 | 110 | 436 | .299 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-10-03 | PHI | ATL | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-10-02 | PHI | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-09-29 | PHI | WAS | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-09-26 | PHI | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-11 | PHI | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-05 | PHI | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-02 | PHI | COL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-08-31 | PHI | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-08-30 | PHI | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-08-29 | PHI | SDP | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 588 | 581 | 4904 | 442 | 56 | 530 |
| C | 201 | 167 | 1111 | 73 | 14 | 22 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | KCA | C | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996 | KCA | C | 26 | 26 | 158 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 1997 | KCA | C | 76 | 63 | 425 | 31 | 3 | 13 |
| 1998 | KCA | C | 91 | 75 | 517 | 33 | 9 | 6 |
| 1999 | KCA | 1B | 74 | 73 | 584 | 41 | 12 | 76 |
| 1999 | KCA | C | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | KCA | 1B | 114 | 114 | 960 | 88 | 9 | 107 |
| 2001 | KCA | 1B | 108 | 108 | 945 | 88 | 12 | 124 |
| 2002 | KCA | 1B | 102 | 101 | 838 | 105 | 9 | 94 |
| 2003 | KCA | 1B | 45 | 45 | 379 | 35 | 4 | 30 |
| 2004 | KCA | 1B | 55 | 55 | 467 | 36 | 4 | 44 |
| 2005 | KCA | 1B | 49 | 49 | 441 | 29 | 1 | 29 |
| 2007 | KCA | 1B | 6 | 6 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2008 | OAK | 1B | 13 | 11 | 89 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| 2009 | SEA | 1B | 5 | 5 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2010 | SEA | 1B | 3 | 3 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | PHI | 1B | 14 | 11 | 104 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 201 |
| First Base | 588 |
| Designated Hitter | 608 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Hutch Award | |
| 2005 | MLB Players Choice Man of the Year | |
| 2002 | Player of the Week | Week of 2002-05-25 |
| 2002 | Player of the Week | Week of 2002-06-29 |
| 2001 | Player of the Month | June |
| 2001 | Player of the Week | Week of 2001-06-30 |
| 1999 | Player of the Week | Week of 1999-07-03 |
Salary History
Mike Sweeney's recorded salaries total $72,793,000 over 16 seasons, 1995 to 2010. Sweeney's career, 1995 to 2010, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | SEA | AL | $650,000 |
| 2009 | SEA | AL | $500,000 |
| 2008 | OAK | AL | $500,000 |
| 2007 | KCA | AL | $11,000,000 |
| 2006 | KCA | AL | $11,000,000 |
| 2005 | KCA | AL | $11,000,000 |
| 2004 | KCA | AL | $11,000,000 |
| 2003 | KCA | AL | $11,000,000 |
| 2002 | KCA | AL | $8,000,000 |
| 2001 | KCA | AL | $5,000,000 |
| 2000 | KCA | AL | $2,250,000 |
| 1999 | KCA | AL | $265,000 |
| 1998 | KCA | AL | $230,000 |
| 1997 | KCA | AL | $175,000 |
| 1996 | KCA | AL | $114,000 |
| 1995 | KCA | AL | $109,000 |
| Total recorded salary | $72,793,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2001 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 21th | 2.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2000 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 33.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Mike Sweeney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Mike Sweeney
Mike Sweeney: the record in brief
September 4, 1995 and October 3, 2010 bracket Mike Sweeney's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Sweeney played for the Kansas City Royals (1995 to 2007), the Oakland Athletics (2008), the Seattle Mariners (2009 to 2010), and the Philadelphia Phillies (2010). Sweeney played primarily as a designated hitter and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 22, 1973, in Orange, CA, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. Sweeney's full given name, per the bio, is Michael John Sweeney.
Sweeney's career batting table shows 1,454 games, 5,188 at bats and 1,540 hits, a .297 average; the totals also include 215 home runs, 909 runs batted in, and 53 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .366 and the slugging percentage .486, for an OPS of .851. Measured against the leagues Sweeney played in, the .297 career average compares with a .266 league average over the same seasons, 11.7% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mike Sweeney
- What years did Mike Sweeney play?
- Mike Sweeney played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2010.
- Was Mike Sweeney a pitcher?
- No. Mike Sweeney was a position player (Designated Hitter).
- How many home runs did Mike Sweeney hit?
- Mike Sweeney hit 215 career home runs with 1,540 hits.
- What teams did Mike Sweeney play for?
- Mike Sweeney played for 4 teams: the Kansas City Royals (1995–2007), the Oakland Athletics (2008), the Seattle Mariners (2009–2010), and the Philadelphia Phillies (2010).
- Did Mike Sweeney win an MVP award?
- No. Mike Sweeney did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Mike Sweeney win?
- Mike Sweeney was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
- What were Mike Sweeney's career stats?
- In 1,454 games, Mike Sweeney had 1,540 hits, 215 home runs, 909 RBI, 759 runs, and 53 stolen bases, with a .297 batting average.
- How much did Mike Sweeney earn in his career?
- Mike Sweeney's recorded salaries total $72,793,000 over 16 seasons, 1995 to 2010. Sweeney's career, 1995 to 2010, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
- What was Mike Sweeney's salary?
- Mike Sweeney's last recorded salary was $650,000, in 2010. His highest recorded salary was $11,000,000, in 2003, and his lowest was $109,000, in 1995. The Salary History table lists each season from 1995 to 2010.
- What position did Mike Sweeney play?
- Mike Sweeney played primarily as a designated hitter, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Mike Sweeney and how much did he weigh?
- Mike Sweeney was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
- How many home runs did Mike Sweeney hit each season?
- Mike Sweeney's home runs by season: 0 in 1995, 4 in 1996, 7 in 1997, 8 in 1998, 22 in 1999, 29 in 2000, 29 in 2001, 24 in 2002, 16 in 2003, 22 in 2004, 21 in 2005, 8 in 2006, 7 in 2007, 2 in 2008, 8 in 2009, and 8 in 2010. His most in one season was 29, in 2000 and 2001.
- What was Mike Sweeney's career batting average?
- Mike Sweeney batted .297 over his career, with 1,540 hits in 5,188 at bats.
- How many RBI did Mike Sweeney have?
- Mike Sweeney drove in 909 runs in his career.