Mike Sweeney

Sweeney made his major league debut 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. However, his .322 batting average led the team and his 22 home runs and 102 RBIs were second and third on the team, respectively.

Sweeney was selected to the American League All-Star Team in 2000, 2001, and 2002.