Diamondbacks claim reliever Brian Sweeney off waivers

by Jim McLennan on Nov 3, 2010 8:02 PM EDT in Diamondbacks News

Brian Sweeney, one of the few relievers for whom coming to the D-backs probably means coming to a better team...

We have claimed veteran reliever Brian Sweeney off waivers from Seattle. The 36-year-old righty was 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 24 appearances for the Mariners. He also pitched with the Padres in 2004 and 20'06 under then-GM Kevin Towers. Overall, in 73 big league games, he has a 3.38 ERA.

Doesn't seem too bad a way for Towers' ~~dumpster-diving~~ bullpen rebuilding to start, even if Sweeney's FIP in 2010 was a good bit higher at 4.57 - he was the beneficiary of a luckily-low BABIP of .237. However, even that 4.57 figure would be a better ERA than anyone with a meaningful number of games, likely to be in the 2011 Diamondbacks 'pen, except for Blaine Boyer. Though a few of them did have better FIP's [Sam Demel, D.J. Carrasco and Boyer]. Guess you can't have too many arms. He does at least avoid the bete noire of our bullpen and doesn't walk many people.

It's perhaps worth noting that, in his three-year stint in Japan from 2007-09 with the marvelously-named Nippon Ham Fighters [so-named, because they are owned by the company Nippon Ham], he was mostly a member of their rotation. Sweeney started 63 games for the Fighters, with a 4.10 ERA. Given our needs, one imagines he'll be used out of the bullpen, but you never know...

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

A baseball team can never

have enough good, experienced arms.

The Great and Mighty....

by NASCARbernet on Nov 3, 2010 8:18 PM EDT reply actions

Nor

People with skills at battling ham

Bad doormat! No stock options!

by Clefo on Nov 3, 2010 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs

Brilliant

Rec’d

"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too. " ~Greg, age 8

by njjohn on Nov 3, 2010 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Another rec.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.

by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 3, 2010 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions

And a third.

I think that’s been a serious lack in our bullpen this year.

If I'm going to be accused of being a mythical figure, I'd much rather be a leprechaun, thank you very much.

by 4 Corners Fan on Nov 3, 2010 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Rec'd

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Nov 9, 2010 6:06 PM EST up reply actions

Wow

Talk about pitching to contact…

If he could get a few more grounders, I s’pose he’d still be pretty useful, but his xFIP of 4.99 shows that Chase Field isn’t going to be kind to him (i.e. HR/FB will likely rise). The only two places he’s pitched in his career are Petco and Safeco… in other words, I’m not super confident in this move being much of a positive step.

Basically, he needs to strike more more than 3.41 freaking batters per nine innings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.

by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 3, 2010 8:33 PM EDT reply actions

Just a hunch

But with a mere 88.1 MPH average fastball (from FanGraphs), I don’t see any reason to have him keep throwing a 4-seamer, as he’s pictured doing above. It’s not like he’s blowing it by people with excellent velocity and racking up K’s…

He seems to have adequate enough control, so why not see if he can control a 2-seamer and get some grounders? Even if it cuts his K-Rate by a third, a significant increase in GB-Rate would be extremely beneficial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.

by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 3, 2010 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions