Brian Sweeney
TeamKansas City Royals
Number85
PositionPitching coach
BatsRight
ThrowsRight
Birth dateJune 13, 1974 (age 52)
Birth placeYonkers, New York, U.S.
DebutleagueMLB
DebutdateAugust 16
Debutyear2003
DebutteamSeattle Mariners
Final2leagueMLB
Final2dateOctober 1
Final2year2010
Final2teamSeattle Mariners
Debut2leagueNPB
Debut2dateMarch 29
Debut2year2007
Debut2teamHokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
FinalleagueNPB
FinaldateOctober 5
Finalyear2009
FinalteamHokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
StatleagueMLB
Stat1labelWin–loss record
Stat1value4–2
Stat2labelEarned run average
Stat2value3.38
Stat3labelStrikeouts
Stat3value54
Stat2leagueNPB
Stat21labelWin–loss record
Stat21value23–21
Stat22labelEarned run average
Stat22value4.10
Stat23labelStrikeouts
Stat23value204
Teams

As coach

Brian Edward Sweeney (born June 13, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, in addition to coaching for the Cleveland Guardians.

Playing career

Sweeney graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York in 1992. He graduated from Mercy College in New York, where he was a starting pitcher.[1]

After making his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners in , Sweeney moved to San Diego in and then signed with Japan's Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners and reported to Tacoma Rainiers on April 15, 2010.

On June 15, 2010, he was called up to replace Ian Snell, who was designated for assignment.[2]

On November 3, 2010, Sweeney was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sweeney signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on May 5, 2011.[3] On January 27, 2012, he signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners.

In 2013, he represented Italy at the World Baseball Classic.

Coaching career

The Philadelphia Phillies named Sweeney as pitching coach for their rookie league Gulf Coast League Phillies for the 2015 season. From 2016 to 2017, he was the pitching coach for their Single-A affiliate Lakewood BlueClaws.[4]

Sweeney was hired by the Indians as a major league coach on December 11, 2017.[5] Sweeney was promoted to bullpen coach on October 31, 2019.[6]

On December 1, 2022, the Kansas City Royals hired Sweeney as their pitching coach for the 2023 season.[7]

He has also been the pitching coach for Team Italy at the WBC in both 2017 and 2023.

References

  1. ^ "BRIAN SWEENEY '07, BASEBALL". Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  2. ^ St. Louis, Missouri (Sports Network)
  3. ^ Mets Sign Brian Sweeney, MLBTradeRumors.com, May 5, 2011.
  4. ^ "Marty Malloy to Manage BlueClaws in 2017". Minor League Baseball
  5. ^ "Indians name Budzinski & Sweeney to Major League coaching staff". Indians.com. December 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "Indians announce Major League coaching staff additions". Indians.com. October 31, 2019.
  7. ^ Rogers, Anne (2022-12-02). "Royals add Brian Sweeney, José Alguacil to 2023 coaching staff". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-12-01.