Sweeney making big jump to Midwest League

BURLINGTON - Kellen Sweeney hopes Saturday night was the last professional baseball game he'll ever play in Iowa. That's not as bad as it sounds.

His Lansing Lugnuts finished a three-game series at Burlington, the only one of the four Midwest League cities where they play. If he performs well enough this season, Sweeney won't repeat the MWL.

The parent Toronto Blue Jays don't have a Triple-A team in the Pacific Coast League, so there would be no future trips to Des Moines to play against the Iowa Cubs.

There you go. No more Iowa would be good.

"Everybody has that goal of getting to the big leagues," the former Cedar Rapids Jefferson prep said. "And you want to get there right now. But you've got to understand that it takes time. You've got to go through the levels ... You've just got to stay patient. My agent always says to perform where you are, and everything else will take care of itself."

Low-Class A is where he is right now, and that's a little surprising.

Sweeney, 20, was a second-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in 2010 but didn't sign right away, so got in only 16 games in the true-Rookie level Gulf Coast League. His 2011 season was cut to nine games with Bluefield of the true-Rookie Appalachian League because of a broken left lower thumb/wrist suffered in a fall during a rundown.

That's only 25 professional games coming into the 2012 season. This is a big jump he is making with Lansing.

"Being hurt last year and not playing too much was a bad experience, but it was actually (also) a good experience for me to know what it's like to get through a full season," Sweeney said. "It was tough watching, knowing that you want to be out there every day playing.

"I was excited to get sent here ... That's what you always shoot for in spring training, to get to a full-season team. I was very happy with it."

A shortstop in high school, Sweeney was converted by the Jays to third base, and he looked very good there defensively in a Friday night game against Burlington. His actions were smooth, and he picked a tough short-hopped grounder in the middle of the game to prevent a run from scoring.

Offensively, the lefty swinging Sweeney - whose older brother, Ryan, is an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox - is off to a 12-for-52 start (.231 average), with a double, triple and five RBIs. He has walked as many times as he has struck out (eight), always a positive sign.

"He's doing really well," said Lansing Manager John Tamargo. "He's doing everything we ask, swinging the bat well and playing a really good third base. He's getting comfortable, his first full season. Getting used to playing every day."

"I feel like I've played pretty good," Sweeney said. "I've hit the ball hard most of the time. Even though I haven't gotten hits, I've hit the ball hard. Other than that, I feel comfortable in the field and at the plate."

And he feels good physically.

Sweeney had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery his senior year at Jefferson but said he has never felt any lingering affects from the procedure. Last year was the wrist injury, which came after he dove awkwardly on his left hand to avoid a tag.

"I'm just trying to stay healthy," he said with a smile.

Here is video of a Sweeney at-bat in the seventh inning Friday night. He strikes out looking at a 3-2 pitch: