Mike Sweeney: Will He Make the Opening Day Roster?

I received a text message from a friend that read:

Last season I pulled hard for R.A. Dickey to make the squad. This season it's Mike Sweeney. I really like that guy.

Dickey was a pleasant surprise last season, he was actually pretty decent. He didn't warrant a resigning, but he was arguably better than Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista. Like Dickey, Sweeney is entering the upcoming season as an MLB journeyman.

His pure awesomeness that his All-Star years garnered (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005) is gone, but he still maintains a positive attitude and seems like a throwback to past Mariners teams. He's not clubhouse poison, he actually might be the exact opposite.

He is as loyal as it gets, he was with the royals for 17 seasons before he left them after last season. He is a devout Catholic and is a spokesman for many Catholic organizations. On top of that, the Royals named an organizational award after him, the "Mike Sweeney Award" which is given annually to the player that best represents the Royals on and off the field.

Let's make this clear. I don't want Sweeney on the team because he's a "good guy", I only want him on the team if he's going to be a valuable contributor to the Mariners. I'll leave that up to the stat heads to decide. But I definitely won't doubt his character or passion if he does make the team. I'm really pulling for him and hoping he has a strong Spring Training.

Got an opinion on Sweeney?

photo source: [seattletimes]