Charles James Sweasy (November 2, 1847 – March 30, 1908), born Swasey, played second base for the original Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional baseball team.

[1] When the NABBP permitted professionalism for 1869, Sweasy and Leonard were two of five new men hired to complete the First Nine of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first team on salary for a season.

The other five regulars including Charlie Sweasy signed with Nick Young's Washington Olympics, an established club that also joined the new, entirely professional National Association (NA).

The Olympics appointed Sweasy captain, meaning that he would have many duties of a modern field manager, speaking for the team during the game and making many internal decisions.

His batting record during those years and thereafter is unusually weak, suggesting that his skills were left behind by competitive improvement in the game or weakened by illness and forced idleness.

Sweasy returned to a regular playing role and earned his manager's credit in 1875 when he captained the lesser of two St. Louis clubs that joined the NA; the "Reds" dropped out after 19 games, overmatched.