Mark Patrick Sweeney (born October 26, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for several teams from 1995 to 2008.
As a senior in 1991, he hit .384 with 23 home runs, 80 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 65 games; his strong season earned him the America East Player of the Year award.
Sweeney made his major league debut on August 4, 1995, as the starting first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs.
He remained with the Cards until 1997 when he was traded to the San Diego Padres, along with Danny Jackson and Rich Batchelor, for Fernando Valenzuela, Phil Plantier and Scott Livingstone.
After the season, he was traded by the Padres, along with Greg Vaughn, to the Cincinnati Reds for Josh Harris, Reggie Sanders, and Damian Jackson.
He spent the next two seasons with the Brewers shuttling between the Majors and Triple-A while battling through an assortment of injuries and trips to the disabled list.
In 2002, he was traded by the Brewers with Lou Collier, Jeromy Burnitz, Jeff D'Amico, and cash to the New York Mets for Glendon Rusch, Lenny Harris, and Alex Ochoa.
[3] According to the New York Daily News in a story that broke in January 2007, Barry Bonds blamed a positive amphetamine test result during the 2006 season on a substance he took from Sweeney's locker.
[7] Unable to find a playing position as a free agent for 2009, Sweeney officially announced his retirement on March 6, 2009.
In 2012, Sweeney began working as a baseball correspondent and pregame color analyst for Padres telecasts on Fox Sports San Diego.