Darnell Sweeney Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2
AVG	0
OBP	0
SLG	0
HR	0

Full name Darnell Thomas Sweeney
Born 02/01/1991 in Hollywood, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: S / Throws: R
School Central Florida
Debut 08/20/2015
Drafted in the 13th round (416th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 (signed for $100,000).

View Draft Report

Sweeney had a chance to go in the first three rounds with a good spring. An athletic 6-foot, 170-pounder, he just didn't hit enough for most scouts to consider him in that range. He's a plus runner with solid defensive tools, including a plus arm, but lacks consistency with his footwork, leading to careless errors. He should be able to play shortstop at least in a utility profile. He's a switch-hitter who hasn't developed enough strength to drive the ball with any regularity.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Dodgers selected Sweeney in the 2012 draft out of Central Florida, where he was teammates with fellow Phillies farmhand Ben Lively, a righthander. The Phillies acquired Sweeney in August 2015 when the Dodgers used him and righthander John Richy to acquire Chase Utley for their playoff run. Sweeney has the actions to play the infield and has spent most of his pro career at shortstop and second base, and he has gained experience as an outfielder. Promoted directly to the majors following his trade to the Phillies, Sweeney saw time at all three outfield positions as well as second and third base--but he started most often in left field and at the keystone. He struck out in 28 percent of his big league plate appearances and profiles best as a utility player due to his inconsistent approach. Scouts who liked Sweeney in the minors saw a speed-oriented switch-hitter who can spray the ball around the park and steal a bag, though he must become a more efficient basestealer. He has fringe-average power. Look for him to fill a utility role if he makes the big league club out of spring training in 2016.
Sweeney's plus speed and athleticism have always drawn scouts to him, but it's his evolution as a hitter that has taken him from a raw tools player and turned him into a prospect on the cusp of the big leagues. Prone to swing and miss, he cut down his strikeout rate from 25 percent at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga in 2013 to 20 percent after moving up to Double-A Chattanooga in 2014. Sweeney has a quick bat, a line-drive approach and good strike-zone discipline. He has fringe-average power, with a chance for 12-15 home runs. Sweeney is a poor basestealer who's still learning how to read pitchers' moves to home after succeeding in just 48 percent of his attempts in 2014. He spent most of 2014 at second base with time mixed in at shortstop and center field. He's below-average at each position, lacking the natural footwork and actions for the infield, with an average arm. Scouts highest on Sweeney see an everyday second baseman, though others see a potential utility man. He heads to Triple-A for 2015.
Sweeney has always had raw tools, but he's still trying to polish his skills in all areas of the game. Going into his junior year at Central Florida in 2012, scouts thought he had a chance to go in the top three rounds of the draft, but he didn't hit well enough to merit that type of pick and slid to the Dodgers in the 13th round, where he signed for $100,000. Sweeney is a good athlete whose best tool is his plus speed, which helped him lead the high Class A California League in triples (16) and rank third in stolen bases (48), though he needs to become more selective after getting caught a league-high 20 times. His speed gives him good range in at shortstop and he has an average arm, but he needs to improve his footwork and cut down on his mistakes after committing 36 errors. Moving to second base in August seemed to be a more natural fit. Scouts said he looked much more comfortable there and committed just two errors in 29 games. Sweeney can have success at the plate when he stays within his strike zone and works gap to gap, but he's prone to swinging and missing and struggles to catch up to good velocity. His future is at second base, with a likely assignment to Double-A Chattanooga in 2014.
Sweeney generated top-three-rounds buzz entering his junior season at Central Florida, but an underwhelming spring when he hit just .261/.369/.370 for the Knights dropped him to the 13th round in last June's draft. He still landed a $100,000 bonus from the Dodgers, and he got on track after turning pro, reaching low Class A Great Lakes in his debut. The Dodgers were able get the switch-hitting Sweeney to take a shorter path to the ball, helping his production take off. He'll hit for occasional power, but he's primarily a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter. Sweeney has the athleticism to stay at shortstop, though he needs refinement. He made 22 errors in the spring for UCF and then 20 more between his two stops in pro ball. He can make outstanding plays, as he has above-average speed, range and instincts to go with an arm that's strong enough for the position. But he's liable to follow up one of his highlight-reel plays by booting a routine one. He needs to smooth out his footwork and be more consistent. Sweeney will have a chance as long as he sticks at shortstop, because he won't produce enough offensively to make it at another position. He'll go to one of Los Angeles' Class A squads to start his first full pro season.

Draft Prospects

Sweeney had a chance to go in the first three rounds with a good spring. An athletic 6-foot, 170-pounder, he just didn't hit enough for most scouts to consider him in that range. He's a plus runner with solid defensive tools, including a plus arm, but lacks consistency with his footwork, leading to careless errors. He should be able to play shortstop at least in a utility profile. He's a switch-hitter who hasn't developed enough strength to drive the ball with any regularity.