I disagree. He can't have much value at this point and I think the organization has too much of a soft spot for him to trade him for scraps.

 

I hope you are right, given that Sweeney could only be a throw-in now coming of a wrist injury (which seem like very bad news for hitters) and a couple of years of below-average performance. The Sox have no reason to trade him now. He doesn't cost anything and could still raise his value.

 

Still, at this point I think he has to be regarded as a non-prospect.

 

BA, the site that you often use to back up your pessimistic views, had Sweeney has #55 on the top 100 prospects for 2007. After a dissapointing year in AAA for a 22 year old, I have a real hard time thinking he is a "non-prospect"

 

You'll be surprised at how far he drops.

Disappointing would have been .800. As far as developmental standards are concerned, Ryan Sweeney had an absolutely terrible year.

I believe that is fair. What isn't fair, IMO, is to call a 22 year old that almost cracked BA's top 50 2007 prospect list a "Non-Prospect" at this point. I just don't buy that.

 

So, first of all, I just want to say I don't like criticizing Sweeney. He's an excellent baseball player, and I'm sure he's better at his job than I am at mine. I'm just not optimistic he'll do well in the majors.

 

As far as "non-prospect" goes, I think you and I may simply disagree about what qualifies one for "prospect" status. Sweeney has never been much above average at any level he's been at. He has been young for each level, but at some point I'd like to see a performance that really stands out. Until that happens, I don't see any reason to think of him as "prospective major-leaguer". Of course, scouts know way more than I do about Sweeney. But I wouldn't be surprised if he drops out of BA's top 100. And I don't see how the Sox can project him as a key future OF right now.