Ryan Joseph Sweeney is a Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

 for the Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

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Early life

Sweeney originally attended Jefferson High School, however, conflict between winter showcase games and high school basketball obligations led him to transfer to cross-town Xavier High School. Sweeney graduated from Xavier High School

Xavier High School (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the sixth largest and only Catholic high school in the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. It is affiliated with twelve area Catholic parishes and the Archdiocese of Dubuque...

 in Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...

 in 2003.

Baseball career

At the beginning of the season, Ryan was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 Prospect in the Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

 organization. He had originally signed to play collegiately for Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. However, he signed with the White Sox as he was taken in the 2nd round of the 2003 MLB Draft.

On January 3, , the White Sox traded Sweeney along with fellow prospects Fautino De Los Santos

Fautino De Los Santos

Fautino De Los Santos is a 6'0", 205 lb, Dominican Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.-Chicago White Sox :...

 and Gio Gonzalez

Gio Gonzalez

Giovany A. Gonzalez is a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.-Early life:...

 to Oakland for outfielder Nick Swisher

Nick Swisher

Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....

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Personal life

Ryan is an avid collector of late-70's/early 80's Pontiac automobiles, in particular the Trans Am. This obsession earned him the nickname "Firebird" from his Oakland teammates.