Royals Should Retire 29 for Dan Quisenberry and Mike Sweeney

Very rarely, there are two players who wear the same number with a certain level of performance and class. Two players who, if they had worn separate numbers, would likely have had those numbers retired on their own. Just look at how the Yankees retired number 8 for both Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, two deserving candidates who were enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

While Berra and Dickey, in all likelihood, will not be calling Dan Quisenberry and Mike Sweeney fellow Hall of Fame players, that does not mean that they would not have something in common. Much like Berra and Dickey, Quisenberry and Sweeney each deserve to have that same honor from the Kansas City Royals.

Both players have a resume that is certainly impressive enough to retire the number 29 for either of them. Quisenberry was a vital part of the Royals playoff teams in the early 1980’s, the submarining closer who relied more on ground balls and location than by throwing the ball past opposing hitters. Yet, as unorthodox as it may seem, Quisenberry won five Rolaids Relief Awards from 1980 through 1985. He finished in the top three in the Cy Young vote four times, and finished as high as sixth in the MVP ballot.

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Even though Dan Quisenberry is no longer the Royals all time saves leader, his mark upon the Royals record books is still obvious. He leads all Royals relievers in WAR at 15.2, tied for eleventh amongst all Royals pitchers according to Fangraphs. Quisenberry is second all time with his 238 saves and his 573 appearances, leads the Royals in relief innings at 918.1 and has the second lowest WHiP of any pitcher in Royals history with 500 or more innings pitched at 1.150. Number 29 deserves to be retired just based on Quisenberry’s accomplishments.

Then, Mike Sweeney came along and brought further glory to the number. While he never got to play on a postseason team, Sweeney was easily the best player on a team that, more often than not, struggled during the late 1990’s through the 2000’s. Yet, that does not diminish the fact that Sweeney was the fan favorite, the player who made five All-Star teams not just because each team needs to have a representative, but because he legitimately deserved to go.

Sweeney’s fingerprints are also all over the Royals offensive lists. While George Brett is the leader in virtually every category, Sweeney is well represented also. Sweeney is second all time with 197 home runs and a .861 OPS, fifth with 297 doubles and 837 RBI and rates in the top ten in numerous other categories. As mentioned in our look at the top five first basemen in Royals history, Sweeney may have been a lot better than a lot of people remembered.

While neither Dan Quisenberry nor Mike Sweeney finished their careers with the Royals, like the other players who had their numbers retired, that does not change what they meant to the team. Quisenberry was one of the greats at his position during his era, and Sweeney was one of the greatest players ever to put on a Royals uniform.

Both players deserve their due. As it is, number 29 has not been worn since Mike Sweeney left following the 2007 season, so why not make it official? Retire number 29 for both Dan Quisenberry and Mike Sweeney.