| Dale Sveum | |
|---|---|
 Sveum (right) as Cubs manager in 2013 withBlackhawks coachJoel Quenneville | |
| Shortstop /Third baseman /Manager | |
| Born: (1963-11-23)November 23, 1963 (age 62) Richmond, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 12, 1986, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1999, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 69 |
| Runs batted in | 340 |
| Managerial record | 134–202 |
| Winning % | .399 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Dale Curtis Sveum (/ˈsweɪm/SWAYM; born November 23, 1963) is an American formerMajor League Baseball (MLB)player andmanager. He most recently served as thebench coach for theKansas City Royals. As a player, Sveum saw action in 12 major league seasons between 1986 and 1999. He was a member of theMilwaukee Brewers,Philadelphia Phillies,Chicago White Sox,Oakland Athletics,Seattle Mariners,Pittsburgh Pirates, andNew York Yankees. Following his playing career, Sveum managed inminor league baseball for several seasons before becoming an MLB coach. Sveum briefly served as manager of the Brewers in 2008 during his tenure as hitting coach for the team. He was later named manager of the Cubs after the 2011 season and served for two seasons. His cousin is former MLB All-StarJohn Olerud.[citation needed]
During his time atPinole Valley High School, Sveum was recognized as an All-State andAll-Americanquarterback,[1] in addition to playing baseball and basketball. Drafted by theMilwaukee Brewers in the first round (25th pick) of the 1982 amateur draft, he went on to play 12 seasons in MLB, hitting .236 with 69home runs.[1][2]
Arguably, Sveum's finest season came in1987, when he hit 25home runs anddrove in 95 runs, mostly as the Brewers'ninth hitter in the lineup. One of his personal highlights came early in the season, when he hit awalk-off home run atCounty Stadium to give Milwaukee a 6–4 victory over theTexas Rangers. This victory, which came on April 19 (Easter Sunday), led the Brewers to a 12–0 record on the season.[1][3]
On July 17, 1987, Sveum totaled three homers and six RBIs during a 12–2 thumping of theCalifornia Angels.[1]
On September 3, 1988, Sveum was involved in a severe collision with fellow BrewerDarryl Hamilton where Sveum's left leg was so badly broken he did not play again in1988 and also sat out the entire1989 MLB season,[1] while seeing action only in 17 games in the minor leagues.[4]
In his first three major league seasons, Sveum's lowest yearly batting average was .242. Following his return to the majors in 1990, he only batted over .241 twice in parts of nine seasons.[2]
During his career, Sveum had the distinction of playing for five separate managers who would (at some point in their careers) win a leagueManager of the Year Award:[1]
Prior to coaching in Milwaukee, Sveum managed the Double A team, The Altoona Curve, in thePittsburgh Pirates organization from 2001–2003, compiling a 213–211 record. In 2003,Baseball America tabbed Sveum as the best potential MLB manager in theEastern League.[1]
Sveum was on the coaching staff of theBoston Red Sox from 2004–05 as third base coach[1] under manager (and former Brewers teammate)Terry Francona. Following Sveum's second season in Boston, he left the Red Sox to rejoin Milwaukee as the team's bench coach.[1]
On October 30, 2007, Sveum switched positions on the staff and became the team's third base coach.[5]
On September 15, 2008, he was named interim manager of theMilwaukee Brewers after managerNed Yost was fired with the team at 83–67, having lost eleven of their last fourteen games while being tied for the Wild Card spot.[1][6] Sveum led the team to a 7–5 record to close out the 2008 regular season,[7] which was enough for the Brewers to make the playoffs for the first time since their World Series run in 1982.[8] Under Sveum's leadership, the Brewers lost the2008 NLDS to thePhiladelphia Phillies in 4 games.[9]
After the season ended, newly-extended general managerDoug Melvin announced Sveum was out of the running for the managerial spot and hitting coachJim Skaalen was fired. Eventually,Ken Macha took over the Brewers for the 2009 season while Sveum stayed on as the team's hitting coach.[10]
On November 16, 2011 the Chicago Cubs offered Sveum their vacant managerial position.[11] The following day, on November 17, 2011, he accepted the offer to become the new manager of theChicago Cubs, and was introduced on November 18, 2011.[12] Sveum was fired on September 30, 2013 after posting a record of 127–197 in two seasons with the Cubs.[13] On August 16, 2017, Sveum received a World Series ring from the team.[14]
On October 3, 2013, theKansas City Royals announced they had hired Sveum as a coach and infield instructor, reuniting him with Yost (serving as manager).[15]
On May 29, 2014, the Royals promoted Sveum to hitting coach in an effort to improve a lackluster offensive start to the season.[16]
Sveum departed the Royals when Yost retired from the team after the 2019 season.[citation needed]
| Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | Win % | W | L | Win % | |||
| Milwaukee Brewers | 2008 | 2008 | 7 | 5 | .583 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| Chicago Cubs | 2012 | 2013 | 127 | 197 | .392 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Total | 134 | 202 | .399 | 1 | 3 | .250 | ||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxthird base coach 2004–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewersthird base coach 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewersbench coach 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewersthird base coach 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewershitting coach 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chicago Cubs Manager 2012–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Kansas City Royalshitting coach 2014–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Kansas City Royalsbench coach 2018–present | Succeeded by current |
