MLB Rookie Profile: Dansby Swanson

Photo: Sportingnews.com

Written and Media by Jesse Getz.


Born on February 11, 1994, in Kennesaw, Georgia, was a future baseball star in Dansby Swanson. His father and brother both played college baseball; his mother also played college basketball and tennis, and his sister played college softball. Growing up in Georgia, Swanson became a fan of all Atlanta professional sports teams, including his current employer the Atlanta Braves.

Swanson at Vanderbilt University. Photo: pinterest.com

Swanson was drafted for the firs time in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, in the 38th round by the Colorado Rockies. Instead he decided not to sign and to go to Vanderbilt University to play college ball. As a freshman, he suffered from a broken bone in his foot and a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, which held him to only playing in eleven games. His sophomore year he was named an All-Southeaster Conference player, and in his junior year in 2015, Vanderbilt defeated Virginia University in the College World Series. Swanson was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the best player in college baseball.

Swanson signing with Diamondbacks. Photo: Milb.com

The former standout stud shortstop out of Vanderbilt was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks first overall in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. In the young stars first professional season, he took a wild pitch to the face during a simulated at bat in July against Yoan Lopez. Due to the injury his professional debut was pushed back until August 12, 2015 with the Hillsboro Hops, the Class-A short season affiliate of the Diamondbacks. Swanson finished his first professional season, playing in twenty-two games, while hitting .289 with one home run, eleven runs batted in, and fourteen walks.

Swanson making a play at shortstop with the Braves. Photo: Tomahawktake

Shortly after the season ended, the Diamondbacks traded away Swanson, along with Ender Inciarte and Aaron Blair, to the Atlanta Braves, for pitchers Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier. The Braves invited Swanson to their Major League Spring Training Camp and then was sent to the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Braves, the Carolina Mudcats. After a short twenty-one game stint with the Mudcats, where Swanson hit .333, he was promoted to the Double-A Mississippi Braves. On June 28, Swanson was named to the 2016 All-Star Futures Game after just playing in the Southern League All-Star game. On August 16 after almost three months of Double-A ball, Swanson got the call to skip past Triple-A and go straight to the Major League club. The next day on August 17 Swanson went 2-4 in his Major League Debut against the Minnesota Twins. Later in the season on September 6, Swanson became the second Brave ever, that made their first career home run and inside the park home run, and the first to do it for the club since 2001. He finished his first Major League season hitting .302, with a .361 on base percentage and a .803 on base plus slugging percentage.

Swanson and Phillips during spring training. Photo: myajc.com

This year will be Swanson’s first full season in the Majors, and he will be accompanied up the middle with former three-time All-Star and four time Golf Glove winning second basemen Brandon Phillips.

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