MIAMI - Not too long ago, a contingent of Braves fans were imploring their team to consider shortstop alternatives. Dansby Swanson, a Cobb County native, former No. 1 overall draft pick and fan favorite since the day he arrived, wasn’t getting the job done.
Swanson hit .201 with a .615 OPS over his first 42 games. His team was 19-23, enduring its middling start that persisted throughout most of the season.
Yet in Swanson’s past 75 games, he’s hit .298 with a .920 OPS. He’s maintained his steady defense while emerging into a threat at the plate beyond what many could imagine. And his Braves have overcome seemingly endless trials to take first place in the National League East.
“If you can handle the adversity, as an individual or a team, there’s some good stuff on the back end of it, if you allow yourself to handle it,” manager Brian Snitker said. “And (Swanson) has done an unbelievable job with that.”
Swanson, 27, has had no shortage of on-field adversity. He had his 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons interrupted by injury. He appeared in every game during the shortened 60-game 2020 season, though his solid production was overshadowed by other electric bats.
This season, Swanson started so poorly that some called for Orlando Arcia, a career .242 hitter who was raking at Triple-A Gwinnett, to replace him. As the strikeouts piled up, Swanson became an easier target for fan vitriol. He became a target of frustration as the team struggled.
Swanson struck out 116 times over his first 394 at-bats this season (29.4%). He ranked among the top three hitters in strikeouts for much of the year, a disturbing trend. But Swanson has completely redone the story, trimming his strikeouts at a remarkable rate.
In 15 games this month, Swanson has struck out six times in 62 at-bats. He went seven consecutive games without striking out until fanning once during the Braves’ 2-0 victory Tuesday. He’s essentially gone from striking out almost once every third at-bat to fanning once every 10 at-bats in August.
“He’s not as tight as he was,” hitting coach Kevin Seitzer told the AJC on Tuesday. “When he gets tight, he gets long, he loses the barrel. He’s underneath stuff big time. He’s been able to stay looser through his swing. And when that happens, the bat is in the zone longer. The barrel cooperates with where you’re trying to go. And he’s just done a great job. He’s been using the whole field, that’s another big thing for him. Sometimes he can get a little pull-happy. But he’s staying gap to gap, and things are doing really, really good.”
Consider Swanson also has tapped into power that few, if any, foresaw. After belting four homers in the Braves’ sweep over the weekend, Swanson entered Wednesday with 24 this season, extending his own single-season franchise record. He’s added 72 RBIs and 63 runs scored.
While he’d shown flashes since debuting in 2017, Swanson suddenly looks more potent than anticipated. The power surge was unexpected. Swanson’s career high in homers was 17, set across 127 games in 2019. In fact, over 263 games in 2018-19, Swanson belted 31 home runs. He could topple that total in this season alone.
“He works really, really hard on his swing, and he kind of overthinks things at times to where he wants to feel perfect all the time,” Seitzer said. “And the fact is, hitters don’t feel perfect all the time up here. And I feel like he’s got himself to a good place, and he’s not overanalyzing stuff right now.
“He’s more relaxed through his swing; there’s not the tension. His swing and miss comes when he gets real tight and real hard, real violent with the swing. He’s very smooth and controlled right now. He’s explosive. When he stays under control, he’s explosive. He’s been in a really good place for a while now.”
Swanson is showing the well-rounded skill set that made him a first overall pick. He’s affecting the game in multiple ways, be it his power – he homered twice Saturday as part of his stellar weekend – his defense, such as the numerous snags and throws he’s made on the road trip, or his speed.
If there’s a ball hit to the gap, Swanson is scoring. If an infielder hesitates when fielding a grounder, Swanson can beat it out at first. The defense and speed have been there. Now, along with the offense, the Braves are seeing a complete player.
“Well, he’s always tremendous on defense,” starter Drew Smyly said. “And people are going to struggle at the plate. I mean, Freddie (Freeman) kind of went on a little slump early in the season. And then now look at him, he’s in the MVP race again. And Dansby is the same way. I feel like the power is has gone up recently. Dansby is an amazing player. … Dansby can do some damage at any moment. And regardless of the struggles early in the season, I think everybody knew he was going to turn it around. He’s right up there with all of them. He’s really good.”
Swanson helps comprise a power-laden infield. First baseman Freddie Freeman has 25 homers. Third baseman Austin Riley has 26. Second baseman Ozzie Albies has 22. The Braves could become the first team with an entire infield of 30-plus home-run hitters.
Swanson and Albies could become the fifth middle infield pairing in MLB history to both hit 30 homers.
“I didn’t have that vision; I knew we could play great defense and hit, but I didn’t see us going off like right now,” Albies said after the Braves walloped the Nationals by 10 runs Saturday.
But seeing is believing. And right now, Swanson is making a believer out of everybody.
