LAKELAND, Fla. – Dansby Swanson showed off some of his all-around skills Tuesday when the Braves shortstop prospect hit a two-out RBI double in the top of the eighth inning and ranged wide for a highlight-reel defensive play on a grounder in the bottom of the inning against the Tigers.
“He is a special player,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of his team’s top-rated prospect, who was the No. 1 pick in the first round of the June 2015 June draft by Arizona. “You don’t get picked 1/1 if you’re not a special player. But what I like about him is what you guys see on the field obviously, the ability and the talent, but also the way he conducts himself and behaves, and his character and work ethic. Those are the things you don’t see, but he brings it every single day.”
Swanson, who replaced starting shortstop Eric Aybar in the bottom of the sixth, had only the one plate appearance Tuesday and is now 6-for-24 (.250) with two doubles, a triple, one walk and five strikeouts in his first major league camp.
