Thirteen months after being the first player selected in the major league June draft, Braves shortstop prospect Dansby Swanson will play against many of the other top prospects in baseball at the All-Star Futures Game.
Swanson, 22, was the only Braves prospect selected to play in the annual game July 10 at San Diego’s Petco Park, part of the events and festivities leading up to the major league All-Star game July 12 at Petco. The former Marietta High School and Vanderbilt star will play for the U.S. team in the game against the World squad.
Braves special advisor Fred McGriff will served as first-base coach for the U.S.
In his first full minor league season, Swanson was hitting a combined .277 with 29 extra-base hits (six homers), 10 stolen bases and an .807 OPS in 69 games before Tuesday, including .254 with five homers and a .741 OPS in 48 games (217 at-bats) at Double-A Mississippi after starting the season at advanced Single-A Carolina.
Swanson was 12-for-38 (.316) with five extra-base hits, seven RBIs and a .907 OPS in his past 10 games before Tuesday.
Fellow Braves shortstop prospect Ozzie Albies, 19, was not selected to the Futures Game this year after being the youngest player in the game a year ago.
Albies has hit a combined .281 with 24 extra-base hits, 10 stolen bases and a .739 OPS in 77 games this season in Double-A and Triple-A, including .247 with a .304 OBP and .352 slugging percentage in 55 games since a promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he’s the youngest player in the Triple-A International League.
Swanson and Albies are expected to become the Braves’ middle-infield combination for years to come, and both could make their major league debuts later this season. The Braves will eventually move one of them to second base, but haven’t said yet which one will be switched.
