Dansby says don’t worry, his confidence and psyche are just fine
Dansby Swanson has gotten off to a slow start this season, leading some fans on social media to suggest the Braves’ popular young shortstop be benched for a couple of games, with some citing concern for what the struggles could do to his confidence. When this was relayed to Swanson on Saturday, he smiled.
His psyche is just fine, thank you. Confidence remains high for the Braves’ marquee rookie despite his .150 batting average and one RBI through nine games before Saturday.
“I feel like I’m in a great place,” said Swanson, using the same description that Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer had when asked last week about his slow start. “Sometimes it can be frustrating when you feel so good and nothing’s happening. You’re like, seriously? But yeah, I feel great. I mean, every day working with Seitz, he helps me stay right in here (Swanson holds his hand and simulates barely fluctuating from straight line) and not get up and down.”
Seitzer likes to call that psychological approach maintaining the “Nick Markakis line,” a nod to the Braves right fielder’s stoic and even-keel approach.
“Yeah, the flat line,” Swanson said. “That’s how baseball’s played, though. Like this (again he demonstrated with his hand only mild fluctuations from the mean). You can’t be (up and down). That’s football. This is baseball. Which is why it’s so hard — to be consistent in this sport is not easy.”
Swanson, 23, didn’t go through any significant rough stretch during six weeks in the majors last season after being called up Aug. 17 from Double-A. He hit .302 (39-for-129) with 11 extra-base hits, 17 RBIs, a .361 OBP and .803 OPS in 38 games, immediately becoming the Braves’ regular shortstop and meeting or surpassing all exectations in his first stint in the big leagues.
The photogenic former Marietta High School and Vanderbilt University standout became the focus of some Braves’ ad campaigns during the offseason and entered the season rated as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus and No. 3 by Baseball America. Swanson, still classified as a rookie after finishing with 129 at-bats – one shy of the cutoff for rookie status – has batted second in the Braves’ lineup in every game this season.
After getting a hit in each of the first two games, Swanson was 4-for-30 in the past seven games before Saturday with one double, one homer, two walks and eight strikeouts, including 1-for-12 in three games since homering Sunday at Pittsburgh.
Manager Brian Snitker said before Saturday’s game that he’s seen no cause for concern or felt a need to sit Swanson for a game or two.
“You look at Dansby, it’s his second year,” Snitker said. “There’s going to be a learning curve there. He’s a baseball player, he’ll adjust. Overall I’m OK with where he’s at…. Lot of times he may be coming out of the strike zone, or hitting something he’s not ready for, not being patient. Things like that. But like I say, swing looks good. I think he’ll be fine.”
It should be noted, a few days earlier some on social media were saying the same things about then-struggling leadoff man Ender Inciarte, suggesting that he should be moved down in the order or benched for a game or two. Inciarte hit three home runs in the past two games before Saturday including a two-run homer in the Braves’ 5-2 win against San Diego in the SunTrust Park opener
