Braves could be moving Dansby Swanson to second base
The Atlanta Braves may have a different future in mind for one of their best prospects than the rest of the baseball world.
An interesting thing is happening at the Atlanta Braves’ Spring Training camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Braves fans are getting a glimpse of what will likely be the middle infield of the future. But that future may look a little different than what they thought.
When the Braves traded pitcher Shelby Miller to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December, they were charged with grand larceny because of the prospect haul they received. The centerpiece of the loot was shortstop Dansby Swanson, whom the Diamondbacks had drafted with the No. 1 overall pick only six months prior. As a result, the Braves now have arguably the best farm system in baseball.
Swanson had an impressive first half season of professional baseball, hitting .289 with a .394 OBP and .482 SLG in 22 games. As a College World Series champion at Vanderbilt and a well-rounded prospect, Swanson’s minor league education was going to be brief, especially considering the Braves are mounting a massive rebuild.
The interesting thing is, it appears the Braves are seriously considering moving Swanson back to second base, a position he played during most of his college career.
Ozhaino Albies is another highly-ranked shortstop prospect in the Braves system. He’s just shy of three years younger than Swanson and at least a full season further away from the majors. In his first full professional season in 2015, he hit .310/.368/.404 with 29 stolen bases in 98 games before a thumb injury ended his season.
Albies and Swanson played together for the first time last week and again yesterday. The eyebrow-raising development is that so far this spring, Albies is receiving more time at shortstop than Swanson is—Albies has played 17 2/3 innings there and 10 at second base, while Swanson has played 17 2/3 at second but only 11 at shortstop.
This raises an interesting question: Why is a projectable and long term shortstop option being moved off his position?
One answer may be that the Braves are trying to expedite Swanson’s path to the majors. The Braves traded defensive maven Andrelton Simmons to the Angels and got Erick Aybar in return. Aybar is a free agent after this season—leading to trade rumors to the St. Louis Cardinals after the injury to Jhonny Peralta—and with one more season in the minors, Swanson could be ready to take over once Aybar is signed elsewhere.
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With Aybar slotted as the everyday shortstop for the time being, the Braves could treat Swanson the way the Cubs treated Addison Russell last season. Russell was the everyday second baseman from his debut on April 21 until August 6—with some starts at short sprinkled in. Starting on August 7, Russell took over everyday duties at short, and the Cubs were 38-17 down the stretch.
Swanson’s 2016 season could be an abbreviated version of that same approach. He could split time between both middle infield positions in the minors and then come up to the majors and play second the last month or two of the regular season and take over at shortstop at the beginning of 2017. By the end of the season, there is a good chance Swanson will be a better alternative than Jace Peterson, who is slotted to be the Opening Day starter at second.
Another reason the Braves might be moving Swanson is because they see Albies as a better shortstop long term. Swanson has much more polish in his game as a result of his college experience, but most scouting publications see the two players as essentially equal in defensive potential. By giving Albies lots of reps at short, the Braves may be showing that they think Albies will be able to shake free of his youthful, error-prone ways—he made 17 in 2015—and become an even better shortstop than Swanson.
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This is all speculation, considering both players have combined for just 675 minor league at bats. The Braves could very easily move Swanson to third base. Or they could move Albies to second and keep Swanson at short. It’s too soon to call, but the way the Braves proceed with assigning innings at shortstop could be very telling.