There are two sides to Atlanta Braves shortstop and four-year veteran Dansby Swanson. What does he mean to his own hometown team?
Marietta, Georgia is a not so small town in the heart of Atlanta Braves country. It’s home to the official “Gone with the Wind” museum, a KFC that features a 56-foot tall mechanical chicken (affectionately called “The Big Chicken”), and the first overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Dansby Swanson.
He was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Vanderbilt University after being voted most outstanding player in the 2014 College World Series and followed that up with a .335/.423/.623 triple slash the following year.
He wasn’t a player with particularly outstanding tools (he typically graded out as about a 55 overall player depending on your source) but seemed to have potential to develop into a star on the field. Coupled with the looks and makeup that it takes to front a franchise, it wasn’t that much of a stretch to see why Arizona picked him first overall.
His first day at work didn’t exactly go as planned when he took a 97mph fastball to the face, limiting him to just 22 games in 2015. Before he could start his next season with the Diamondbacks, he got a call that he was headed back to his home town to play for the team of his childhood.
He had been traded to the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves were in the midst of their total organizational rebuild and needed a player to lead the way for the coming wave of talent in the farm system. Swanson seemed to be exactly that type of player, and his first stint with the Major League club went pretty much as planned.
His first home run was an inside-the-park hit against a division rival, and produced one of his most iconic moments for a player seemingly destined to have more:
The Braves had found their cornerstone…. or so it seemed.
What has happened since then has been an exercise in patience for Atlanta fans, as Swanson has offered them two entirely different players.
One shows flashes of brilliance, but overall struggles to produce at a level that really helps the team. The other is a strong clubhouse presence, a natural leader, and a home town connection for a franchise that has always struggled with an apathetic fanbase.
So who is this guy?