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Atlanta Braves: The Duality of Dansby Swanson

By Adam MacKinnon

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 18: Atlanta Braves Shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) during the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18, 2019 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta,Georgia (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 18: Atlanta Braves Shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) during the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18, 2019 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta,Georgia (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

ON THE FIELD:  A Whole lotta ‘Meh’

If you were to look just at Dansby Swanson’s career batting line, the term “underwhelming” comes to mind:

  • 440 games
  • .243/.316/.384 triple slash
  • 40HR/24SB
  • 84 OPS+

Actually, it’s kind of gross.

All of that compiles to a 3.8 WAR, which would be a solid single season for many players, but in this case, it took roughly 3 seasons worth of games to get there.

He has shown short spurts of production at the plate, but the book is out on Swanson and his lack of ability to hit low breaking pitches, and he has simply failed to make the adjustments needed to hit that pitch.

Defensively, It’s been a bit of a roller coaster, with a tough year in 2017, a great year in 2018, with 2019 seemingly like a year more affected by injury than anything else.  Based on defensive runs saved, it looks like this:

  • 2017: -7 dRS
  • 2018: 10 dRS (top 10 in MLB)
  • 2019: -2 dRS (so far)

So much of Dansby’s defensive game comes from his outstanding footwork, and a deep heel bruise has obviously put a damper on that.

What about those base running skills we referenced earlier?  Well, those have actually panned out, and he’s been a positive contributor on the bases every season.

To call Dansby’s on-field results “mixed” would probably be adding a bit of rose tint to whatever glasses you’re watching the game with, but fans hold on to his “potential”, and that he could be just a couple of adjustments away from becoming a more complete player.

In the meantime though, Atlanta has preached patience with the young man, and the fans seem content with that for now, and it helps because…

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