The lowdown on FA SS Dansby Swanson
Brian Murphy
@Spokes_MurphyDansby Swanson was born and raised in Georgia. He grew up rooting for the Braves. He calls himself an "Atlanta lifer." And he's been living out a childhood dream by playing his first seven MLB seasons with Atlanta. Now he will have an opportunity to see what else is out there for him as he is set to become a free agent. It's good timing for Swanson, who just completed the best statistical season of his career.
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Here’s what you need to know about Swanson:
FAST FACTS
Birthdate: Feb. 11, 1994 (Age 29 in 2023)
Primary position: SS
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 190 lbs.
Bats/throws: Right/right
Place of birth: Kennesaw, Ga.
School(s): Marietta (Ga.) HS; Vanderbilt University
Drafted: 1st round (1st), 2015, by D-backs
MLB debut: Aug. 17, 2016
Qualifying offer: Received one
STATS TO KNOW
Swanson reached new heights with his bat and his glove in 2022. His 116 wRC+ and 115 OPS+ were personal bests, and his 21 Outs Above Average were the second most among all qualified position players. That overall success contributed to Swanson's 5.7 WAR, which more than doubled his previous high and was second only to the Cardinals' Tommy Edman among primary shortstops. Swanson also earned his first All-Star nod and Gold Glove in '22.
QUESTION MARK
Will the Braves re-sign him? One year after Freddie Freeman's departure, Atlanta might see another team leader leave as a free agent. Swanson is seen as the captain inside the Braves' clubhouse. The team would like to re-sign him, and he would like to continue playing for his hometown team. However, Swanson will be part of a loaded crop of free-agent shortstops this winter and will have no shortage of suitors.
He handles the heat
Swanson has always been a stellar fastball hitter; he owns a 139 wRC+ and an .873 OPS against four-seam fastballs. And pitchers who think they can beat him if they just rear back and throw harder usually pay a price for that mistake. Since the start of the 2020 season, Swanson has a .287 average and a .613 slugging against pitches clocked at 97 mph or faster. He has hit eight homers off such pitches during that time, the most by any Major Leaguer.
He hits balls hard consistently
His exploits versus heaters aside, slugging is not Swanson's best skill; he has never had a max exit velocity in the 70th percentile or better. But no shortstop has made more quality contact at a consistently high clip since the start of the 2019 season. He is the only shortstop during that four-year span who has logged a barrel rate of at least 10 percent each season.
He is always in the lineup
Good health is a key reason why Swanson is in a class by himself in that statistic above. He has missed a total of two games over the past three seasons, both coming in 2021. He had the option to sit out the Braves' 2022 regular-season finale in Miami, which came one day after Atlanta clinched its fifth consecutive NL East title. But even after a long night of celebration, Swanson was in the lineup for that last game, making him the only player this year to start all 162.
He knows what it's like to be the best
Swanson has worn No. 2 and No. 7 on his MLB jerseys, but his baseball life has been largely about being No. 1. He won the College World Series in 2014 at Vanderbilt University. One year later, the D-backs made him the first overall Draft pick. And in 2021, he reached the Major League mountaintop as the Braves won the World Series. That triumphant triumvirate puts Swanson into a very exclusive group: He and Rick Monday are the only No. 1 overall Draft picks to ever win a World Series in college and the Majors.
He has had battles with anxiety
Swanson has lived a charmed life on the diamond, but he opened up in 2021 about his history of anxiety attacks away from the field. He noted how there were times when he was "paralyzed" by fear and "having a hard time breathing."
He added: "I wasn't really sleeping. I wasn't really eating. I'd wake up in the middle of the night with a big jar of Animal Crackers by my bed, and that was the only thing that sounded good to eat."
Through mental health techniques and faith, Swanson has been able to overcome his struggles and take his game to a higher level.
"I've never felt so free in my life," he said.