Atlanta Braves: Why Dansby Swanson is SS of Present and Future
After a couple of disappointing seasons offensively, some are wondering whether Dansby Swanson is still the Atlanta Braves shortstop of the future.
Some may even suggest that the Atlanta Braves should look to replace Dansby Swanson at shortstop for the upcoming season.
I’m here to tell you that not only should Dansby be the starting shortstop in 2019, but also for the foreseeable future of this team.
Let’s not forget that the former first overall pick will play the 2019 season at the young age of 25. The best is yet to come for this kid who was clearly rushed to the big leagues as a 22-year-old in 2016.
Swanson didn’t do himself any favors by hitting .302 in 129 at-bats that year, setting himself up as the Rookie of the Year favorite entering 2017.
As everyone knows, he struggled mightily in 2017 hitting just .232 in 488 at-bats with just 6 home runs. He even was sent back down to Triple-A for 11 games where he really didn’t hit much better.
The one thing that was also killing Dansby in 2017 was that he wasn’t getting it done on defense either.
The shortstop improved a good deal offensively, in my opinion, this past season hitting .238 with 14 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Obviously, I’d love to see that batting average and on-base percentage (.304 in 2018) go up, but I’ll take double-digit home runs and stolen bases from him every year.
But the one area where Dansby really elevated his game in 2018 was on defense, and that’s really what you want from your shortstop.
I grew up in an era where Ozzie Smith was the king of shortstops. It was an era where teams put more of an emphasis on playing solid defense up the middle and letting your corner guys supply the offense.
That is just one of several reasons why Dansby Swanson needs to be our shortstop of now and the future.
Offense Welcomed, but Not Needed
Just two short seasons ago we viewed Dansby Swanson as someone who could help lift a struggling Atlanta Braves offense. However, with the influx of good hitters that have come up since, we no longer need Dansby to be the savior of the lineup.
Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna have already proven that they are more than capable of carrying us on offense during parts of the season. And, of course, Freddie Freeman has been doing that for years.
With the addition of Josh Donaldson, and possibly another big outfield bat this offseason, the need for Dansby to be a fixture in this lineup lessens even more.
Dansby had just over 500 at-bats in the minors and hit around .280 before his call-up. For some reason, everyone thought he was going to come straight to the bigs and hit .280 for the rest of his career, especially after what he did in 129 at-bats with the Atlanta Braves to end the 2016 season.
Clearly, we now know those expectations of Dansby were unfair. I’m not saying he’ll never hit .280 at the big league level, but that’s not what our expectations should be of him going forward.
I still think he will be a better hitter than what he has been, and I sure hope that’s the case.
If Dansby turns into a .250-.260 hitter who can reach double-digit home runs and stolen bases every year hitting eighth in the lineup – while providing premium defense – then I’ll be happy. And I believe that should be what we expect from the shortstop going forward.
Defensive Wizard
Call me old school, but I still believe you win championships with pitching and defense. That is why I value Dansby’s defense much more than I do his offense.
Going back to the days of Ozzie Smith, I still believe great teams focus on being strong defensively up the middle — specifically at shortstop.
Before the steroid era when players like Alex Rodriguez changed the perception of the shortstop position, it was perfectly fine to have a shortstop hitting .260 and playing exceptional defense.
Anyone who watched the Atlanta Braves in 2018 knows how important Dansby’s defense was at shortstop. There are games we simply don’t win last season without Dansby at shortstop. On the flip side, there were some games we might have won had Dansby been at shortstop.
I don’t get into any metrics for defense because they’ve yet to develop one that is unquestionably accurate. The only way you can really understand the value of a player on defense is to watch them over a long stretch.
But it was pretty obvious that Swanson made it a point last offseason to improve his defense, and now he’s considered by most as one of the best defensive shortstops in the National League.
I would not be surprised at all if Dansby wins a Gold Glove in the next few years. Sometimes that award coincides with a players offensive production, but as the Braves grab more headlines I think more people will recognize how great Dansby has become defensively.
Difference Maker
Dansby drew a lot of comparisons to Derek Jeter when he entered the league because of the intangibles he brings to a team.
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- Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos’ views on the offseason so far
- Braves News: Dansby goes to the Cubs, prospect rankings, more
This isn’t something that the sabermetric crowd is going to understand, but don’t sleep on how effective a player like Dansby can be to a winning team.
I am a huge college baseball fan, and living in Hoover, Ala. I am fortunate to see the best college players in the world at the SEC Baseball Tournament.
I’ve seen the likes of Alex Bregman, Andrew Benintendi, and even Josh Donaldson. All of those are great players, but none of them played with that passion and love for the game that Dansby does.
That’s exactly what Derek Jeter did for the Yankees during his 20-year career — he made plays that most players don’t even think about trying. He was a winner and wanted nothing more than to do what it takes for his team to win.
I believe Dansby is a winner — I watched him win the College World Series with Vanderbilt — and you can see how his approach changes in big situations.
As much as Dansby has struggled offensively, I still love to see him come to the plate with the game on the line because you know he’s going to give you a great at-bat.
Not that it matters what the fans think, but the fans love Dansby and want to see him succeed. He just has that ‘it’ factor about him.
We do need to see him improve his average offensively, hitting in the .230’s is still too low, but I really hope the Atlanta Braves give him that chance to flourish.
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I truly believe Dansby is the shortstop of the future for the Atlanta Braves, and I can’t wait to see him prove that during the 2019 season.