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Atlanta Braves: Top 5 Storylines for the 2019 Season

By Jake Mastroianni

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 08: Josh Donaldson #27 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after striking out in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 08: Josh Donaldson #27 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after striking out in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 21: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves rounds second after hitting a two run home run in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 21, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 21: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves rounds second after hitting a two run home run in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 21, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Can Dansby Put it All Together

I’ll admit that I love Dansby Swanson and I want to see him breakout so badly in 2019. This will be the storyline that I pay attention to the most this year.

He’s entering his third full season with the Atlanta Braves, and it’s hard to remember that he’s just 25-years-old.

But the past two seasons have been really rough for Dansby. He came into the 2017 season with a ton of hype and the marketing campaign for the Braves didn’t do him any favors.

To be fair, at that time there really weren’t many options.

In that 2017 season he hit just .232 with 6 home runs and a .312 on-base percentage (OBP).

That certainly wasn’t what we were hoping for after he hit .276 in the minors with a .367 OBP. And then after he hit .302 with the Braves to end the 2016 season.

Last season things were looking better until he suffered a wrist injury early in the year, and then he missed the end of the season and the playoffs.

Dansby did end up hitting 14 home runs last year, which I will take from him all day, but he only hit .238 with a .304 OBP.

Here is what we wrote earlier about the projections for Swanson this season, and what Braves fans should expect.

People are already calling for Johan Camargo to replace him, which I think is a mistake.

Dansby proved last year he can be an elite defender up the middle, and if he can just hit .260-.270 with 15 home runs I think he is still the shortstop of the future for the Braves.

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