Dansby Swanson: From College Star to MLB Shortstop

James Dansby Swanson, born on February 11, 1994, in Kennesaw, Georgia, is an American professional baseball shortstop currently playing for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Cubs, he was a key player for the Atlanta Braves. Swanson's journey to the major leagues began with a stellar college baseball career at Vanderbilt University, where he showcased his talent and leadership.

Early Life and High School Career

Growing up in the Atlanta area, Swanson was a childhood fan of the Atlanta Braves and frequently attended games at Turner Field. Both of his parents were college athletes at Troy University: his mother, Nancy, played basketball and tennis, and his father played baseball and served as an assistant coach for the Trojans. Swanson was a two-sport varsity athlete at Marietta High School in Georgia, participating in both baseball and basketball. During his senior season on the Marietta Blue Devils basketball team, Swanson demonstrated his prowess with a 44 percent three-point field goal shooting rate and averaged 14 points per game, earning him the nickname "Three-point Swanson."

Although the Colorado Rockies selected Swanson in the 38th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, he chose not to sign with them. Instead, he honored his commitment to play college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores, after a conversation with coach Tim Corbin, turning down recruitment offers from universities including Troy, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.

College Career at Vanderbilt University

2013: Freshman Season

As a freshman for Vanderbilt's 2013 season, injuries and youth limited Swanson to only 11 games, four of which he started at shortstop. A broken bone in his foot sidelined him for six weeks, and upon his return, he suffered a torn glenoid labrum. Despite the setbacks, Swanson's potential was evident, setting the stage for a successful college career.

2014: Sophomore Season and National Championship

Following Tony Kemp's departure from Vanderbilt after the 2013 season, coach Corbin asked Swanson to transition to starting second baseman as a sophomore in 2014. He hit his first collegiate home run on February 28 in the fifth inning of Vanderbilt's 4-1 win over Stanford. By the end of March, Swanson's .430 on-base percentage (OBP) was second only to shortstop Vince Conde on the Commodores team. Swanson finished the regular Southeastern Conference (SEC) season with a team-leading .366 batting average, 47 runs scored, 21 doubles, and 17 stolen bases, earning him an All-SEC First Team selection.

Although Vanderbilt was eliminated early in the 2014 SEC tournament by Ole Miss, Swanson and the rest of the team still clinched a berth in that year's NCAA tournament. Partway through the tournament, Swanson recorded his 27th double of the season during Vanderbilt's 6-4 win over UC Irvine, tying the school record set by Warner Jones 10 years prior. Vanderbilt's postseason run concluded with their first ever national championship when they defeated Virginia 3-2 in the College World Series (CWS) finals. Swanson was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after batting .323 with five runs scored and two RBI in the tournament, as well as for his defense at second base.

2014 Season Highlights:

Named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series
All-Tournament team selection
Batted .323 with five runs scored, three doubles, and four stolen bases during the CWS
Second Team All-American by Perfect Game
Third Team All-American by ABCA
Equaled the school record for doubles in a single season with 27
First Team All-SEC as a second baseman

2015: Junior Season

While facing Missouri in the 2015 SEC tournament, both Swanson's two home runs and the Commodores' four as a team tied SEC Tournament single-game records. Vanderbilt finished second in the SEC Tournament after losing 7-3 to Florida in the conference finals. After hitting the game-winning home run against Indiana in the second game of the 2015 NCAA tournament, Swanson struggled in the tournament.

2015 Season Highlights:

Named as one of four finalists for the Golden Spikes Award alongside teammate Carson Fulmer
Tagged the MVP of the Nashville NCAA Regional
Named to the SEC All-Tournament team for hitting .381 with a tournament-best four home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs scored
Second team All-SEC shortstop by the league’s coaches
Hit two home runs in a game vs. Florida (5/9)
Smashed two home runs for the second time in six games, driving in three runs in SEC Tournament win over Missouri (5/20)

During his time at Vanderbilt, coach Tim Corbin praised Swanson's all-around abilities and impact on the team, saying, “Dansby is a rare talent… he affects the game in so many different ways, whether it’s physically on the field or in the clubhouse. Plain and simple, he’s a winning baseball player. There isn’t much he can’t do well. He has a ‘care’ level for his personal game and the team, which naturally balances itself out.”

Professional Career

2015-2016: Draft and Trade to the Braves

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Swanson first overall in the 2015 MLB Draft. He signed with the Diamondbacks near the (PT) deadline for that year's draft picks, and accepted a $6.5 million signing bonus. However, his professional baseball debut was delayed when, during a simulated game before assignment to one of the Diamondbacks' minor league affiliates, Swanson was hit in the face by a fastball from pitching prospect Yoan López, resulting in a concussion and 14 stitches on the side of his mouth. After recovering from the hit, Swanson was assigned to the Low-A Hillsboro Hops, making his professional debut on August 13, 2015.

On December 9, 2015, the Diamondbacks traded Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and Aaron Blair to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier.

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2016-2022: Atlanta Braves

Swanson was called up to Atlanta on August 16, 2016, after the Braves traded shortstop Erick Aybar to the Detroit Tigers to clear the position for him. He made his MLB debut that day, recording his first two major league hits, both singles, in a 10-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. His first major league home run, coming in the second inning of a 9-7 loss to the Washington Nationals on September 6, was inside-the-park. The hit off of Gio Gonzalez went over Trea Turner and ricocheted off the center field fence, and Swanson beat Bryce Harper's throw home to record the run. It was the first inside-the-park home run for the Braves since Wes Helms in 2001, and Swanson was the first Brave since Paul Runge in 1985 to have his first career home run fall inside the park. He remained with the Braves through the remainder of their 2016 season, finishing the year with a .302 batting average, three home runs, 17 RBI, and 11 extra-base hits.

Swanson was the only rookie to make the Braves' 2017 Opening Day roster, joining Chase d'Arnaud, Freddie Freeman, Adonis Garcia, Jace Peterson, and Brandon Phillips in the infield. He began the season in a sophomore slump both offensively and defensively: by the end of May, Swanson was batting .185 with a .559 on-base plus slugging (OPS), while he had also committed 11 errors at shortstop. On July 27, Swanson was demoted to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, where he could receive more regular playing time. In 11 games for Gwinnett, Swanson hit .237 with one home run and five RBI. He was suddenly called back up to the Braves on August 9 after Camargo suffered a knee injury during his pre-game ritual. After returning to Atlanta, Swanson settled back into the shortstop position, batting .337 with a .434 OBP in the month after he replaced Camargo.

Swanson began the 2018 season on a hot streak, recording multiple hits in four of the Braves' first six games. He began feeling discomfort in his left wrist at the end of April, and after aggravating the injury during a game against the New York Mets, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list on May 4. On September 25, 2018, Swanson left a game against the New York Mets in the second inning with wrist pain, later revealed to be a partially torn ligament in his left hand that ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season. After missing the previous year's postseason, Swanson was named to the Braves' roster as they faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2019 NLDS. In the ninth inning of Game 3, Swanson hit an RBI double off of Cardinals closer Carlos Martínez to tie the game 1-1.

On January 10, 2020, Swanson agreed to a one-year, $3.15 million contract extension with the Braves. He had an immediately strong start to the 2020 season, which began in July and was shortened to only 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He hit his first walk-off home run on August 17, lifting the Braves to a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals. On September 9, Swanson was one of three Braves who scored five runs in the Braves' 29-9 rout of the Miami Marlins, a franchise record for the most runs in one game. Swanson played in all 60 games of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, setting career highs with a .274 batting average, .345 on-base percentage, and .464 slugging percentage while recording 10 home runs and 35 RBI. Swanson's five RBI in the three-game series were the most of any Braves shortstop during a Division Series, while Atlanta advanced to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) for the first time since 2001.

Swanson filed for salary arbitration during the 2020-21 offseason, but arbitrators denied his request to make $6.7 million the following year, instead ruling that his salary would be $6 million. On June 3, both Swanson and his middle infield partner Ozzie Albies recorded the 500th hits of their MLB career. Swanson's came on a home run that traveled 440 feet (130 m), the longest recorded during his time with the Braves. On July 22, Swanson hit his first major league grand slam, hitting against Matt Moore of the Philadelphia Phillies in a 7-2 Atlanta victory. He recorded another grand slam the following week, against John Curtiss of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Braves clinched the NL East for the fourth consecutive season on September 30, 2021, with a 5-3 win over the Phillies. Swanson was instrumental in that process, with two doubles, a home run, and five RBI in the last six games before the Braves clinched the title. Swanson's defensive abilities were on display against the Brewers in the 2021 NLDS. The Braves faced the Dodgers in the 2021 NLCS, where in Game 1 Swanson tagged out Chris Taylor to prevent Los Angeles from breaking a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth inning. The Braves won the game 3-2 on a walk-off RBI single from Austin Riley. By Game 4 of the 2021 World Series, Swanson was only batting .225 in the postseason, and he had mostly gone hitless. In the seventh inning, however, he hit a 95 mph (153 km/h) fastball from Houston Astros reliever Cristian Javier for a game-tying home run.

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Swanson's salary for the 2022 season was decided via the arbitration process, where he asked for and received $10 million. Swanson was named to the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game roster and was the only player in Major League Baseball to start all 162 games of the season. Swanson won his first Gold Glove Award at the end of the season. He became a free agent at the conclusion of the season.

2023-Present: Chicago Cubs

On December 21, 2022, Swanson signed a seven-year, $177 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. On July 2, 2023, Swanson was named to his second All-Star team. In his first season with the Cubs, Swanson batted .244 with 22 home runs.

International Career

In 2014, Swanson represented USA Baseball at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands. In his first six starts, Swanson led the team with a .458 batting average in 24 at bats. The US team won the gold medal with their 6-3 victory over Japan. Swanson went on to participate in the team's Cuban tour, in which they were swept by the host team.

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