Braves call up Dansby Swanson as Shelby Miller dwells in minors
The Dansby Swanson era has begun. The Atlanta Braves announced their plan to call-up Swanson on Wednesday for his major-league debut, meaning his path from No. 1 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft to big leaguer took just over 14 months.
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Swanson, a 22-year-old shortstop out of Vanderbilt, is a native of Kennesaw, Ga., which should heighten the excitement among Braves fans who see Swanson as a franchise cornerstone of the future who also happens to be a local boy.
The #Braves plan to select the contract of INF Dansby Swanson (@LieutenantDans7) on Wednesday. He will wear No. 2. pic.twitter.com/OIzh1qlnSo
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 16, 2016
OK, looked it up. Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman are the quickest No.1 and No.2 picks to reach MLB since A-Rod and Darren Dreifort in 1994.
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) August 17, 2016
Worth noting: Swanson is making the jump directly from Double-A. Across two minor-league levels this season, he’s hitting .275 with nine homers and 55 RBIs.
Swanson’s arrival in the big leagues makes the trade that sent him to the Braves look even more dubious for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who gave up Swanson to get Shelby Miller in a winter blockbuster. Problem is, Miller has been bad (2-9, 7.14 ERA) this season. So bad that he’s currently in Triple-A while Swanson prepares for his debut. If it’s any consolation, D-backs fans, Miller appears to be pitching well in the minors.
People thought that Braves/D-backs trade was bad when it happened — but even the critics who were roughest on the D-backs probably never imagined a scenario in which Swanson would get called up while Miller was stationed in Triple-A.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
