NEW YORK – Dansby Swanson was the only rookie on the Braves’ opening day roster Monday and veteran players said the shortstop didn’t seem like a rookie at all, despite having less than two months in the big leagues.
“It feels like he’s been here a while,” Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said of Swanson, the former Marietta High School and Vanderbilt University star who was called up from Double-A and made his major league debut Aug. 17. “He was brought up right, he’s got a good head on his shoulders, so I don’t think anything fazes him. He takes everything in stride.
“We’ve got the perfect guy playing short on opening day in his first one. I don’t think it’s going to faze him at all.”
Swanson, who turned 23 in February, said he was excited before facing the Mets on Monday in his first opening day, but he seemed as calm as ever before going on the field for batting practice.
He’s obviously going to take it all in. I’ve asked him if he’s thrown up yet, because I have (laughs). But he’s going to go out there and do his thing. He’s calm, cool and collected. That’s what you need in a shortstop in the big leagues.”
“It is a special day,” Swanson said. “It’s obviously going to be emotion-filled and everything, but you’ve got to try to prepare and do everything the same as you always do — that gives you a sense of comfort and doesn’t allow the butterflies to take over too much. You train all offseason for moments like these and throughout your life for moments like these, so nothing changes. Just happens to be the first (opening day) instead of the fourth or fifth one.
“But it’s definitely exciting.”
He’s a cool customer to begin with, and Swanson was even more at ease with his surroundings after spending six weeks in the majors last season. He hit .302 with a .361 on-base percentage and 11 extra-base hits in 129 at-bats, one shy of the limit to retain rookie status.
“It gives you a little bit of comfort level, as far as understanding a little bit of the lifestyle and the travel and how to get yourself ready to play every day,” he said. “Being able to watch these guys (veteran teammates) is the best part, because they’re really good at what they do and you can pick their brains by talking to them, or just by watching them you can pick up a lot of things.
“It was nice to be able to come up here and see how they handle their business and certain things I could take moving forward and be the best I can be.”
Swanson was the No. 1 overall selection of the 2015 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and between that, his photogenic looks and the fact that the Braves have already made him focus of as many or more promotional campaigns than anyone else on the team, it would be understandable if there was some resentment from older players toward the golden child, as it were.
But there is none now or since his arrival, simply because of the way that Swanson goes about his business and comports himself on and off the field.
“He’s extremely mature, well spoken,” Braves catcher Tyler Flowers said. “He’s intelligent with his answers, makes sure he doesn’t dig himself too much of a hole. I think everyone’s probably blown away just with the way he’s handled it so far. Even the way he’s handled some picking on him here and there – he handles it the right way, so there’s really nothing left to pick on or do anything to him, because he just does it right now matter what the situation is.
“That’s a good thing. That’s something you hope for from guys that are in the role that he’s in. You hope that they can handle it that way. That seems to be who he is, so that makes it easy for him.”
Flowers agreed with Freeman that it felt as if Swanson had been in the majors much longer than a couple of months.
“It definitely does,” he said. “I hung out with him a lot last year, on the road especially. Just a good guy. Perfect fit for this organization, this situation. High character, fits right in. Puts in his work, stays quiet, but yeah, it does seem like he’s already been around for a couple of years and it’s only been a couple of months.”
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