Happy Dansby Swanson Day!

It’s Dansby Swanson debut day down in Atlanta. He’s already on the board with his first hit.

As always, the scouting report from Baseball Prospectus on our boy Dansby:

Scouting Report: If you find beauty in the simple things, you will very much enjoy Swanson’s swing. It’s very quiet with little to no wasted movement, and it stays—and gets through—the hitting zone with minimal effort. He can afford to do this because of how strong his wrists are, and the above-average bat speed allows him make hard contact all over the field. He’s a smart, selective hitter, and while he will never be among the league leaders in walks, he’ll draw his fair share. There’s enough strength and leverage here to project some power, but the swing is conducive to hitting line drives, so expecting more than 45-grade pop is expecting too much. He does help compensate for the “lack” of pop with the ability to steal bases, as he possesses the kind of speed and instincts you see in guys who steal 20-plus bases.

Swanson is still relatively new to shortstop, but you’d never know it watching him. He’s a plus runner, and his instincts are excellent, so he’s able to get to pretty much anything hit to either side. He also charges the ball well, and his above-average arm is accurate with a quick release. Is he Francisco Lindor? No. Is he a better defender than Alex Bregman and Brendan Rodgers? You betcha.

He’ll be the cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves for a number of years in their new park. Here’s another scouting report over at Fangraphs.

Happy Dansby Swanson day, all.

from Diamond Hoggers http://ift.tt/2b0vLCI