Dansby Swanson living Braves dream while living at home
ATLANTA — Dansby Swanson, with an unshaven face and feet propped up in his locker, could easily pass for a seasoned major leaguer — even though his Atlanta Braves career is only six weeks old.
Swanson, the former Vanderbilt standout, can’t help but feel at ease in a baseball clubhouse, even if it comes with the pressure of being a No. 1 draft pick and playing shortstop for his hometown team.
Living at home with his parents in nearby Marietta and hanging out with old high school buddies helps keep him grounded.
“They think it’s funny that people think I’m cool now,” Swanson said. “They just laugh and laugh when people ask me for an autograph. It’s still the same crew, just best friends I went to high school with. I keep my circle small. It’s already wild enough, and adding more people would be a tall task.”
‘Out of control’
Swanson, who helped lead Vanderbilt to the 2014 national championship, said the “attention has kind of been out of control since draft day,” when he was picked No. 1 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in June 2015.
His life instantly changed.
“The weirder things happened in the minor leagues,” Swanson said. “People wouldn’t be prepared (to get an autograph), so they’d be like, ‘Dansby, can you sign my sunglasses or my flip-flops?’”
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His professional career already has included three minor league clubs and two major league organizations in a little more than a year. In December, Swanson was traded to the Braves, a team he idolized since his early childhood. So he has a tender spot for young Atlanta fans, and they try to catch his eye by any means possible.
During batting practice before a recent Braves game, Swanson spent every spare moment outside the hitting cage signing autographs. But when he finally had to walk away, a youngster shouted, “Don’t go, Dansby. Anchor Down!”
Vanderbilt’s slogan was enough to lure him back for one more autograph. But then the surrounding kids recognized Swanson’s soft spot and repeated, “Anchor Down! Go Vandy!”
Swanson is a hot name around Atlanta. His locker is packed full of free gifts arriving regularly to the clubhouse. He already has an endorsement deal with Wilson, so he has enough gloves on hand for the entire lineup, if needed.
And other companies would like Swanson to keep them in mind if his star continues to rise. As Swanson leans back in his chair and takes a sip of coffee, a Braves staffer tosses a new delivery into his locker, a box of a dozen assorted New Era baseball caps — just in case he had already gone through the last box sent to him the previous week.
‘In his old room’
Swanson has been living at his childhood home with his parents since being called up by the Braves on Aug. 16. He said it made sense considering the Braves would only be at home for about three weeks combined to finish his abbreviated first major league season.
“And I don’t think any of the players gave Dansby any grief about living here and staying in his old room,” said Dansby’s dad, Cooter Swanson. “But we don’t even really see him because he comes in late after games. I only know he’s home because his pickup truck is here.”
Swanson’s parents live about 25 miles from Turner Field, but they decided not to attend every home game like they did when he was at Vanderbilt. They went to his first Braves game and about half of his home games since then. They watch some on TV.
“I’ve always known they enjoy watching games on the couch more,” Dansby said. “That’s how I grew up watching the Braves.”
Dansby’s dad said they try to adjust their schedules to watch Braves games, but it’s already an impossible task.
“It’s hard because we can’t center every day of our lives around it,” Cooter said. “How many people watch their kids work at their jobs every single day? We try to schedule around games, if we can. But we don’t go watch our other two kids at their job every day, so we just make it work as best we can.”
Bound for Nashville, offseason
After the Braves season ends this weekend, Swanson will return to Nashville, where he bought a condo for his offseason home.
Vanderbilt serves as his comfort zone, and Swanson loves his alma mater. When Vanderbilt football games coincide with Braves games, Swanson even employs a clubhouse staffer to keep up with the Commodores so he can get updates between innings.
Returning to Nashville also will help Swanson exhale after the whirlwind of the past few weeks. As an Atlanta native playing for his hometown team, Swanson has been a favorite for autographs, selfies, Braves promotional appearances and countless interviews about the same topic.
“It’s pretty much the same questions all the time, just about me being from here,” Swanson said. “I’m not mad about it because it’s what people want to know. The base of my answers is pretty much set, but then I’ll add something new or crack a joke. I do that to keep myself interested.”
If Swanson’s early success is any indication, he could become a mainstay for the team he grew up following. In 34 games, he has a .299 average, six doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored along with a few highlight-reel defensive plays at shortstop.
Braves great Dale Murphy, a two-time National League MVP, thinks Swanson has the right makeup for a long career in Atlanta.
“I just think he’s going to be here for a long time,” Murphy said. “… He is mature, and he comes from a great program at Vandy. He’s been remarkable, and I couldn’t be more excited for Dansby and for the Braves to have him.”
Murphy's parents actually gave Swanson a glowing endorsement four months before he was traded to the Braves and a year before he was called up. They live in Hillsboro, Ore., where Swanson played for the Hillsboro Hops in Class A-short season in summer 2015. Swanson didn't know that Murphy's parents regularly watched him play for the Hops and then called their son, just to let him know how the Georgia native was doing in the minor leagues.
"My parents still ask about Dansby all the time," Murphy said. "I guess I never really told him that."
Murphy and his parents were not the only ones to get a good first impression of Swanson. Entering the Braves clubhouse on a Friday afternoon, long before batting practice, the security guard offered an apology of sorts to a reporter at the front door.
"You can come in, but most players won't be here for a while," he said, then hesitated and looked up from his clipboard. "That is, unless you're looking for Dansby. He's here. He's always here early — always."
Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.
VANDERBILT’S 2015 DRAFT CLASS
Player (Pick/Team): Update
Dansby Swanson (First/Diamondbacks): Traded to Braves in December, called up in August. Hitting .299 in 34 games as Braves starting shortstop.
Carson Fulmer (Eighth/White Sox): Called up in July. Posted 0-2 record, 8.49 ERA in eight relief appearances. Now in Class AAA in Charlotte.
Walker Buehler (24th/Dodgers): Underwent Tommy John surgery. Tossed five scoreless innings in rookie league and Class A.
Philip Pfeifer (101st/Dodgers): Traded to Braves. Has 1-0 record, 4.35 ERA in 11 appearances in Class AA.
Rhett Wiseman (103rd/Nationals): Hit .255 with 13 home runs and 75 RBIs in 134 games in Class A.
Tyler Ferguson (168th/Rangers): Has 0-1 record, 8.78 ERA, one save in 10 games in Class A.
Zander Wiel (350th/Twins): Hit .259 with 19 home runs and 86 RBIs in 128 games in Class A.
Xavier Turner (558th/Rangers): Hit .214, two home runs and four runs scored in 14 at-bats in Class A.
John Kilichowski (1,163rd/Cubs): Returned to Vanderbilt for 2016 season. Drafted by Cardinals in June. Gave up home run to Tim Tebow Wednesday in instructional league.