Atlanta Braves: Dansby Swanson needs to be sent down to the minors
It may be a tough decision to make, but Atlanta Braves shortstop and top prospect Dansby Swanson needs to be sent down to the minor leagues.
Atlanta Braves shortstop phenom Dansby Swanson had one at bat last night against the Phillies. In the eighth, Swanson appeared as a pinch-hitter and struck out. The previous day, Swanson went 1-for-6 at the dish. It is time for the Braves to admit defeat, and send Swanson down to a minor league affiliate for a "get right" vacation in the bus leagues.
The need for Swanson to go somewhere, anywhere, but SunTrust Park for the rest of this current homestand is obvious. On the season, Swanson has a batting line of .192/.275/.301, with a Weighted On-Base Average of .250 and a wRC+ of only 50.
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Recently, Swanson has gone 8-for-52 at the plate, amassing a batting line of .154/.228/.269. Over his last 10 games, Swanson is a miserable .147/.237/.235. Such lines are a far cry from his 2016 line of .302/.361/.442. His struggles are not abating. If anything, they are getting worse.
Specifically, Swanson's ability to hit line drives has faltered by nearly 3 percent from his brief stint in 2016. He's swinging at fewer pitches in the strike zone, and making less contact with what balls he does swing at in the zone. Something appears to be wrong in either his approach or his mechanics, as the precipitous drop from his .383 BABIP in 2016 to his current .237 mark is not all explained by luck.
Countering the need for Swanson to marinate in the minors a bit longer is the fact that the Atlanta Braves just opened a new ballpark, the aforementioned SunTrust Park. It stands to reason that the organizational brass feels a need to showcase the brightest star of the team's constellation of young talent for the Cobb County taxpayers who shelled out nearly $400 million dollars—or, the low-end of a Bryce Harper contract—for the team's new digs.
Regardless of this, Swanson needs time to refine his swing, his approach, or both, and he's not going to do that feeling the need to justify $392 million in public bonds for 81 games.
