Dansby Swanson checks all the boxes

It’s interesting to watch a star baseball player in the making. That’s what you could call Dansby Swanson.

Sure, he’s a star now. Fans scream his name, cheer loudly for him when he comes to the plate and want his autograph.

And his journey is just getting started. Just imagine how big a star this kid will be in a few years.

The curly-headed kid from Cobb County with the winning smile is set to play in his own backyard this season. Swanson is a kid from Marietta, oozing with a combination of charisma and humility all rolled into one.

And, he just happens to be one heck of a baseball player.

Maybe we’ll never understand why the Diamondbacks gave up Swanson a little over a year ago. Maybe we shouldn’t wonder, nor even care. Fact is, that dumb trade by Arizona has given the Braves a face of the franchise for their new stadium.

Chipper Jones is gone, and it’s taken a few years to find that new era of Braves baseball. Swanson represents that, with a quiet confidence and qualities you just don’t see in many rookies.

Yes, Swanson is still a rookie. He fell short by one at-bat last year, in his six-week dress rehearsal with the big Braves. His makeup, his leadership abilities and his intangibles are reasons many have thrown around Derek Jeter comparisons to Swanson since he arrived in the deal.

This is a nice kid, mannerly and well-spoken. He doesn’t sound like a rookie, or one overwhelmed with the challenge of becoming a star in his hometown. Swanson knows what to do and knows what to say, two qualities any team would want in a young star.

His 38-game audition late last season was beneficial. Now, he doesn’t have to worry about his first game, or his first at-bat. Swanson has that out of the way.

“You’ve got to think it helped some, being able to understand what the lifestyle is like and understanding what the daily operations are like and how to prepare each day,” Swanson explained last week in Florida. “It was nice to be able to get my feet wet, as people would say. It was also cool to understand I do have the ability to play and to build on my own personal and individual accomplishments, which is nice as well.”

The Braves were really good during Swanson’s time last season, going 23-15 in his 38 games. Now they get Swanson for the full season. The plan is for Swanson to bat second in the lineup.

“Whenever you can hit between Ender (Inciarte) and Freddie (Freeman), holy cow,” Swanson said with a smile. “My job’s easy. It’s going to be exciting. Hopefully, I can be the table-setter and help them produce as much as they can and try to score in a multitude of ways. Hopefully, I can be the best team player I can be and help set those guys up.”

Most believe that in time, Swanson will emerge as a leader on this team. It’s just hard for a rookie, no matter how impressive, to do that in his first season. To no one’s surprise, Swanson has the perfect answer when asked about his potential leadership abilities as a young player.

“There’s always more than one leader on the team,” he said. “We think of the old ways that there is one leader and everybody follows. Now there are multiple leaders in their own right. That’s what we have here. It makes it a lot easier because you understand the trust and preparation of everybody around you and that they want the same goal as you.

“When you’ve got everybody on board to do that, from every position, veteran or rookie, you set yourself up well.”

One person who can understand what Swanson is going through, as a young player with high expectations, is former Braves star Ryan Klesko. There were not many prospects more heralded than Klesko when he came up almost 25 years ago. Klesko, in camp as an instructor, likes what he’s seen so far from Swanson.

“He’s doing great,” Klesko said. “He’s awesome. He’s locked in. He’s so much more advanced than I was at that age. He looks great. It’s fun to watch.”

Yes, it is and it will be. Swanson has all the boxes checked off. He can hit. He’s a smooth fielder. He’s a good teammate. He’s marketable. He’s destined to be a fan favorite.

And he’s only just begun.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Dansby Swanson checks all the boxes."