Dansby Swanson

Dansby Swanson
Swanson with the Atlanta Braves in 2021
Chicago Cubs – No. 7
Shortstop
Born: (1994-02-11) February 11, 1994 (age 30) Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S.
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 17, 2016, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics (through August 7, 2024)
Batting average	.251
Hits	998
Home runs	133
Runs batted in	528
Teams
Atlanta Braves (2016–2022) Chicago Cubs (2023–present)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (2022, 2023) World Series champion (2021) 2× Gold Glove Award (2022, 2023) Fielding Bible Award (2023)
Medals Men's baseball Representing  United States Haarlem Baseball Week 2014 Haarlem Team

James Dansby Swanson^[1] (born February 11, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him first overall in the 2015 MLB Draft.

Born in Kennesaw, Georgia, to two former college athletes from Troy University, Swanson grew up supporting the Braves. He was a two-sport athlete at Marietta High School, earning the nickname "Three-point Swanson" for his basketball prowess. The Colorado Rockies selected him out of high school in the 38th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but Swanson opted not to sign, instead playing college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He missed most of his freshman season due to injuries, but had a breakout sophomore season as Vanderbilt's starting second baseman. The Commodores won their first-ever national championship that season, and Swanson was named the 2014 College World Series Most Outstanding Player. He shifted back to shortstop in 2015 and won the Brooks Wallace Award for the best collegiate baseball player at that position.

Swanson left Vanderbilt after the 2015 season to join the Diamondbacks and begin his professional baseball career. After one season in Arizona's farm system, he was traded to the Braves as part of a prospect package sent to Atlanta to acquire Shelby Miller. Swanson made his MLB debut in August 2016 and was the only Atlanta rookie named to the Braves' 2017 Opening Day roster, but he struggled both offensively and defensively and was sent back to Triple-A that July. Swanson's 2018 season was repeatedly derailed by wrist and hand injuries, and he missed a month of the 2019 season with a bruised heel. Healthy in 2020, Swanson set a career-high with a .274 batting average, and his 49 runs scored were third in MLB. He followed this with a championship title in the 2021 World Series, the Braves' first since 1995.