Former Dore Off to Hot Start for Braves
Dansby Swanson entered the major leagues with a lot to prove as the No.1 overall selection in the 2021 amateur draft. Eight years later, and following to seasons where injuries limited him, he's off to the best start of his career.
Through three games, the former Commodore is 5 of 12 at the plate thorough the first three games of the season, which equates to a robust .417 batting average. He's scored three runs and has six RBI during the Braves weekend opening series and helped propelled his team to wins in two of the three contests.
On Sunda night, Swanson was on fire, going 3-for-5 with a team-high five RBI, a homer, and two runs scored in Sunday's 14-1 pounding of the Mets in New York.
Swanson started the night with an RBI single in the first inning and knocked in another pair in the third as part of a five-run inning. The most significant blow of the night was his fourth-inning two-run home run.
The Georgia native has been an outstanding defensive player since entering the league but struggled early offensively. However, late in 2019, Swanson's offense began to become more consistent, and big things are being expected from him in this shortened season where every game is of maximum importance.
Usually, fans wouldn't pay much attention to the standings just three games into a 162-game schedule; however, with this season's 60-game set, even the first-week results demand attention. As the saying goes, you can't win the division in the first week, but you could lose it, and the Braves are ranked as one of the best teams in baseball, so a fast start is a must.
While that's true of all the Braves players, it's especially crucial for Swanson, and so far so good. No one is expecting him to sustain the .417 average, but he must maintain his production, and keeping that number above .300 would be a good mark for him this season considering he holds a career .247 average at the plate.
The Braves and Marlins are currently tied atop the NL East standings with a 2-1 mark, while the Mets, Phillies, and Nationals are all 1-2.
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A 29 year veteran of radio in the Middle Tennessee area and 16 years in digital and internet media having covered the Tennessee Titans for Scout Media and TitanInsider.com before joining the Sports Illustrated family of networks.