Dansby Swanson 2020 Season Recap

Here is a look back at the 2020 season for Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson

Twenty-six-year-old Dansby Swanson finished his fifth major league season, and    career bests in batting average (.274), on-base percentage (.345) and slugging percentage (.464)…He played in all 60 games, and hit 10 home runs with 35 RBI. • N.L. ranks: runs (49, 3rd) and hits (49, 9th). 

His 49 runs scored trailed only the totals of Freddie Freeman (51) and San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. (50) for the major league lead. • Only two other shortstops in modern franchise history (since 1900) have scored that many runs in the first 60 games of the season... Rafael Furcal had a record 55 runs through this period in 2003, while Bill Urbanski also scored 49 in 1934. 

Scored his 25th run in his 28th game, becoming the quickest shortstop to 25 runs by games played in the franchise’s modern era (previously: Bill Urbanski in 1932, 29th game). • Scored a run in a career-most eight consecutive games, from 8/16- 26, the third longest such streak by a Braves shortstop since the team relocated to Atlanta in 1966...Rafael Furcal had the two longer ones (10 games in ‘03 & 9 games in ‘00).

Scored a single-game career-high five runs on September 9 against the Marlins...Is one of just six Atlanta-era players (since 1966) to score that many runs in a game, joining Adam Duvall and Austin Riley, who also did so in that game...Swanson reached base safely five times (3 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP). 

Hit a major league-best .402 (41-for-102) off relievers...He had 14 extrabase hits (8 2B, 6 HR) and 24 RBI facing relief pitchers. • Swanson had a .471 on-base percentage in these at-bats, third best in the majors, topped by Freddie Freeman (.491) and Michael Conforto (.480). 

His .657 slugging percentage was seventh best. SWANSON CONT’D: In late and close situation (7th inning or later, games within one run or tying run on deck), went 16-for-32 (.500) with a .529 on-base percentage and a 1.404 OPS...He hit three home runs and had nine RBI in these situations. 

For his career, is a .340/.393/.520 batter in late and close situations. • Hit 10 home runs, reaching the double-figure mark in homers for the third consecutive season. • His last home run, on September 26 vs. Boston, was the 50th of his career...Only three other Braves in modern history have more homers from that position (Johnny Logan and Jeff Blauser, 92 & Rafael Furcal, 57). 

Finished third on team with 35 RBI (Ozuna, 56 and Freeman, 53)... He had 11 RBI in the Braves' first eight games, the most by a Braves shortstop through the team's first eight games since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966. 

Began the season with a 10-game hitting streak, and then had a careerhigh-tying 11-game hitting streak from August 12-26...It was a stretch in which he hit .417/.429/.667 (20-for-48). • Was one of seven players to have multiple double-digit hitting streaks this season, joining teammate Freddie Freeman, Seattle's Kyle Lewis, San Diego's Manny Machado, New York-NL's Dominic Smith, Washington's Trea Turner and Boston's Alex Verdugo. 

Swanson also had 11-game hitting streaks from April 28-May 8, 2019 and from September 29-August 2, 2020. • Went 20-for-43 (.465) hitting balls to the opposite field with a .721 slugging percentage (5 2B, 2 HR)...Batted .258 (90-for-349) in these situations in his first four seasons w/ a .381 slugging percentage. 

Committed only two errors in 60 games...Was worth 1.4 defensive bWAR, second most in the majors...Colorado's Nolan Arenado had 1.7. • Since the start of the 2018 season, Swanson’s 3.8 defensive bWAR is tied for seventh best in the N.L. 

Drove a 1-0 pitch from the Nationals' Daniel Hudson over the centerfield wall on August 17 to cap a four-run ninth inning and give Atlanta a walk-off win. • The walk-off homer was the first of Swanson's career and his fourth career game-ending RBI…According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Swanson became just the second Braves leadoff hitter with a walk-off homer over the last 40 years...In 2008, Yunel Escobar hit a two-run homer in the 10th to beat the Marlins. 

Adam Duvall drove a two-run home run out to left to open the scoring in the ninth inning for the Braves before Swanson ended the game…The win was the first for Atlanta in which it hit two ninth-inning homers, one of which was a walk-off, since April 6, 2013, when brothers B.J. and Justin Upton homered to beat the Cubs. 

Hit three doubles on August 23 against the Phillies...Only three other Atlanta-era (since '66) shortstops have accomplished that, and none since Yunel Escobar on May 31, 2009 at Arizona (3-for-5, 3 2B). • Only seven other players in the major leagues this season had that many two-base hits in a game...All seven also hit three doubles. 

Was the Opening Day shortstop for the fourth consecutive season, the first Braves player to accomplish that since Rafael Furcal started five straight from 2001-05.  

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