An Unbiased Look at the Atlanta Braves Swanson Call up

Last night we all enjoyed the triumphant arrival of Prospect #1 to Atlanta.  With that in the rear-view mirror, let’s take a more rationale view.

I don’t look at the glass half full or the glass half empty, I tend to stare at the glass…usually filled with ice and vodka mostly but still the glass is the point.

The glass here is the call up of touted Atlanta Braves #1 prospect Dansby Swanson (Lieutenant Dan to some)  to the big leagues. As written here by Fred Owens here and Alan Carpenter here.

Is it too early for me to call foul?

I am explicitly opposed to the call up of Dansby Swanson for a few reasons.

In the Carpenter piece, David O’Brien quoted Hart as stating that Swanson was “not quite ready”. Another writer here at Tomahawk Take, Dan Horton has even brought into the conversation that it helps to solidify the roster and it is great experience for the guy.

Yeah, I smell something and there’s a bull in the room.

I have been harping in a Facebook group that I am a member of (plug) that we should have been giving all up our kids for OTJT (on the job training) since APRIL. I am all for the efforts of throwing my child in the 5 ft section of the pool to make him learn how to swim. #ToughLove  My issue isn’t what we did, my issue it the timing of it and the political posturing around it.

Let’s look at the positives first.

He is now the youngest Brave on the roster. He has plenty of room to grow into the shoes of the new Organizational Savior. He has enough people around him who have worn those shoes to tutor and mentor him along the way. Also, playing behind him is an All-Star left fielder in Matt Kemp, who is here to bring respectability and power protection for Freddie Freeman and to Kemp’s left is quite possibly one of the best center fielders in baseball in Ender Inciarte. Kemp is 31 and under contract until 2019 and Inciarte is 25 and under contract until 2020; add to that everyday Freddie at 1B, who will be a Brave for life, and he has some stability present.

But this guy plays shortstop. His focus isn’t behind him, his focus is in his lateral movements, those partners in those positions and what is in front of him.

With that in mind, here comes the negatives.

More from Tomahawk Take

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We have no clue who will be at 3B, 2B, Catcher or where the roulette wheel will stop for who is on the mound. We have thrown our best prospect into a mix of a befuddled circus and musical chairs.

Adonis Garcia is not the answer at third. I say he is an actor playing DH playing third. He’s allergic to the baseball. When the glove gets close to the ball, they have violent exchanges.

Between Jace Peterson, Chase d’Arnaud and Gordon Beckham it’s a flip of the coin to determine “who’s on 2^nd?”.  How can he create rhythm and learn their timing when it’s just as random as blindly pulling a Skittle from the bag?

Father time has finally found out where A.J. Pierzynski lives and has come to collect on all of these years of playing past his prime. Then we have Anthony Recker, who’s a AAAA player and Tyler Flowers who really should be playing everyday… which makes for an even more hilarious scenario; Who is catching the ball?

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