House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson blasts homer off Max Scherzer

By Jeff Schafer

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves hits a two RBI single against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning at Nationals Park on September 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves hits a two RBI single against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning at Nationals Park on September 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Braves Swanson nails home run off one of MLB’s best pitchers

Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson blasts a home run off one of the best pitchers in the MLB.  In the top of the 1st inning on Sunday, Swanson was facing Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer.  On a 1-0 count, Dansby saw a mid-high fastball and took advantage of it.

On Friday, the first game of the 2018 Spring Training season, Swanson went 0-3 at the plate with two strikeouts.  Definitely a different change of pace to kick off this game.

2018 will be a huge season for the 24-year-old after a sophomore slump in 2017.  This year could be a make or break for the young kid.  He still has a lot of promise, but if he struggles mightily again, questions will continue.

In 2017, he hit .232/.312/.324 with six home runs, two triples, 23 doubles.  I’m still a huge fan of Swanson and think he can be our shortstop for many, many years.

Dansby has never been a home run threat at the plate.  He had one homer in 2015, nine in 2016 and seven last year (one during his time in Gwinnett).  During his time at Vanderbilt, he didn’t hit any as a freshman, three as a sophomore and had 15 as a junior.

Swanson may need a little bit of confidence and the bomb on Sunday could give him just that.  Scherzer placed a 94mph fastball right in on Swanson’s hands and he put a good cut on it.  The swing looked compact and drove through the ball.  This is the type of swing we want to see more of.  If Swanson can lay off those down and away sliders, he could see a few more of these fastballs.

This bomb was the second hitter of the game and gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.  The first batter was top prospect Ronald Acuna.  After swinging and missing at two pitches, he hit a grounder to second base.

Here’s the homer off Scherzer…

Next: Luiz Gohara dealing with groin strain

We need Dansby to figure out his bat.  If so, we’ve got something special.  We know about his defensive skills.  If his bat can pick up in 2018, Swanson will be a huge part of our rebuild to success.

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