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Atlanta Braves: What we need to see from Dansby Swanson in final week

By Jake Mastroianni

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 11: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves loses his helmet as he swings at a pitch and strikes out against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 11, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 11: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves loses his helmet as he swings at a pitch and strikes out against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 11, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 21: First baseman Austin Slater #53 of the San Francisco Giants catches a throw just before shortstop Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves reaches first base in the fourth inning during the game at SunTrust Park on September 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 21: First baseman Austin Slater #53 of the San Francisco Giants catches a throw just before shortstop Dansby Swanson #7 of the Atlanta Braves reaches first base in the fourth inning during the game at SunTrust Park on September 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

There is no denying that this is a critical week for Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson as he and the team get ready for the postseason.

As the Atlanta Braves and most of their players will get rest this week in preparation for the postseason, that won’t be the case for Dansby Swanson.

In a lot of ways, this is the most crucial week of the season for the Atlanta Braves shortstop.

Since coming back from a heel injury that sidelined him for over a month, Dansby Swanson has just 10 hits in 74 at-bats for a putrid average of .135.

As Mark Bowman pointed out in his latest article, which discusses whether or not Dansby will start in the NLDS, the Atlanta Braves shortstop has an MLB-worst .457 OPS since coming off the IL.

It hasn’t helped his case that Adeiny Hechavarria has been absolutely killing it both at the plate and in the field since joining the Atlanta Braves.

With the Braves this season, Hechavarria is hitting .291 in 55 at-bats with 2 home runs and a .365 OBP.

This after he hit just .204 with the New York Mets in 142 at-bats with 5 home runs and a .252 OBP.

Looking at his career numbers, Hech is certainly over-performing, but even his career norms are better than what Dansby is currently producing.

But still, if you’ve been reading my articles all season you know how much I love Dansby Swanson and I think having him in the Braves postseason lineup is crucial to their success.

That’s why it’s imperative that we see signs of improvement from Dansby in the final five games of the season.

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