From the AJC:
“This game’s tough,” Braves veteran right fielder Nick Markakis said. “He didn’t really have that much time in the minor leagues, and he kind of got thrown in the fire last year, had some success, and he’s scuffling this year. It’s tough. My first month and a half in the big leagues I think I hit, like, .180.
“You’ve just got to have a good mindset, which he does. He has a good head on his shoulders. You go up to him right now, you wouldn’t be able to tell he’s struggling. He handles himself very well. It’s just a matter of time. Just keep him at the bottom of the order and let him work his way up."
“He’ll get things going. He’ll get an understanding of the game more and more — (pitchers) make an adjustment to him and he’s going to have to make adjustments back, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Swanson, a former Marietta High School and Vanderbilt University star, was called up from Double-A in August after playing only 127 games (529 plate appearances) in parts of two minor league seasons.
He moved into the starting shortstop job the day he arrived and thrived, batting .302 with a .361 OBP, 11 extra-base hits (three homers) and .803 OPS in 38 games last season. But his second season has been tough sledding for Swanson, who has 15 hits (three extra-base hits), 10 walks and 27 strikeouts in 111 plate appearances.
“You’d like to get at least 1,500 to 2,000 at-bats in the minor leagues, ideally,” said Snitker, a longtime player-development guy who managed many years in the Braves’ minor league system. “But he’s an advanced guy. He came in and did really good last year. Now it’s a new season, and he’s not surprising anybody. They have video on him and their pitching coaches are putting together attacks for him. And there’s a lot of expectations — along with the league — that he’s trying to balance, the outside things also. There’s a lot on that kid’s plate, and if anybody can handle it, he can.”
Markakis thinks all of the added attention on Swanson has made things only more difficult for the rookie.
“It’s a lot of pressure. I personally don’t like it when they do that to young guys,” Markakis said. “You put so much pressure on a young kid coming up in an environment that he hasn’t been in that long. It makes it tough. It makes him feel like that he needs to do way more than he should have to do. It’s tough to have the limelight on you all the time and scuffle. It’s not a good feeling."
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Originally Posted by CyYoung31
