Dansby Swanson to Wear No. 7
With Christmas just days away, many gifts wrapped under the tree will feature a No. 2 Dansby Swanson jersey. While the recipients of the jersey will sport “Swanson” and the No. 2 on their back, Swanson will not next season. He announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he will be switching from No. 2 back to the No. 7 that he wore at Vanderbilt and in the minor leagues.
It’s official! Happy to announce that I will be switching from number 2 back to number 7 ??
— Dansby Swanson (@LieutenantDans7) December 21, 2016
Following his call up to the Majors in August, Swanson donned the No. 2 for the Braves because infielder Gordon Beckham had taken the beloved No. 7. As Beckham departed from Atlanta to San Francisco via trade during the last week of the season, the No. 7 became available for Swanson. In order to switch to No. 7, Swanson had the change approved and reached a financial agreement with Major League Baseball to compensate for the apparel that featured Swanson and his No. 2 on the back.
Switching numbers early in their career is not unprecedented for a coveted Braves prospect. As mentioned in an article by MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Braves legend and future Hall of Famer, Chipper Jones, switched from the No. 16 he wore during his debut in 1993 to the now-retired No. 10. If this is a sign of things to come for the Marietta, GA native, Swanson will do just fine in Atlanta.
Although he’s donned the No. 2 in Atlanta already, the No. 7 will be worn during his official rookie season at the new SunTrust Park. Swanson tallied 129 at-bats, one shy of reaching the limit to retain rookie status for the upcoming season. Following his call up, Swanson compiled a .320 average and a .361 OBP to go with 3 home runs and 17 RBI. With this being the case, he will be a front-runner for the Rookie of the Year Award in the National League in 2017.
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