Former Pirates No. 1 pick Travis Swaggerty takes a big swing at rebuilding his reputation

When the Pittsburgh Pirates chose Travis Swaggerty out of South Alabama with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, they got an outfielder with a reputation as the best hitter in college baseball.

Despite some setbacks, both personal and professional, Swaggerty is still trying to swing his way to the majors. He took a step in the right direction Wednesday afternoon, hitting a game-tying, three-run homer against the Detroit Tigers in a Grapefruit League game.

Travis Swaggerty - Pittsburgh Pirates (1)* pic.twitter.com/HxboWikiSB

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 1, 2023

Swaggerty doesn’t want to dwell on his lost seasons with the Pirates, even though he spent 2020 practicing at the alternate training site in Altoona and played in only a dozen games the next year before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder.

“I wouldn’t say I’m trying to make up for lost time, but you can’t really emulate missing out on 500 at-bats,” Swaggerty said. “If you get 500 at-bats, regardless of what level you’re doing it at, you’re going to get better. And you’re going to gain experience from that, so losing that sucked. I was happy that last year I got reps every day. I was able to get at-bats under my belt, so this year it’s like, ‘All right. The leash is off. No chains on me. Now I can go.’ ”

A self-described aggressive hitter, Swaggerty found himself pressing at the plate to the point where he was swinging too hard instead of relying on the short, powerful stroke he displayed in college. So he made a mechanical tweak, holding his back hip a little longer to prevent overstriding and spinning.

“If you look at my spray chart from last year, I think I hit a few too many ground balls and that kind of is the root of the problem,” Swaggerty said. “If I hold back a little bit longer, I’ll get better ball flight, and that’s what I’m looking to do.”

Swaggerty showed signs that it’s working in the 8-7 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday in Lakeland, Fla. Swaggerty lined out to center at an exit velocity of 102.8 mph in a five-pitch first at-bat in the seventh inning.

The next time up, he battled Rony Garcia, working a 2-0 count before fouling off four consecutive pitches. Swaggerty then crushed a 2-2 fastball, driving it 433 feet to center at an exit velocity of 105.5 mph and a 27-degree launch angle to tie the score at 7-7 in the top of the eighth.

Travis Swaggerty 3R HR
105.5 MPH ????
27° Launch Angle
433 Feet
Barreled pic.twitter.com/RquN7Szaoj

— waffles (@CAWafflez) March 1, 2023

Swaggerty also recorded a double play on Thursday, catching Oswaldo Cabrera’s fly ball to center and throwing to catcher Jason Delay to get Estevan Florial out at the plate in the fourth inning of Thursday’s 9-1 loss to the New York Yankees at LECOM Park in Bradenton.

It was a positive impression for Swaggerty to make on Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who emphasized the competition between the 10 outfielders on the 40-man roster. Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski appear locked into starting roles, and veterans Miguel Andujar and Connor Joe are contenders to be the top backups.

That leaves Swaggerty battling with Ji Hwan Bae, Tucupita Marcano, Cal Mitchell, Canaan Smith-Njigba and Ryan Vilade for roster spots. All five have spent some time in the majors, with Swaggerty batting .111 (1 for 9) with four strikeouts in five games for the Pirates last season.

“These young kids are going to get the opportunity to do things,” Shelton said. “It’s important to make sure that we get them reps, make sure we get to look at them because like you said, all of them touched the big leagues at some point last year, all of them have worked very hard this winter and we need to make sure that we get a good look at them this spring to make our final roster decision.”

Swaggerty has slashed .254/.342/.390 in four seasons in the minors, going .254/.348/.400 with 15 doubles, eight triples, nine homers and 55 RBIs in 107 games at Triple-A Indianapolis last year. He had a 25.5% strikeout rate and 12.4% walk rate in 458 plate appearances but believes facing major league-caliber pitching will help his cause.

“I think the quicker I can get up there and get adjusted, the better,” Swaggerty said. “But that’s kind of in my court. If I take care of what I need to take care of, I’ll be in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later, ideally. That’s my mentality anyway. I can’t speak for the front office, but if I take care of my business, things will take care of itself.”

Swaggerty has spent the past few years taking care of his family. His wife, Peyton, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer two weeks after he signed for a $4.4 million bonus. Now cancer-free, Peyton gave birth to a daughter, Sutton Hollie, who was delivered six weeks early. Those were challenges that forced Swaggerty to grow up fast, especially after Peyton was bitten by a raccoon and dealt with a months-long infection.

“It definitely made me mature quicker,” Swaggerty said. “There’s life outside of baseball, and my family is the most important to me. Having to grow up that quick, be a good husband and take care of my wife, be a good father and take care of my daughter, that is what is most important to me. If I can do that, it makes playing baseball easier for me mentally.”

This is an important spring training for Swaggerty. When a left shoulder injury that affected his throwing prevented him from playing the outfield last spring, Swaggerty asked to be reassigned to minor league camp so he could serve as designated hitter.

Shelton talked about the need for players to dominate their level, and another fast start could prompt another promotion for Swaggerty. The Pirates called him up last June after he slashed .280/.362/.439 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 22 RBIs in 35 games at Indianapolis. That Swaggerty is a plus-defender with speed who has the ability to play all three outfield positions makes him more versatile.

If this is a make-or-break season for Swaggerty, he’s focusing on the former. The next time Swaggerty makes it to PNC Park with the Pirates, he hopes it’s for good.

“Everybody who goes up to the big leagues, once you get a taste of that, you don’t want to go back down to the minor leagues,” Swaggerty said. “You want to stay in the majors. That’s the goal. That’s the dream for every baseball player. It definitely provides more motivation to make sure that I’m on top of my game to get back there and stay there.”