Pirates A to Z: Travis Swaggerty got his first major league hit, hopes it’s the ‘first of many’
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During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Bryse Wilson.
Player: Travis Swaggerty
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Age: 25 (Aug. 19)
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 200 pounds
2022 MLB statistics: Went 1 for 9 (.111) with a single and four strikeouts in five games.
Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.
Acquired: Selected 10th overall out of South Alabama in the 2018 MLB Draft.
This past season: Eyebrows were raised when Swaggerty was one of four first-round picks optioned to minor league camp March 22 in the first round of spring training cuts.
The explanation was simple. After missing the majority of the 2021 season from right shoulder surgery, Swaggerty experienced soreness in his left shoulder that slowed his throwing progression and limited him to serving as a designated hitter.
“We needed to get him into games,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “That’s why we sent him out. With the shortened spring training, we just don’t have that many DH at-bats — and he has the ability to DH. The big thing was getting him out and getting him healthy. He’s started a throwing program but to be able to get at-bats just to ramp up because of the three-week spring training. It’s hard to get at-bats for someone who is not able to play the field right now.”
Swaggerty started the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he slashed .280/.362/.439 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 22 RBIs in 35 games before he was recalled June 5.
“Happy for Travis,” Shelton said. “He gets off to a tough start then makes some adjustments and over the last three weeks has probably been our best player in the minor leagues.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton on why OF Travis Swaggerty earned a promotion to the majors. pic.twitter.com/8qh6Okuz7q
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) June 5, 2022
Swaggerty didn’t have a straight path from South Alabama to the majors. He signed for a $4.4 million bonus, but encountered issues that proved challenging.
Two weeks into his pro career, Swaggerty’s wife, Peyton, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (she’s now cancer-free). He batted .265 at then-High-A Bradenton in 2019 and spent the following season at the alternate training site in Altoona during the pandemic-shortened season. He injured his non-throwing shoulder sliding into first base in 2020.
For every setback, Swaggerty can count a blessing. While sidelined by the shoulder surgery, he was there when Peyton endured a difficult pregnancy and their daughter, Sutton Hollie, was born six weeks premature in September 2021. During the lockout, Swaggerty visited Peyton in the hospital every day when a raccoon bite led to a months-long infection.
“It gave me perspective that life is bigger than baseball,” Swaggerty said. “Those two people are more important to me than anything else in the world. For me to be able to provide for them by doing this, this is why I work so hard — for those two.”
Travis Swaggerty is in the building. pic.twitter.com/vyY2TlR7Iv
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) June 5, 2022
So, Swaggerty was thrilled when Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez called Swaggerty into his office and informed him of his promotion to the Pirates. He arrived on little sleep and spent his first day in the majors watching from the dugout, anxiously awaiting his chance to play.
“The best feeling in the world to be here, absolutely,” Swaggerty said. “After everything I’ve been through to scratch and claw my way back, this is amazing. And, yes, I was champing at the bit to get in there.”
Pirates OF Travis Swaggerty was ready to make his MLB debut but wasn’t complaining about being stuck in the dugout in the 3-0 win. pic.twitter.com/jcVjpYkZNj
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) June 5, 2022
For Swaggerty, it was the reward for all of the obstacles he’d overcome.
“I’ve been talking about getting here and providing for my family for years. Now that I’m here, I can’t believe this is happening,” Swaggerty said. “Even in college — my wife went to South Alabama with me for my junior year — she would want to hang out and I’d be like, ‘I’ve got to go hit.’ She would be like, ‘Do you have to hit tonight?’ I would say, ‘Listen, I’m going to hit so I can provide for our future family.’ I would literally joke with her about that but I was so serious. Now here we are. To be able to think about that is so cool.”
Even cooler was when Swaggerty made his debut against the Detroit Tigers on June 7 at PNC Park. He was one of the first Pirates players on the field, stretching in hopes to reduce his nervousness, then had to wait through a two-hour, five-minute rain delay.
“I was a little rattled,” Swaggerty said. “I had to just sit in here and just wait, not sure of when we’re going to play. That part was tough to deal with. I just wanted to get out there, so I’m glad we got to play.”
Swaggerty went 0 for 3 in his debut and struck out the next day against the Tigers. But, with his family and friends watching in Atlanta — the closest major league city to his hometown of Denham Springs, La. — Swaggerty got his first major league hit June 9.
He hit a 102.4-mph grounder to Gold Glove shortstop Dansby Swanson, who made a backhand stop but his off-balance throw bounced past Matt Olson at first base. Swaggerty was worried that it would be charged as an error but satisfied when it was ruled a single.
“It wasn’t exactly the 450-foot homer that I had been picturing my entire life but I will take it, especially off a guy like Max Fried,” Swaggerty said of his first hit. “Hopefully, (it’s) the first of many. I’ll take it. A single’s a single, baby.”
Travis Swaggerty gets his first Major League hit! pic.twitter.com/iiTB5n8qoa
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) June 10, 2022
It turned out to be Swaggerty’s only hit, as the Pirates optioned him after he struck out four times in nine at-bats over five games. Swaggerty spent the remainder of the season at Indianapolis, and wasn’t one of the players called up in September.
The future: Regarded as the best bat in college baseball when the Pirates drafted him — he drew more walks (54) than strikeouts (38) as a junior — Swaggerty hasn’t hit as expected.
He slashed .254/.348/.399 with 15 doubles, eight triples, nine home runs and 55 RBIs at Indianapolis but had a 25.5% strikeout rate and twice as many strikeouts (117) as walks (57). Swaggerty also used his speed to steal 20 bases and, with his lefty bat and solid on-base percentage, could be a candidate to improve now that the shift has been banned.
Travis Swaggerty with a triple today as he continues to show off some power #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/84fglMP7Gd
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) July 9, 2022
Shelton was impressed with Swaggerty’s success prior to his promotion, including his willingness to put the ball into play through bunts.
“He swung the bat well,” Shelton said. “This is a kid that’s been through a lot this year. With the injury, he came in and was just DH’ing, got off to a slow start and has been really good.”
A natural center fielder, Swaggerty can play all three outfield positions and might have to find a spot in the corners with Bryan Reynolds in center. Then again, Reynolds has requested a trade, which could open a chance for Swaggerty to compete with Ji Hwan Bae and Jack Suwinski.
“He’s a good athlete,” Shelton said of Swaggerty, “so the adjustment period I don’t think is going to be very difficult for him.”
Swaggerty survived the first round of cuts this fall, when the Pirates protected him from the Rule 5 Draft. Regardless of what happens with Reynolds, this could be a make-or-break season for Swaggerty. Despite the delays, he remained optimistic that his future was still bright.
“There’s definitely something special brewing here,” Swaggerty said. “So I’m super excited for the future and I can’t wait for it.”