Former first-round pick gets biggest call
Travis Swaggerty was about to get dressed for Saturday’s game when Class AAA Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez told his recently resurgent outfielder to stop. That wouldn’t be necessary.
Perez later explained to the Pirates’ 2018 first-round pick that instead of playing against the Omaha Storm Chasers, he should pack his things and prepare for a 6 a.m. flight Sunday to Pittsburgh, where Swaggerty will make his MLB debut.
“I don’t even know how to feel right now,” Swaggerty told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by phone. “I’m so excited that I can barely talk. I’m just in awe. Amazing.”
The promotion comes after a terrific stretch for Swaggerty, a 24-year-old, lefthanded hitting outfielder, at the plate.
Swaggerty got off to a tough start this season, hitting just .164 with a .506 OPS and 21 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances through 15 games in April. But after returning from a mild concussion in mid-May, Swaggerty began to catchfire.
From May 12 through Friday, Swaggerty hit .357 with a 1.030 OPS in 18 games, accumulating four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 15 RBIs. Of those 18 games, Swaggerty had at least two hits in 10 of them.
“Everybody says to trust the process,” Swaggerty said. “It’s cliché to say, but that’s exactly what I did.”
A first-round pick out of South Alabama in 2018,
Swaggerty played just 12 games a year ago before requiring season-ending shoulder surgery.
It took Swaggerty ... well, time to get his timing back. He also struggled early while making mechanical adjustments and probably thinking a little too much in the process.
Eventually, about three or four weeks ago, Swaggerty said he made a concerted effortto stop thinking so much.
“One day I said, ‘You know what? I’m not gonna think about my body. I’m gonna trust that it’s gonna move correctly.’ That helped me.
“That first month I’d be searching for a feel in the cage and worrying about how my body’s moving. Now I’ve conditioned my mind to think about less when I’m hitting.
“I’d get in the box, I’d start thinking about how my body is moving, and I’d be late. I was like, ‘Screw that, I’m gonna try to hit everything hard.’
“I’m pulling the trigger on everything that looks good and finding barrels. I feel like I’m in a good place right now.”
Funny thing about places. Swaggerty’s wife (Peyton) and daughter (Sutton) were actually supposed to meet him in Indianapolis on Monday. Now, they’ll have to join other members of his family who will be looking to change travel plans and make it to PNC Park in time.
“Cancel that flight, baby,” Swaggerty joked.
The amazing part about Swaggerty’s promotion and how he found out was when it occurred. As he sat in the Indians clubhouse, the speedy outfielder with surprising pop stirred, unsure of what to do.
Should he go watch his teammates or pack his things? Should he stay at the ballpark orgo home and try to get some sleep?
“The game’s starting right now,” Swaggerty said. “I don’t know. I might go watch a little bit.Not much I can do.”
At that point Swaggerty was asked about what’s been going right now for him lately. His voice trailed off.
“Ooh, Oneil Cruz just hit a lead home run,” Swaggerty said, “in case you wanted to know.”
Tommy John for Kranick
Kranick, 24, has appeared in just two games this season, allowing no runs and striking out four over five innings. Kranick likely will be transferred from the 10- to the 60day injured list, which opens a spoton the 40-man roster.
An 11th-round draft pick in 2016, Kranick made nine starts for the Pirates last season, going 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA in 38⅔ innings, walking 19 and striking out 32 in his debut season.
In the minors this year, Kranick appeared in four games with a 3.12 ERA and seven strikeouts in 8⅔ innings.
What Kranick has experienced this season has been curious. He was delayed in spring with persistent right elbow/forearm pain, then eventually worked his way back, throwing harder than ever. Kranick was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis a second time on May 12 and five days later went on the seven-day injured list when he experienced a recurrence of elbow issues.