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Diamondbacks pick Vandy SS Dansby Swanson 1st in MLB draft

By Josh Criswell

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Vanderbilt star shortstop Dansby Swanson achieved a lifelong last night when the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him with the first overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.  

Shortstops are always at a premium in the MLB Draft, and this year an abundance of talent at the position gave the Arizona Diamondbacks quite a tough decision with the No. 1 overall pick.

Arguably the three best offensive players in the draft were Vanderbilt‘s Dansby Swanson, LSU’s Alex Bregman and Florida high school product Brendan Rodgers. All three play shortstop, making their decision even more difficult.

Arizona would go with Swanson, a selection that nobody who has been following college baseball closely would disagree with.

Swanson went No. 1 overall, but Bregman and Rodgers would be selected with the next two draft picks, rounding out a top-3 filled with nothing but shortstops for the first time in league history. While the Diamondbacks would have been safe from ridicule with any of the three selections, the player they rolled the dice on is someone who is close to being MLB-ready and should advance through the minor league system at a rapid pace.

This is not the first time Swanson has been drafted, as is the case with many of the top talents in college baseball. He was originally selected out of high school in the 38th round by the Colorado Rockies. The talented shortstop bet on his own ability, and his confidence paid off. Rather than being at the bottom of the totem poll of an organization being led by one of the best shortstops in baseball in Troy Tulowitzki, Swanson went the college route and came away with a multi-million dollar signing bonus; quite a bit more than the chump change he would have made as a 38th round pick three years earlier.

The organization clearly has big plans for their newest prized-prospect, and members of their front office have championship aspirations on their mind, albeit a few years down the road.

"“[He is] an exceptional baseball player that has all of the intangibles and the makeup of a championship-type player for which this organization is building a foundation on,” Diamondbacks scouting director Deric Ladnier told ESPN."

Bringing in a promising, yet polished young prospect like Swanson who could make his Major League debut as early as next next season is absolutely the correct move here for Arizona. They have been bumbling around the NL West cellar for a few years now, and if the Diamondbacks have any hope of re-signing their MVP candidate first baseman Paul Goldschmidt in a few years, the franchise needs a serious jolt to bring them out of MLB obscurity.

Dansby Swanson is exactly the type of player who could take the franchise to the next level if he steps up early and often. Before he turns his focus to embarking on his professional baseball career, however, he has his mind set on one thing at the moment; bringing Vanderbilt its second consecutive National Championship.

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