Swanson, Barker claim weekly honors

MS Farm Bureau Player & Pitcher of the Week selected

By Miranda Black, Mississippi Braves

May 23, 2016

PEARL, MS -- Shortstop Dansby Swanson and RHP Brandon Barker have been named Mississippi Farm Bureau Player and Pitcher of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 22.

Swanson, 22, posted a .375 average with a triple, two home runs and six RBI over the past week. Since joining the M-Braves, Swanson is hitting .307 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI in 22 games. He is the Braves No. 1 prospect and ranks among Baseball America's Top 100 in baseball at No. 17. Prior to his promotion to Double-A, Swanson was hitting .333 with 12 doubles, a homer, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases in 21 games at High-A Carolina. He was selected first overall in the 2015 draft by the Diamondbacks out of Vanderbilt. The Kennesaw, GA, native was acquired by the Braves along with OF Ender Inciarte and RHP Aaron Blair from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Gabe Speier on December 8, 2015.

Barker, 23, made one start during the week, tossing six shutout innings and allowing just three hits while walking two and striking out eight against Pensacola on May 18. In nine games, eight starts, for the M-Braves this season, Barker is 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA (eighth-best in the Southern League). He's holding opponents to a .217 batting average. Last season with the Braves, Barker led all farmhands in wins (12) and strikeouts (109) and was named Organizational Pitcher of the Year at High-A Carolina. He was selected by the Braves in the 16th round of the 2014 draft out of Mercer University.