Travis Swaggerty
American baseball player (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Travis Wade Swaggerty Jr. (born August 19, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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| Travis Swaggerty | |
|---|---|
Swaggerty with the Indianapolis Indians in 2022 | |
| Free agent | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: August 19, 1997 Covington, Louisiana, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 7, 2022, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Batting average | .111 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 0 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Amateur career
Swaggerty attended Denham Springs High School in Denham Springs, Louisiana, and played on their baseball team. As a senior, he batted .451 and was named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Class 5A All State team.[1] He was not drafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at the University of South Alabama where he played college baseball.[2]
As a freshman in 2016 at South Alabama, Swaggerty appeared in 59 games, compiling a .303 batting average with four home runs, 27 RBIs, 12 doubles and 20 stolen bases.[3] In 2017, as a sophomore, he appeared in and started 58 games, slashing .356/.484/.571 with 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases.[4][5] After the season, was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team.[6] That summer, Swaggerty played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team where he batted .328/.449/.406 in 19 games,[7] and also briefly played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[8] He was named a first-team preseason All-American by Baseball America,[9] D1Baseball.com,[10] and Perfect Game prior to his junior season along with being named the 2018 Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year.[11] He finished his junior season batting .296 with 13 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a .455 on-base percentage over 57 games.[12] He was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team for the second year in a row.[13]
Professional career
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Swaggerty in the first round, with the tenth overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[14] He signed for $4.4 million and was assigned to the West Virginia Black Bears of the Low-A New York–Penn League, with whom he was named an All-Star.[15][16][17] After hitting .288 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 36 games for the Black Bears, he was promoted to the West Virginia Power of the Single-A South Atlantic League in August.[18] He finished the season with the Power, batting .129 with one home run and five RBIs in 16 games.[19] Swaggerty spent 2019 with the Bradenton Marauders of the High-A Florida State League and was named an All-Star.[20][21] Over 121 games, he slashed .265/.347/.381 with nine home runs, forty RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.[22] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 after the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]
To begin the 2021 season, Swaggerty was assigned to the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple-A East.[24] On May 27, he was placed on the 60-day injured list after dislocating his right shoulder.[25][26] He later had season-ending surgery.[27] Over 41 at-bats prior to the injury, he hit .220 with three home runs and seven RBIs.[28] On November 19, 2021, the Pirates selected Swaggerty's contract and added him to their 40-man roster.[29] He returned to the Indians to begin the 2022 season.[30] In early May, he was placed on the injured list with a concussion but was activated just a week later.[31]
On June 4, 2022, the Pirates promoted Swaggerty to the major leagues.[32] At the time of his promotion, he was batting .280 with four home runs, 22 RBIs, and two triples over 35 games.[33] He started in center field in a game against the Detroit Tigers on June 7, making his MLB debut.[34] Swaggerty recorded his first major league hit against Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried on June 9.[35] He was optioned back to Indianapolis on June 13.[36]
Swaggerty was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the 2023 season.[37] In 17 games, he hit .200/.278/.369 with one home run, five RBI, and three stolen bases.[38] He spent time on the injured list due to recurrent migraines, which he began experiencing in November 2022.[39] On July 17, Swaggerty was designated for assignment by the Pirates.[40] He was released by the team on July 19.[41]
Chicago White Sox
On August 13, 2023, Swaggerty signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.[42] He was released on October 10, without having appeared in a game for the organization.[43]
Kansas City Monarchs
On December 11, 2023, Swaggerty signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[44] After failing to make the club in spring training, Swaggerty was released on March 28, 2024.[45]
On April 30, 2024, Swaggerty signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.[46] In 73 games for the Monarchs, he batted .269/.378/.422 with seven home runs, 41 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
New York Mets
On December 20, 2024, Swaggerty signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.[47] In 34 appearances split between the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Triple-A Syracuse Mets, he hit a combined .207/.307/.276 with eight RBI and two stolen bases. Swaggerty was released by the Mets organization on July 2, 2025.[48]
Personal life
During Swaggerty's junior year at the University of South Alabama, his partner Peyton transferred to the school.[49] Shortly after he was drafted, she was diagnosed with and treated for thyroid cancer.[49] The couple married in December 2020 and they welcomed their first child, a daughter, in September 2021.[50][51]