Will Swanner Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1802
AVG	.264
OBP	.339
SLG	.465
HR	79

Full name Will Thomas Swanner
Born 09/10/1991 in La Jolla, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School La Costa Canyon
Drafted in the 15th round (470th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2010 (signed for $490,000).

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A promising hitter with the potential to hit for average and power, Swanner has significantly improved at the plate in the past year by working with Deron Johnson, son of the National League's 1965 RBI king. He has good bat speed and a good approach to utilizing the entire field, though he has stretches when he flips his head and front side off the ball and collapses his back side. Swanner has great makeup and is mature enough that his coach lets him call his own game behind the plate. An athletic receiver, Swanner is projectable but does not have the classic squat catcher's build at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. He's relaxed and comfortable behind the plate, and his flexibility enables him to present a low target. He does an outstanding job of framing pitches. He will need to make some defensive adjustments, however, and his pop times are slowed significantly by his habit of pausing at the top of his delivery and then flipping the ball to second base. He also struggles with catching pitches to his left or right. Committed to Pepperdine along with his brother Michael, who's a righthander, Swanner is considered a tough sign. He offers enough upside behind the plate that a club may take an early gamble on him.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Swanner looked to be headed to Pepperdine heading into the 2010 draft, but the Rockies were able to sign him away with a $495,000 bonus in the 15th round. He got his feet wet in the Pioneer League, returned there in 2011 and moved up to Asheville last season. He had 41 extra-base hits, including 16 homers, and finished with a .302 average despite batting .182 after July. Swanner's best tool is his power, which played particularly well at Asheville's McCormick Field because he hits a lot of balls to right-center. He has a deep wrap in his swing that causes his bat head to get flat in his load, raising questions about whether he'll be able to adjust to better pitching and loft the ball. He can have balance issues at the plate because he taps back and overstrides, and he tends to be too aggressive and strikes out a lot. On defense, Swanner shows average arm strength at times, but in games he has been unable to break the habit of pausing at the top of his throwing motion. He surrendered an astonishing 120 steals in 75 games last year, throwing out just 13 runners (10 percent). His height makes getting low to block balls a challenge, leading to 14 passed balls in 2012. Swanner is fine catching organizational pitchers but isn't as adept handling those with better stuff. He's a below-average runner. He might end up at first base, which would put more pressure on his bat. He likely will begin 2013 at Modesto and will need to take a step forward with his bat or his defense behind the plate to have an everyday major league role.
Swanner hit seven homers in 18 games at Casper in 2010 after signing shortly before the deadline for $490,000 as a 15th-rounder. He returned to the Pioneer League last summer with the goals of improving his plate discipline and his receiving, and made strides in both areas before injuring his left thumb Aug. 13. He missed all but three games the rest of the way and had surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the thumb, knocking him out of instructional league. Swanner hits the ball very hard and has above-average power. In his second stint with Casper, he showed more patience and a better two-strike approach. Making steady contact remains an issue, because he doesn't recognize breaking balls well and still can get overly aggressive at times. Swanner shows leadership qualities behind the plate and has plenty of arm strength. His arm action needs to be shortened, because he has a tendency to pause and unnecessarily reach back for more velocity on his throws. He caught just 19 percent of basestealers last year and also committed nine passed balls in 31 games. His height make it difficult for him to get low enough when blocking balls. Like most catchers, Swanner is a below-average runner. He's ready for full-season ball and will move up to low Class A this year.
Each year Rockies scouting director Bill Schmidt looks for a player who slipped in the draft, with the idea that he can make a late push for the player if the budget allows. Swanner was the focus in 2010, and shortly before he was supposed to head to Pepperdine the Rockies signed him for $490,000, roughly third-round money. Swanner has raw power, and with guidance from personal hitting coach Deron Johnson Jr., son of the 1965 National League RBI leader, he has developed the ability to use all fields. He has good bat speed, but will get in a hurry and collapse his back side. He wasn't terribly selective in his debut and will have to control the strike zone against better-quality pitching for his raw power to play in games. Swanner has a good frame, shows legitimate catching actions and has arm strength. His throwing motion is long, and he struggled with the faster pace of the pro game, failing to throw out a basestealer in seven tries and committing four passed balls in eight games. Swanner has exciting tools, but like most catchers he may need time to develop, so it's not a lock that he'll report to low Class A in 2011.

Minor League Top Prospects

Swanner ranked No. 10 on this list a year ago after turning pro out of high school for $490,000. The Rockies liked his power bat--he mashed seven homers in 18 games in his debut--but wanted to see the young catcher clean up his receiving and strike-zone discipline before promoting him to a higher level. He took steps toward accomplishing those goals this season before tearing a ligament in his left thumb in mid-August and missing all but three games the rest of the way. "He's an interesting guy because it's so hard to find offense at catcher," one scout said. "He swings for the downs and misses a lot, but his power is impressive." Few Pioneer League batters struck out as frequently as Swanner, who struggles to identify breaking balls, but he balanced that by connecting for 10 homers in little more than half a season. He makes enough hard contact to hit .260 with 20-plus homers in the majors. Swanner's inexperience behind the plate remains evident and he still has work to do as a receiver. He committed nine passed balls in 31 games and threw out just 19 percent of basestealers. He has solid-average arm strength, but his long arm action hinders his release times.
The Rockies bought Swanner out of a Pepperdine commitment just days before the signing deadline, handing third-round money ($490,000) to their 15th-round selection. He showed impressive power in his pro debut, mashing seven home runs in 18 games, including two to the opposite field in Ogden. "He's capable of hitting balls out everywhere," Casper manager Tony Diaz said. "But he's going to have to shorten his swing path at times." Swanner's plus bat speed was obvious, and managers were impressed by his maturity. He has the necessary tools to hit for average if he improves his approach. He can get overly aggressive, as evidenced by his 33 strikeouts and no walks in 76 at-bats. Though Swanner is athletic and flexible behind the plate, his defensive game remains unrefined. He has fringy lateral movement and blocking ability, with four passed balls in eight games. He has plus arm strength but a long arm stroke, and all seven basestealers who tested him succeeded.