A Look At The Vandy Boys Playing In The 2022 MLB Playoffs

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Dansby Swanson. Photo: Courtesy of the Atlanta Braves

The MLB Postseason is here and though Nashville doesn’t have a dog in the fight, there are some Music City connections that Nashvillians can throw their support behind.

Vanderbilt baseball was ranked as the nations No. 1 college baseball program by D1 Baseball and for great reason. Along with the championships and winning records, head coach Tim Corbin has been able to produce some fantastic MLB prospects year in and year out.

This year is no different as four Vandy Boys will be representing their alma mater in the playoffs starting this weekend.

The reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves are back in the postseason after winning the NL East in a tight race. The team has two former Commodores in Dansby Swanson and Kyle Wright, who were not only instrumental to their championship run, but proved to be irreplaceable this season as they lead the Braves to one of the most dominant performances among all teams.

Kyle Wright. Photo: Courtesy of the Atlanta Braves

Swanson, class of 2015, was a work horse this season, playing all 162 games at shortstop. He sported a batting average of .277 and on-base percentage of .329. He had a career-high of 177 hits and 96 RBI’s with 25 home runs. Through the Braves early season struggles and injuries, Swanson has been one of the most important players for the team.

Wright, class of 2017, emerged from last year’s World Series as a solid option for the Braves starting rotation coming into this season. But he has exceeded expectations, being one of the top pitchers in all of baseball.

In 2022, Wright pitched 30 games with an astounding 22 wins and ERA of 3.19. He struck out 174 batters and pitched 180.1 innings. He has been nothing short of superb and will be key for Braves as they look to repeat last season’s success.

The Braves are the No. 2 seed and will play next week, facing the winner of the series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.

Former Vandy superstar David Price, class of 2007, will also be representing the black and gold with the Los Angeles Dodgers this postseason, who finished with the best record in baseball at 111 wins. He’s been one of the better relief pitchers in the league for the better half of seven years, winning a World Series with both the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers. This season, he pitched in a career-high 40 games with an 2.45 ERA. Though he only pitched 40 innings, his presence will be needed for the Dodgers as games will most likely be tight towards the final innings.

David Price. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Price joins fellow Nashville native and John Overton High School alum Mookie Betts, who won championships with Price in Boston and LA.

The Dodgers will also play the winner of the San Diego Padres and New York Mets next week.

There will be one former Vandy Boy playing in a Wild Card Series this weekend, and it will be class of 2011 catcher Curt Casali. He is a nine-year veteran behind the plate and played most of the season with the San Fransisco Giants before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners punched their ticket to the postseason for the first time in 21 years.

Casali played 57 games this year–16 with Seattle–sporting a batting average of .207 and a on-base percentage of .318. He played 120 innings for the Mariners behind the plate and had a .993 fielding percentage. Casali was named to the team’s Wild Card roster this morning and will take on the Toronto Blue Jays later today (Oct. 7) at 4:07 p.m. CT.

Steven Boero
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