The Braves' marketing department sees rookie SS Dansby Swanson as "today's gold -- a product to be pitched" -- but he is "still trying to figure things out" both on and off the field, according to Jeff Schultz of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Swanson, who is from nearby Kennesaw, Ga., can be seen on billboards, buses, TV commercials and "assorted promotional materials." The Braves on June 16 will have Swanson bobblehead night, in which the giveaways come with "life-like locks" of hair. However, Swanson has played just 64 career games through last night, and while he "has the potential to turn into the Braves' franchise centerpiece for a decade-plus ... he isn't there yet." Swanson this season is hitting .156 with just two home runs. Braves 1B Freddie Freeman indicated that it could be time for Swanson, a former No. 1 overall pick, to "mix in a few nos" to requests from the team and sponsors. Freeman: "It was unfair for the media and promotional (demands) with only 36 games under his belt (last season). It's not fair to the kid. Let him become that, don't force it on someone." Freeman has the same agent as Swanson and he said, "I know Dansby has said no to a few things. But I think 'no' needs to come into his vocabulary a little more. You can't do a million things off the field and still expect the guy to be fully, mentally ready to go at 7:30 every night." Braves RF Matt Kemp added, "You want me to do some promotional stuff or you want me to hit? When you're young they make you feel like you have to do all that stuff" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 5/3).
