Swisher could have role with Braves in 2016

?Before being traded to the Braves on Aug. 7, Nick Swisher had played on just one team with a losing record in 11 seasons. He played on six teams that won at least 92 games, including a World Series championship team (Yankees), five teams that won division tiles and none that finished lower than third.

Now at age 34, and with another year left on his contract, Swisher is on a Braves team that has lost 46 of 60 games and was tied with Philadelphia for the majors’ worst record (56-88) entering Monday, when the Braves were off after being swept by the Mets. The lost weekend extended their home skid to 12 games, longest for the franchise in at least 102 years.

Instead of grousing about the embarrassment this season has become, Swisher exudes the same energy and optimism he’s been known for throughout his career, insisting he’s excited about being part of the Braves’ rebuilding.

“I call it a rejuvenation of this organization,” he said last week. “I’m happy and proud to part of that. That’s what I want to do, man. I want to make this place 100 percent better from the time that I showed up till the time that I leave here, whenever that is.”

His stay might not be as brief as was anticipated after the Braves acquired the first baseman/left fielder along with Michael Bourn from Cleveland in exchange for Chris Johnson. Swisher and Bourn are owed a combined $29 million in 2016 and the Indians sent the Braves $10 million to offset the difference in what they were owed and what Johnson had left on a three-year contract.

Swisher had surgery on both knees in August 2014, after posting career-worsts in average (.208), OBP (.278) and slugging percentage (.331) in 97 games last season. He tried to come back too soon this May and hit .198 with two homers in 30 games before returning to the DL.

He was completing a rehab assignment when traded and expectations were lower for Swisher than for Bourn. Some thought that Swisher might even be designated for assignment and dumped.

Those opinions began to change soon after the trade. Bourn has hit .181 (15-for-96) with a .263 OBP, .480 OPS and four stolen bases in 29 games. But he has played strong defense and manager Fredi Gonzalez notes how unlucky he’s been with line drives hit at defenders. For the season, Bourn has hit .231 with a career-worst .579 OPS and 17 steals.

Swisher has hit .235 with a solid .368 OBP and .756 OPS in 106 plate appearances for the Braves, with four doubles, three homers and 15 RBIs in 32 games.

“He gives you tremendous energy and great at-bats,” Gonzalez said, “and the encouraging thing is, we’re going to watch him play the rest of this month, and we’ve got him for one more year. And he goes into the offseason and heals up a little bit more (from) those knee surgeries, gets stronger, and maybe we’ll have even a better player.

“I didn’t know what to expect from a guy who had both knees done last year. You can tell he’s a pro’s pro. He takes care of himself a lot. He comes in, does his running, does his exercise.”

Swisher has worn a fairly bulky brace “my quarterback brace” on his right knee this season. He hopes to shed that before next season and looks forward to a healthy offseason and full spring training.

“The offseason for me, I get after it, man,” he said. “For me there’s two things I do in the offseason family time and get those weights in. That’s about it. I just think with everything I’ve gone through in the past two years, it’s just nice to have all that behind me and be looking forward to great days instead of getting out of bed and crawling to the bathroom.”

The Braves are 3-24 with a 6.76 ERA and 81 runs scored in their past 27 games. They have won just five of the 32 games that Swisher has played.

“We just need to somehow find a way to unify together as a team and move everybody in the same direction going forward,” Swisher said last week in Philadelphia.

After saying that, the Braves beat the Phillies 8-1 in their series finale. Then they came home and got swept by the Mets.

On Sunday, the Braves had a 7-4 lead with two out and nobody on in the Mets’ ninth inning and ended up losing 10-7 in 10 innings. They have a majors-worst 4.82 bullpen ERA, the majors’ fourth-highest overall ERA (4.58), and the majors’ lowest-scoring offense (517 runs in 144 games) plus fewest homers (88).

Now they face Toronto, which is 32-10 with a whopping 260 runs and 71 homers in its past 42 games, including 13-5 with 34 homers in 18 road games.

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